Weekend Cooking: Bake a Cake!

We recently realized that we tend to only bake cakes when there's a special occasion to be celebrated. Right now we're going through a stretch with no cake-worthy events on the horizon, so we thought it would be fun to pull out our tins this weekend and bake ourselves a cake - for no particular reason at all!

We like the idea of just baking a cake for fun. There's no pressure to make it perfect, no special requests for flavors or icing, no restrictions at all! We're really looking forward to just opening up our cookbooks and making the first thing that appeals to us.

Here are few notes on technique:

• How to Frost a Layer Cake
• How to Make a Cake Stand
• Baking Lab: Why Did Our Cake Fall Flat?
• How to Line a Cake Pan
• How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute
• Freeze Pre-Baked Cake Rounds

And some recipes and other cake ideas to use as inspiration!

• Hot Pink Raspberry Cake
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Sticky Spiked Double Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Brandy Sauce
• Ina Garten's Lemon Cake
• Flavor a Cake with Jam Syrup
• How to Make Cake Pops
• How to Make an Anatomically Correct Lego Cake

And who knows - maybe a special event will just find us! What kind of cake do you feel like making this weekend?

(Images: Faith Durand and Susie Nadler for the Kitchn)

Comments (9)

I have the ingredients out right now to make a pound cake. It will pair very nicely with the strawberries I picked yesterday!

posted by tallsarah on June 19th 2009 at 2:21pm
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I am not a cake person at all -- but that yellow cake w. chocolate icing is making my mouth water.

posted by mlleErica on June 19th 2009 at 2:33pm
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Already made it! - 24-Karat (Carrot) Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Icing by Flo Braker.
Next up in the bake-whatever-I feel-like CAKE edition? Sweet and Salty Cake from the Baked Boys.
In the sweet edition? Homemade marshmallows.

posted by Rachelino on June 19th 2009 at 2:44pm
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We're having lasagne and pound cake for dinner, after which we will fall into a deep food coma.

posted by heather77 on June 19th 2009 at 3:08pm
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Sounds heavenly, everyone! MlleErica, I forgot to include the link to that yellow cake. Here it is!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/diy-recipe/recipe-diy-yellow-cake-014637

posted by EmmaC on June 19th 2009 at 3:42pm
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Bundt cake! Lemon, I think. With a tart glaze.

posted by sjbreeze on June 19th 2009 at 4:21pm
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I'm right in the midst of cake-baking season: birthdays and holidays all summer long. The two I've done recently from recipes posted on this blog (this one and this one) have been huge hits.

posted by Leslie in Portland on June 19th 2009 at 8:10pm
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Why did I click? Why?? AUGH, MY WAISTLINE.

... Er, please ignore the 1/3 of an applesauce-raisin cake that's sitting on my counter. Really.

posted by Elizabeth B on June 19th 2009 at 9:08pm
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Too funny. Earlier this year my husband mentioned that we don't eat enough cake so he decreed that, "we shall have cake night once a month." We decided to invite another couple (fellow cake enthusiasts) and now share cake and board games monthly. Who says one needs a special occassion? Good for you !

posted by i4design on June 21st 2009 at 6:53pm
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