Dorothy was right. “There’s no place like home.” But what do you do when lost in the wondrous land of Oz? Which path do you take when home is far away? Do you meditate to center yourself? Go hang gliding? Pretzel yourself into yoga poses? (Kudos to you if you choose yoga. My flexibility factor is zip!)
Smooth as that first sip of coffee, sophisticated as a Kahlua cocktail, Carole Walter’s Great Cakes’ Espresso Cake is as soothing as jazz. Espresso flavors play rich and deep but the timbre of the cake is feather light. (Perhaps blending the butter with caster sugar for 8 minutes contributes to the fluffy sponge.) Lemon zest adds another layer of complexity. (Amazing what a ½ teaspoon of citrus zest can do!)
Combining elements of Carole Walter’s recipe for Kahlua syrup and Ganache Glaze, I created a Kahlua Chocolate Ganache to pour on top of the espresso cake.
A buzz of excitement was in my chest. (A sensation akin to watching U.S. Olympic ice dancing champions, Davis and Waters glide to gold.) The blades of my mixer were swirling lemon and orange zest across cubes of cold butter. Results of the lemon-orange zest twizzle - required elements in Carole Walter’s Great Cakes Lemon Velvet Squares recipe...
Baking this month’s The Cake Slice Bakers’ assignment brought a bouquet of brown sugar and butter aroma to our home preparing for the holidays.
