lovesgenoise's Reviews
6 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 6Sort by: Title 
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Rose's Heavenly Cakes
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wiley - 2009
Chocolate Ice Cream Cake or Sandwich : page 142
We love this cake and make it over and over. It is easier than a classic chiffon, about as easy as an American butter cake. It is equally popular with kids and adults. Our favorite ice cream pairing with this is H. Daz Strawberry, but chocolate comes in a close second.
With no butter or cream, the flavor of this cake depends on a good-quality, full-flavored cocoa.
We bake this as individual ice cream sandwiches in a pan with 1-cup cavities. The right amount of batter per cavity is 60-62 grams, any more and the sandwich will be too tall to eat. For cakes of this size, 75% of the recipe on p.137 will make 12. They bake for 20 minutes, and we lower the oven temp 25F because our pan has a dark lining.
Like most sponge-type cakes, the top crust on this cake is sticky (top crust when in the cake pan). If you're making little sandwiches to eat with your hands, you can trim the crust if you don't want the sticky texture.
For filling these, it is easiest to slice (torte) them while still room temp, then put them in the freezer before filling with ice cream.
useful (2)
Golden Lemon Almond Cake : page 37
One of my all-time favorite cakes. This cake is somewhat dense with added texture from ground almonds. Balancing the richness of butter, almonds and sour cream is plenty of lemon zest and juice.
The cake is not difficult but it's a little more time-consuming than a classic American-style butter cake, because of the need to toast and grind almonds, and because of the zesting and juicing of lemons. But very worth it, I've made it over and over. Don't be tempted to make substitutions with this cake, the balance of flavors and textures is absolutely perfect as written. It's noticeably better on the day after it is made, and keeps well for several days.
The photo shows this cake as a torte topped with glazed fresh blueberries (from the Cake Bible) and trimmed with white chocolate-lemon buttercream. The buttercream is from the Wedding Cake chapter of Rose's Heavenly Cakes.
useful (5)
Marble Velvet Cake : page 52
I made this recipe as marble cupcakes. It is flavorful and the chocolate cake is perfectly balanced with the yellow. Not a difficult or time-consuming cake, just make a classic yellow sour cream batter, add melted chocolate to a portion, then swirl.
The recipe makes 24 flat-topped cupcakes. For rounded tops, consider reducing the baking powder slightly.
useful (1)
Orange-Glow Chiffon Layer Cake : page 203
One of the best cakes I have ever made, and I never thought I would say that about a cake that doesn't contain butter. It's light and fresh and has a dreamy, spongy texture. I've made a tangerine version and a lemon version. The author gives leavening and flavor adjustments for the lemon version on her blog.
This cake is a little tricky and requires everything to be just right. Use a silver (i.e., not a non-stick) springform, cake strips, a flower nail, unbleached AP flour and measure or weigh everything carefully. Underbaking and overbaking will also create problems.
For the whipped cream recipe listed with the cake, be sure to use sweet orange marmalade, as the classic, somewhat bitter variety makes terrible whipped cream (voice of experience). For the tangerine version, I used homemade tangerine preserves, which worked very well. For the lemon version, I flavored the whipped cream with lemon oil and vanilla.
The photos are the lemon version, which had blueberries in the center filling and was topped with raspberries.
useful (6)
Plum and Blueberry Upside-Down Torte : page 12
Delicious, super moist, and beautiful! This cake uses basic ingredients and goes together quickly. The fruit takes the place of frosting, decorations and syrup.
For the presentation in the photo, I used 22 oz nectarines and 6 oz blueberries, same total fruit weight as the recipe but more stone fruit and fewer blueberries.
It's important to note that this cake bakes up with a firm and crunchy top crust that can make it more difficult to test for doneness- the firmer crust seems to resist a gentle poke and it also scrapes the toothpick clean, even if the center isn't done. An instant-read thermometer should register at least 190F in the center when done.
Best flavor when made a day before serving. If there's any undissolved caramel left in the pan after unmolding, it can be put back in place on top of the cake and it will dissolve after a day or so.
useful (1)
White Chocolate-Vanilla Bean Buttercream : page 401
I’ve made this buttercream twice now, and I can’t say enough about how delicious it is. It has a dreamy, soft and creamy texture and it's not too buttery. I have started stockpiling Green and Black’s white chocolate whenever it goes on sale, hoping to make more of this soon.
The texture of this buttercream is a little on the soft side (about like cream cheese buttercream), and it can be a little translucent in very thin layers. But it is so delicious that it is worth a little extra effort to keep it cool while piping, and since it isn't too buttery, extremely thin layers aren't needed.
Don't Scorch the Chocolate
This buttercream requires switching gears at the double-boiler: first, you try not to get it too hot (so you don't scorch the chocolate), then after adding the eggs you turn up the heat and push to get it hot enough (to bring the custard to 140F).
Freezing
It freezes perfectly, just be sure to bring it to room temperature and re-beat it with a whisk (by hand is fine) to restore its texture.
Serving Size
This recipe only makes 7 cups of buttercream- the 14 cups that is mentioned at the beginning of the recipe comes from making two batches. It scales down easily- I make half the recipe as written (3.5 cups), and the only change is that the custard cools faster.
The photo shows an 8" layer of the Golden Dream cake topped with the lemon version of this buttercream.
useful (2)