I've Been Baking "A Cake A Week"

 

 

While on our trip to the UK back in March, my daughter and I enjoyed a piece of cake pretty much every day.  We tasted a little bit of everything from Red Velvet to Banoffee Cake, to Battenberg and Pear Almond Coffee Cake.  All were scrumptious I might add. 

 

My daughter agreed that all that cake was pretty darn awesome and that we needed to eat it way more often once we returned to Canada. 

 

So upon arrival home, I resolved that I would use and hone my baking skills by baking a cake every week, from scratch, to enjoy with our family.

 

I am pleased to say I have kept up this new goal (except for the 2 weeks we were in Italy in July!) and we have enjoyed countless new flavours and textures each weekend, usually with a cup of tea or a glass of wine.  

Now what kind of cakes have I made?  

Of course I have taken pictures along the way and I can share them all with you now!

A Traditional Victoria Sponge, Upside-Down Summer Berry Cornmeal Cake, Lemon Drizzle Cake,  Chocolate-Chip Brown Sugar Cake 

Spiced Applesauce Cake, Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake,
Coconut Apricot Cake, Almond Cake 

 Chocolate Blackout Cake, Gluten-free Banana Cake,
Battenberg Cake,  Chocolate Fudge Cake with Butterscotch Pecan Topping

Salted Caramel Poached Pear Meringue Slab "Cake," Black Forest Cake, Triple Citrus Madeira Cake, Swedish Tosca Almond Cake

 

And where do I find all of these luscious cake recipes?  Honestly I am pretty "old school" about my cake recipes.  They all come books.  Gorgeous, colourful books that have photography that make every single recipe  a "must bake!"

Here are my favourites:

 

Vintage Cakes by Jane Brocket

Dessert For Two by Christina Lane

Gluten-Free Sweet Treats by Emma Goss-Custard

Meringue Girls by Alex Hoffler and Stacey O'Gorman

One Bowl Baking by Yvonne Ruperti

Most of the cakes I have pictured above are from one of these books. If you'd like any details about the books or  which book each cake was from, leave me a comment and I'll get right back to you!

 

 

I have really enjoyed baking a cake each weekend.  Sometimes I make it gluten-free for my son and husband, often just replacing GF flour for regular all-purpose flour. I have practised a variety of techniques and have learned new ways to "gussy up" a cake to make it visually attractive, too.  I hope to continue my "cake a week" until the end of 2015, then I might give bread-making a try in 2016. We'll see where the flour and sugar take me....

Hugs to all,

XOXOXO

 

Bronwyn

PS  I am joining in with the "Secret Blogger Club" this week.