This is a lovely little butter cake with a topping of fresh rhubarb and pecan caramel laced with a bit of bourbon. These cakes are baked as upside down cakes in eight little four inch pans. Who has eight four inch cake pans? I do... of course!
I bought them to host the Gingerbread Baby Cakes Tuesdays with Dorie.
The cakes were super easy to prepare, and are amazingly moist, probably thanks to the full cup of crème fraîche incorporated in the batter. I was able to easily prepare these cakes in an evening without any trouble.
I am participating with Tuesdays with Dorie, a group that is baking recipes from Baking with Julia: Savor the Joys of Baking with America's Best Bakers.
Every other Tuesday, we bake a recipe from this book based on the PBS Series Baking with Julia (Child). This week's host is Erin of When in Doubt, Leave at 350. For the recipe, check out her site.
My thoughts on this recipe:
Sadly, it's not as pretty as it tastes. The green parts of the rhubarb kind of look gray after baking. I think next time I will slice the rhubarb more thinly and crush some raspberries or strawberries and toss the rhubarb in them to add some red color. It's really needed to make the look of these cakes more appetizing.
The cake itself is amazing. I can think of so many things I would like to try out with this batter.
There is not enough caramel/pecan mixture. I'd amp that up a bit too.
The book described the cake batter as "bourbon-boosted" yet instructs you to throw the bourbon in with the caramel. What does a baker do??? Drink the bourbon instead? =)
This cake is seriously, seriously, seriously good. I can't wait to check out how other bakers made it more pretty. Go to this link to see other bakers' results. Check out the recipe over at Erin's blog and come back and let me know what you think!
I love that you had the right pans for this one :-) I don't have 4" pans, but sometimes I do surprise myself with the ones that ARE hanging out in my pantry.
ReplyDeleteI need an intervention. =)
DeleteThe cake was good. Love the cute pans! I halved the recipe and made mine in a 7inch pan instead.
ReplyDeleteI probably should have halved it too. That's really good to know, because I have a 7 inch pan as well!
DeleteYou're spot on with your review...these taste SO much better than they look!
ReplyDeleteFrustrating isn't it?
DeleteOh rhubarbs! My favorite for summer desserts. Looks lovely, Karen!
ReplyDeleteThanks Yvonne! I had to hunt high a low for them! For some reason, no one cooks with them here in SoCal.
DeleteI think your cakes look lovely in your photos, anyway. These were delicious.
ReplyDeleteWell aren't you sweet Teresa. =)
DeleteI need these pans!! I made mine in muffin tins--thy worked well but yours are just so cute! I like your idea to add some raspberries for color. I added extra nuts and between the extra nuts and the rhubarb it kind of looked like ground beef on top! But it tasted delicious--I could add a dollop of whipped cream too.
ReplyDeleteLol. Mine kind of looked like hot dog slices in my overhead photos!
DeleteBeautiful cakes! I agree about the caramel. I so could have used more in my little cake pans.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yes, most definitely!
DeleteI'll have to bulk up on the topping when I make this as well!
ReplyDeleteMost def. See Cathleen's comment below. =)
DeleteLoved this cake! I agree it definitely needed more caramel and pecans. Two tablespoons nuts? Seriously? I added a half cup - probably could have used even more. This cake screams to be played with. So many variations come to mind.
ReplyDeleteSeriously is right. I wish I'd known. The batter is amazing right? So much potential.
DeleteTotally agree this cake is wonderful!!!! and so easy to make!!!
ReplyDeleteFor my part the next time, I will use more fruits (and pecans for the balance) to give a dessert more fruity!!!
Anyway your cakes look beautiful and so tempting!!!
Beautiful baby cakes :)
ReplyDeleteI thought these were good too. I don't mind that they weren't pretty. LOL at the baby cake tins - I don't even know where I'd buy them here. I already have mini loaf tins, butterfly cake tins, and a couple of other weird and wonderful tins that I don't use, so it is not a bad thing that I can't get baby cake tins.
ReplyDeleteOh you would not believe what pans I have. I'm prepared for anything =)
DeleteKaren, wonderful presentation of your very pretty mini upside-down rhubarb cakes - and you do have "the right" pans too - why I am not surprised. You always make everything you make so very pretty!
ReplyDeleteHave a great Wednesday!
Oh Andrea, thank you! You are too sweet. I feel better about my pan addiction.
DeleteI agree that this cake is seriously good, even though I don´t find rhubarb around here. Love your mini molds, they are perfect for these! You convinced me to crush some berries next time, amazing idea Karen!
ReplyDeleteWe couldn't have said it better ourselves. This is one fabulous cake and beckons to be experimented with.
ReplyDeleteIt's rhubarb season and these cakes are so adorable! Yes, I do need 4 inch pans!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and thank you for the lovely comment left on my guest post in Liz's blog
Thanks Roxana! Totally meant it. And you NEED these pans.
DeleteI love that you used the baby cake pans! I also love that you actually own them - I have 2 pans that small but have been resisting purchasing additional ones... It is hard to resist accumulating more and more kitchen items!
ReplyDeleteOh they are so tiny and take up so little room. Get them =)
DeleteVery pretty! I agree with you about the color and caramel. It was tasty, though.
ReplyDelete