So this past weekend our friends at Yuppie Chef held the Yuppie Chef Easter Cake-Off. We decided to dive in and give it a go… This meant that in-between our normal Easter weekend, which by tradition means… friends, friends, friends… we had to add a bit of baking to the mix. We learnt that weaving baking into having heaps of friends over was an exceptionally good idea. And our Easter weekends from this day forth will be include friends, friends, friends and heaps of baking!!!
The idea was that you choose one of their four cakes and bake it to perfection… we aren’t really perfect bakers, just regular: one, two, skip a few bakers. I thought we could divide up into teams and get baking… may the best cake win and all that. The cakes were:
- Layered peanut butter and caramel cake.
- Spiced almond hot cross bun cake.
- A spectacular easter cake.
- Mum’s recipe for carrot cake.
Our idea was to bake the cakes and pick the best one as a champion. Now we have a nut allergy so cake number one was not selected and fabulous as cake number two looked it uses almond flour… so nut allergy again and we left that one out. That left a family competition between “the spectacular easter cake” and “mum’s recipe for carrot cake.”
Let the Yuppie Chef Easter Cake-Off Begin
Cake #1: Mum’s Recipe for Carrot Cake
Turns out the father person and I are rather fussy about our carrot cake – there is a story behind it… We had carrot cake as our wedding cake and we like it just so. Really just so… and may I never mention out-loud that one of us, that isn’t me, is very particular. So a fine carrot cake – has to have a lot of carrot in it, it has to have pineapple and it has to be good and gooey. This recipe ticked all the boxes. Also it was a very easy recipe to do… and an easy one for everyone to get involved in.
Basically, take all the ingredients and pop them together… hopefully before all the grated carrots are eaten.
Mix away…
And pop everything into a baking pan…
Astonish the baking team by creating frosting with cream cheese… they were loath to try it, but a quick taste test and they were suitably converted. And there you go… a carrot cake of the very fine variety.
Cake #2: The Spectacular Easter Cake
Well a bake-off in our minds requires at least two recipes… and it was the Easter weekend and let’s face it, by definition, that requires a certain amount of chocolate and eggs. This cake definitely ticked that box… and this was the cake that everyone wanted to help with, until they discovered that it was a slightly trickier recipe to create, not to mention – assemble. We crossed into new territory here, never having made a triple layer cake before.
Ingredients out and hide the eggs until your cake has cooled, else you may have to dash out for more supplies… mid-baking event, which is not actually recommended… just saying!!!
And then construct away… triple layer it up.
And smash and sprinkle those eggs…
Cake done…
And The Great Cake Comparison
A slice of each…
And a comparison test… or rather a very opinionated discussion:
- Appearance: Some liked the smooth looking carrot cake and others went for those chocolate eggs…
- Height: Well triple layer wins that…
- Texture: Smooth of the Eggstra Special cake… or Gooey with yummy carrot and pineapple bits in the Carrot Cake…
- Icing: The cream cheese icing was a winner – hands down. One or two folk over here don’t like lemon icing… but it was the perfect counter-balance to all those sweet chocolate eggs.
- The Crumb: yes this was a deciding factor…
- Presentation: I thought that was appearance, but apparently there is a whole lot more to presenting a cake than appearance!!!
- Flavour: And of course it isn’t easy to compare flavour… because – well how do you!!!
- The Vote: And people were very voiciferous regarding their votes but, friends aside (because they have a tendency to swing the vote somewhat!!!), and keeping this just between us:
And the se7en + 1th…
And plenty of plates later…
We had a winner… being Easter, the cake with eggs was the winner, but the had it been any other weekend I think the carrot cake would have one by miles!!!
Oh, I love those white eggs! … and carrot cake! what a choice. Well done bakers.
Hay Debbie, we had such a blast… and the father person may have bought an abundance of carrots in anticipation… we will be making lots and lots and lots more carrot cake. Hope you guys have had a great break… lots of love from the gang!!!
What a fun bake off! I obviously didn’t taste them, but I just know we all would’ve picked carrot cake – so there are 4 more votes! I made carrot cake Easter weeknd as well… and sadly none remains!
what absolute fun!!! The last cake I baked was your easiest cake in the world… last year winter…. 🙂
Oh now I need cake….
Haha Cat… Go make one already!!! We have been working our way through a very fine cook book for reviewing… and my word baking, baking, baking… it has been a blast!!!
Marcia, let me hear that again… you haven’t baked a cake since last winter… seriously!!! Seriously!!! The time is now. Go find a recipe and bake it… I only bake easy recipes, I haven’t time to pfaff around… all in, smoosh around and done. Carrot cake is a great one to make with kids, you just can’t get it wrong and it is yummy. Try it already!!!
Hay Christi… Carrot cake is such a winner over here… everyone loves it, even my carrot hater, will happily munch multiple pieces!!! Hope you all have a fun weekend!!!