Thanks again I feel better knowing that the recipe that I posted was, indeed, a SW original.

I baked today! But the cake is frozen will use it tomorrow for our 2nd month anniversary. It smelled wonderful though and the crust tasted good hehe

I had to make some cupcakes for a pee-wee baseball banquet and I decided to try the Not So Lemon Magnolia recipe. Since the cupcakes where for kids I subbed the 1/4 cup lemon juice for more milk, and replaced the lemon jest with vanilla.

I accidentally over baked them, but my goof didnât adversely affect the cuppies. I honestly think my oven is possessed, sometimes it runs too hot and sometimes too cool. I canât quite figure it out.


Non-Lemon Magnolia Recipe (aka Magnolia Bakeryâs Vanilla Cake)

Texture: The texture was tender and airy and the crumb was quite coarse. The cupcake tops formed a crunchy, sugary crust, but the sides were nice and tender. The cupcake crumbled when broken apart, so I don't know how well it would slice.

Moistness: Even over-baked the cake was still moist. Not wet or clumpy, just pillowy (sp).

Flavor: Pleasing blend of butter and vanilla (mostly butter) with a great mouth feel. Sweet, but not overly so. The cupcakes didnât get a WOW reaction from the kids or adults, but everyone thought they were very good.

Ease of preparation: Normal. Creaming but no whipping of egg whites.

Cost: average

Other Comments: Tops of cupcakes didn't dome, but they also didn't sink when removed from oven. Some of the tops had a sticky feel. This is a great recipe for a large function where you are trying to please as many people as possible. Reminds me a lot of a box mix, but only moister and with a melt in you mouth butter feel.

I give it a 9 out of 10

This is so interesting, and I am a HUGE fan of scrathc baking, so THANKS everyone!!!!!!!

But, is there anyway to compile the results into a spreadsheet of sorts?????

cakeymom

morecakePLZ - it doesn't even look like you over-baked it. The cake looks so moist. I'm going to try to find time to try that recipe, too.

hi all of you, those who have tried SW's yellow cake with ginger, what kind of ginger did you add? fresh ginger minced finely?
coz i always have fresh ginger in my kitchen, it's something we use frequently in our dishes over here. but i can't imagine how to add 1/2 tsp of ginger into a cake batter and still making it mix well into the batter.
or is the ginger in SW's recipe referring to powdered / essence version (which makes more sense adding into the batter)?

would subbing with cinnamon / nutmeg be ok?

Hi,

Definitely powdered ginger. Since I couldn't really detect the ginger taste at all, I'm not sure nutmeg or cinnamon would work. I think that may be too strong of a "taste" for this light tasting cake.

If you're going for more of a spice cake flavor then I think it would be good though.

i used powdered ginger in SW yellow cake and I couldn't taste it in the baked cake but boy was it delish (sorry didn't mean to jump in but I have been watching this thread to see if any cake matches hers in taste cause i m always looking for the perfect yellow cake)

sorry, never have frozen them before but why not. that cake is so good, nothing can hurt it.

Wow! Where was i when this started! Sweet! I only do scratch baking.
Going to page one to start from the beginning!

thanks dkelly & pattycakesnj!

i think i've seen powdered ginger sold here.. just that fresh ginger is abundant here and people rarely buy powdered, but i believe i've seen them sold. i'll keep this in mind, so that in the future if i come across powdered ginger i'm gonna grab it & put it in my basket

thanks!!

Does SW recipe turn out good for cupcakes?

I've never used it for cupcakes, but the recipe does say it can be done. I think I'll try some this weekend if I get a chance.

The only bad thing about making these for home is that I can't stop eating it!

I made my DH's b-day cake on Tuesday and I've been picking on it all week........it's like I'm addicted to it!

Haven't reviewed my cake yet, I filled it and frosted it and it's in the fridge right now... so far I am not impressed. It looks really dense and the crumb is coarse and big. Maybe that's because it's cold? Should I let it go to room temp before eating? Did you guys test yours after it cooled right after baking?

let it come to room temp before you eat it. I don't think cakes are ment to be served cold, and I think most of us have been judging at room temp.

Modified Cakeman Raven's Red Velvet Cake

1. Flavor: I like the flavor, it's very subtle it will make any kind of frosting stand out.
2. Texture/Crumb : This is my issue with the cake, the texture. It was quite dense, it wasn't hard but it wasn't tender either, not gummy but I just like fluffy cakes. The crumb is very tight and it sliced cleanly.
3. Moistness : It's not too moist but not dry either.
3. Ease of Recipe : Very easy, just mix the dry, mix the liquids and mix together.
4. Cost of Recipe : Affordable since it doesn't use butter.
5. Ability to convert into cupcakes : I halved the recipe and it made 12 cupcakes. Rose well but still dense, reminds me of muffins.

All in all I would give this recipe a score of 4/10. I really wouldn't make it again. The cost and ease of making it is the pros but I will struggle with creaming butter and sugar to get the fluffy cakes that I love. I will post pictures later.

Can I also write a review of the recipes I suggested?

Sure,Cupcakeshoppe, I don't see why not Thanks for your critique.

Oh....I agree with SayHellojana. I sampled my cakes at room temp, also.

Hey guys, in this thread,

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-636013.html

Delie needs some help with her Sylvia cake.

Thanks

cupcakeshoppe, just thought i'd chime in.

i've been making red velvet using one recipe i found on youtube few yrs ago. last year i came upon cakeman raven's, and found out the one i've been using is similar to his.

i remember from the youtube, the lady who was making the cake kept reminding viewers not to overmix the batter. she mentioned that we need to add the liquid a little at a time, and careful to GENTLY mix the mixture.
so i've always reminded myself to reaaaaally sloooowly mix the batter, else the cake will be densed.

my RV has always been fluffy and oh so moist even after been refrigerated (not frozen). and yes, i've made cupcakes with it many times, and so far so good.

mclaren, thanks for telling me that! I just did it the same way as directed on the website so I just dumped all the liquid in with the dry and mixed it. I did mix by hand though so I don't know if I over mixed it or not. But that could have been the culprit.

I made the Not So Lemon Lemon Cake from Magnolia Bakery 3 days ago, and was pretty pleased with the results -

1. Flavor: This was one aspect of the cake I was really happy with. It tastes delicious, and the lemon adds another level to it. However, nobody will be able to tell that the cake has lemon in it, unless they are told. I loved the flavour!
2. Texture/Crumb : This is is where my slight problem with the cake arises. Though everyone loved the cake, I found a SLIGHT gummy aspect to it, though being fluffy. Apart from that, it was perfectly moist, sturdy, and sliced very cleanly.
3. Moistness : The cake is a perfect balance.
3. Ease of Recipe : Usual creaming method. The lemon does add an extra step, but its totally worth it
4. Cost of Recipe : I dont bake for customers, so I have no idea what to compare this to. Sorry
5. Ability to convert into cupcakes : N/A

ETA :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yumsiliciousbakes/3622255527/

I can't seem to add the picture for some reason, so there's a direct link. If someone can tell me how to link from flikr, I'd be grateful!