Hi all,
I often read online comments about how people raved about their cakes, and that "it was the best cake ever". I have tried a bunch of these recipes but I'm usually not impressed. I don't know if it's because I came from Europe (now in Canada) and have a different palette or if I have have very high expectations of flavours, textures, combinations etc. I struggle to find REALLY good recipes with a wow factor that don't contain too much of artificial or unhealthy ingredients (i.e. shortening, emulsions, too much icing sugar - American buttercream). I have plenty of cake books (i.e. Cake bible, Dede Wilson's) but I'm not too impressed; I very badly wanted to love the Cake bible but so far I've only loved two recipes.
Here are some of the "best" (IMHO) recipes I've come across:
1. Best chocolate cake:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3092/ultimate-chocolate-cake
2. Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting:
3. White velvet butter cake:
http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/recipes/RLB's%20White%20Velvet%20Cake.pdf
4. A better white scratch cake from CC is just OK (a good basic recipe)
In my quest to find fantastic recipes, I'm wondering if others are willing to share gourmet, above average recipes/ flavours, please? 
AIf some of the top bakers in the country, and popular highly rated recipes by regular mortals failed to impress you AND you have many restrictions concerning ingredients, I don't know what you hope to find here.
Why not go for those European recipes you love so much?
Of course you could always create your own 100% customized-to-your-insatiable-standards recipes.
When you do, please be merciful and share. Don't know about others but I'm always open to being 'wowed.'
Oh and if you're going to bother responding on how *insert derogatory term* I am, just pick a number and wait your turn.
ihena81, thanks for sharing the recipes you've found to be pretty good. When I looked at your carrot cake recipe and saw that it had over 4,000 to rate it....I'm thinking I'd better add it to the rotation!
Most of the cakes I bake are a variation of the WASC. No matter what it always seems to come out just right. I don't bake from scratch all the time, so a lot of times I'll start with a really good white box mix and add pudding emulsions, extracts and different juices, etc.
I'd love to see if others share their tried and true recipes....
AI'm sorry, but Vgcea that was about the funniest comment I have read in a long time!
Leah, Formerly From Sratch, is a CC member-she adapted one of the recipes that you've tried. I really enjoy it, perhaps you will too. I just make sure to use fresh ingredients with a higher quality, makes a world of difference.
http://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/white-cake-part-3-with-recipe/
Well considering you find Rose Levy Berenbaum 'disappointing', I don't think you will have much better luck with recipes here.
If you are continually making tried and tested recipes from well established bakeries, and they aren't turning out, there is a good chance you are doing something wrong.
My recipes have been developed using trial and error, a lot of time and a lot of money, and I'd rather not have someone try one out and brand it as 'just OK', as you just did to another CC member.
APick two:
- Great taste - Healthy - Economically feasible to make
Quote:
Agreed.
Quote:
This entire CakeCentral Website is totally dedicated to sharing! Sharing successes, failures, tips, techniques, recipes, inspirations, et. al. Use the 'Search' button.
Everyone likes different things. Posting the things that you 'love' & have great success with is a positive way of expressing your preference.
A
Original message sent by jason_kraft
Pick two:
- Great taste - Healthy - Economically feasible to make
This is so true. Good ingredients are very expensive here in the US, I believe partly because people here really are willing to settle for something that costs less and is easier, even if that does mean sacrificing taste and quality.
If you want your cakes to taste good and not be filled with chemicals, you're going to need to spend the money on top quality ingredients.
There are a million cake recipes on the web. For example: allrecipes.com, epicurious.com, foodnetwork.com, marthastewart.com, etc. Try some that are rated with 5 stars. If they aren't what you like, figure out how to change them so they are what you want. Baking is a science, so you have to know how changing one thing will affect another. If you don't, you just keep trying.
This will take practice, time, and money. That's how delicious recipes are created.
AI'm surprised by some of the negative comments or attitude here; maybe I came across as snobby but that was not my intent (my apologies). As MBalaska and shanter said, everyone have different taste so I guess I will continue to search for recipes that taste good to me and maybe develop my own.
Hope others like the recipes I shared in my initial post.
A[quote name="Smckinney07" url="/t/762805/recipes-with-wow-factor#post_7435113"]I'm sorry, but Vgcea that was about the funniest comment I have read in a long time!
[S]Leah[/S], Jennifer, Formerly From Sratch, is a CC member-she adapted one of the recipes that you've tried. I really enjoy it, perhaps you will too. I just make sure to use fresh ingredients with a higher quality, makes a world of difference.
http://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/white-cake-part-3-with-recipe/[/quote]
Fixed that for ya! Glad you like my recipe!
A
Original message sent by ihena81
maybe I came across as snobby
I'm sure you didn't mean it to sound that way. It did.
Tastes, in all it's definitions, vary. I hope you find something you really like. I do appreciate you sharing the ones you like. As one great CC member said "one persons never is another's always."
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%