I sometimes visit a hotel buffet where they serve a dessert in an
approximately12 inch wide round warming dish that comprises some kind of
soaked cake. They have had several different varieties, which are decorated
with bits of berries and kiwi fruit. The cake is sliced, stacked
spiral-wise in the round dish, and completely soaked with a liquid, not too
sweet, which is about the consistency of corn syrup, yet the cake holds
together well enough to remain intact when carefully spooned out of the
dish. And the dish is not full of spare liquid - the cake seems to have
been well drained, or else the liquid carefully proportioned to the cake.
How could something like this be made at home? Could commercial cake mix be
used for the cake, or would that be too tender and produce a mush when
soaked?

HiTech RedNeck wrote:
> I sometimes visit a hotel buffet where they serve a dessert in an
> approximately12 inch wide round warming dish that comprises some kind
of
> soaked cake. They have had several different varieties, which are
decorated
> with bits of berries and kiwi fruit. The cake is sliced, stacked
> spiral-wise in the round dish, and completely soaked with a liquid,
not too
> sweet, which is about the consistency of corn syrup, yet the cake
holds
> together well enough to remain intact when carefully spooned out of
the
> dish. And the dish is not full of spare liquid - the cake seems to
have
> been well drained, or else the liquid carefully proportioned to the
cake.
> How could something like this be made at home? Could commercial cake
mix be
> used for the cake, or would that be too tender and produce a mush
when
> soaked?

A cake made from a box mix won't work unless you happen to find a cake
mix for sponge cake. A sponge cake is designed to soak up a lot of
liquid. They usually have a lot of eggs in them and usually a sponge
cake doesn't any butter, shortening, or oil. The only fat in it comes
from the eggs or milk if present. Angel food cake is a type of sponge
cake that's made with just the egg whites. Other types of sponge cakes
use both the yolks and the whites.

I'm not sure about the syrup unless it's just a simple sugar syrup.
Did the syrup have any flavor to it at all?

"djs0302" > wrote in message
ups.com...

> A cake made from a box mix won't work unless you happen to find a cake
> mix for sponge cake.

Hm, i never thought about a "sponge" cake in that manner (I was thinking of
the texture, not the capacity for liquid), but it would make sense. I do
have a cookbook with entries for sponge cake.

> I'm not sure about the syrup unless it's just a simple sugar syrup.
> Did the syrup have any flavor to it at all?

It varies. A pineapple flavored cake looked and tasted like it had a brown
sugar or caramel syrup. A chocolate cake tasted like it had been soaked in
a lemonade syrup, the flavor tasted to me exactly like canned Minute Maid
lemonade (but the syrup was thicker). Once they had what looked like a
granola cake with a cherry syrup.

Maybe cooking and thickening the lemonade with some cornstarch would get it
to the right consistency, to put it on chocolate sponge cake. I'm thinking
of setting a loaf or ring of this cake on a rack into a pan filled with this
"syrup" and then when the cake has become soaked, lifting the rack up and
letting the cake drain then carefully cutting slices and stacking in the
serving dish.

Sounds like this recipe could be Baba au Rum (search this group for
numerous recipe) which is a yeast risen cake, traditionally made in a
ring tin (individual serve or not). A warm rum syrup is poured over
whilst the cake is hot; then served cold and decorated with fruit,
often preserved/candied.
But maybe what you had is entirely different??
Cheers
Bronwyn
Oz

"HiTech RedNeck" > wrote in
message m...
> I sometimes visit a hotel buffet where they serve a dessert in an
> approximately12 inch wide round warming dish that comprises some kind
of
> soaked cake. They have had several different varieties, which are
decorated
> with bits of berries and kiwi fruit. The cake is sliced, stacked
> spiral-wise in the round dish, and completely soaked with a liquid,
not too
> sweet, which is about the consistency of corn syrup, yet the cake
holds
> together well enough to remain intact when carefully spooned out of
the
> dish. And the dish is not full of spare liquid - the cake seems to
have
> been well drained, or else the liquid carefully proportioned to the
cake.
> How could something like this be made at home?

Below is a recipe for three-milk cake (pastel de tres leches). It's not
exactly the dessert you posted about, but the cake part of it might work
for you (it's a spongy, dense cake that holds together well when
soaked).

HTH,
Mary


Three-Milk Cake (Pastel de Tres Leches)--courtesy of the Houston
Chronicle

This dessert is a favorite on the menus at many Houston Mexican and
South American restaurants. Arnaldo Richards of Pico's reworked a
previously published recipe to fit a 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan, which is
more common to home cooking.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
Fresh strawberries and mint leaves for garnish (optional)
Topping (recipe follows)
Meringue (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking
pan. Sift flour with baking powder. In large bowl with clean
beaters, beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar gradually, beating to
form stiff peaks.

Add yolks, one at a time. Slowly add flour and milk. Pour batter into
prepared pan and bake until edges are golden brown, about 40 to 45
minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack. Prepare Topping. Pour Topping
over cake and let sit until all the mixture is absorbed, 20 to 30
minutes.

Prepare Meringue and refrigerate. Before serving, cut cake into squares
and spread Meringue over each. Garnish as desired with fresh berries and
mint leaves.


Topping

1(12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup each milk and sour cream

Combine milks and sour cream (do not beat). Use as directed.


Meringue

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water, heated
3 egg whites

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Let sit until sugar is dissolved.
In clean electric mixer bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites. Slowly
pour sugar syrup over egg whites, beating constantly until meringue
holds stiff peaks. Store in refrigerator. This can be served immediately
but is best made 24 hours ahead and chilled. The meringue will keep,
covered, 2 days in the refrigerator.

Note: The newspaper clipping for this recipe that I have is exactly the
same as the one above except it calls for a whipped cream topping
instead of a meringue. I've had it prepared both ways in restaurants
here, and both ways are equally yummy. The whipped cream topping recipe
is below.


Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Chill cream, bowl, and beaters thoroughly. Beat cream with electric
mixer until it begins to thicken. Gradually add sugar and vanilla and
beat until stiff peaks form. Cover top and sides of cake with whipped
cream with a spatula or knife. Cut cake and serve (or cut the cake in
squares and top with whipped cream when it is served).

On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 03:53:45 GMT, "HiTech RedNeck"
> wrote:

>I sometimes visit a hotel buffet where they serve a dessert in an
>approximately12 inch wide round warming dish that comprises some kind of
>soaked cake. They have had several different varieties, which are decorated
>with bits of berries and kiwi fruit. The cake is sliced, stacked
>spiral-wise in the round dish, and completely soaked with a liquid, not too
>sweet, which is about the consistency of corn syrup, yet the cake holds
>together well enough to remain intact when carefully spooned out of the
>dish. And the dish is not full of spare liquid - the cake seems to have
>been well drained, or else the liquid carefully proportioned to the cake.
>How could something like this be made at home? Could commercial cake mix be
>used for the cake, or would that be too tender and produce a mush when
>soaked?
>


A lady at work brought in a cake that I liked that had been soaked
with liquid. When I asked what it was she said Kool Aid. What a blow
to my sophisticated pallet. I don't remember what kind of cake it was.

HiTech RedNeck wrote:

> I sometimes visit a hotel buffet where they serve a dessert in an
> approximately12 inch wide round warming dish that comprises some kind of
> soaked cake. They have had several different varieties, which are decorated
> with bits of berries and kiwi fruit. The cake is sliced, stacked
> spiral-wise in the round dish, and completely soaked with a liquid, not too
> sweet, which is about the consistency of corn syrup, yet the cake holds
> together well enough to remain intact when carefully spooned out of the
> dish. And the dish is not full of spare liquid - the cake seems to have
> been well drained, or else the liquid carefully proportioned to the cake.
> How could something like this be made at home? Could commercial cake mix be
> used for the cake, or would that be too tender and produce a mush when
> soaked?

Could you be talking about a pudding cake? They are pretty easy to make. The
batter goes into the pan, some sugar, butter and various ingredients go on top
and then you pour boiling water over it just before putting it in the oven. The
result in a cake that sits on a layer of pudding.

"HiTech RedNeck" > wrote in message
m...
>I sometimes visit a hotel buffet where they serve a dessert in an
> approximately12 inch wide round warming dish that comprises some kind of
> soaked cake. They have had several different varieties, which are decorated
> with bits of berries and kiwi fruit. The cake is sliced, stacked
> spiral-wise in the round dish, and completely soaked with a liquid, not too
> sweet, which is about the consistency of corn syrup, yet the cake holds
> together well enough to remain intact when carefully spooned out of the
> dish. And the dish is not full of spare liquid - the cake seems to have
> been well drained, or else the liquid carefully proportioned to the cake.
> How could something like this be made at home? Could commercial cake mix be
> used for the cake, or would that be too tender and produce a mush when
> soaked?

Here is a recipe for a Black Forest cake that is usually sprinkled with Kirsch.
There are many cakes that are sprinkled with liquor - the amount is deceptive as
the liquors are quite sweet

Dimitri


INGREDIENTS:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup kirschwasser
1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon strong brewed coffee
2 (14 ounce) cans pitted Bing cherries, drained

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon kirschwasser
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate



DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottoms of two 8 inch
round pans with parchment paper circles. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda
and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Pour into 2
round 8 inch pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick
inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool completely. Remove paper from the
cakes. Cut each layer in half, horizontally, making 4 layers total. Sprinkle
layers with the 1/2 cup kirshwasser.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioners
sugar, pinch of salt, and coffee; beat until smooth. If the consistency is too
thick, add a couple teaspoons of cherry juice or milk. Spread first layer of
cake with 1/3 of the filling. Top with 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat with the
remaining layers.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
and 1 tablespoon kirshwasser. Frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with
chocolate curls made by using a potato peeler on semisweet baking chocolate.

HiTech RedNeck wrote:
> > Did the syrup have any flavor to it at all?
>
> It varies. A pineapple flavored cake looked and tasted like it had a
brown
> sugar or caramel syrup. A chocolate cake tasted like it had been
soaked in
> a lemonade syrup, the flavor tasted to me exactly like canned Minute
Maid
> lemonade (but the syrup was thicker). Once they had what looked like
a
> granola cake with a cherry syrup.
>
> Maybe cooking and thickening the lemonade with some cornstarch would
get it
> to the right consistency, to put it on chocolate sponge cake. I'm
thinking
> of setting a loaf or ring of this cake on a rack into a pan filled
with this
> "syrup" and then when the cake has become soaked, lifting the rack up
and
> letting the cake drain then carefully cutting slices and stacking in
the
> serving dish.

The pineapple cake with the brown sugar syrup sounds good, sort of
like a pineapple upside-down cake, but the chocolate cake with the
lemonade syrup sounds horrible. I have this thing against combining
fruit with chocolate.
Now about the recipe, have you tried simply asking someone at the
hotel what type of cake they use? Another thing you could do, if your
local newspaper has a food column that features recipes from local
restaurants, would be to write to your newspaper and see if they could
get the recipe.

djs0302 > wrote:

> I have this thing against combining
> fruit with chocolate.

*Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.

serene
--
http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
http://www.jhuger.com

On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 19:42:16 -0700, (Serene)
wrote:

>djs0302 > wrote:
>
>> I have this thing against combining
>> fruit with chocolate.
>
>*Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.
>
>serene

Really?

chocolate covered strawberries
chocolate covered cherries
chocolate covered raisins
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

Seriously...none of these tempt you even a little?

Oh well...more for the rest of us ;-)
Ginny

On Tue 26 Apr 2005 07:42:16p, Serene wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> djs0302 > wrote:
>
>> I have this thing against combining fruit with chocolate.
>
> *Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.
>
> serene

Not mixing fruit with chocolate does not guarantee your sanity! :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Tue 26 Apr 2005 07:49:13p, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 19:42:16 -0700, (Serene)
> wrote:
>
>>djs0302 > wrote:
>>
>>> I have this thing against combining fruit with chocolate.
>>
>>*Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.
>>
>>serene
>
> Really?
>
> chocolate covered strawberries
> chocolate covered cherries
> chocolate covered raisins
> Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
>
> Seriously...none of these tempt you even a little?
>
> Oh well...more for the rest of us ;-)
> Ginny
>

Not so fast! I love all of those!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Ginny Sher > wrote:

> On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 19:42:16 -0700, (Serene)
> wrote:
>
> >djs0302 > wrote:
> >
> >> I have this thing against combining
> >> fruit with chocolate.
> >
> >*Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.
> >
> >serene
>
> Really?
>
> chocolate covered strawberries
> chocolate covered cherries

*shudder*

> chocolate covered raisins
> Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
>
> Seriously...none of these tempt you even a little?

Nope, hate 'em all (but I haven't tried Cherry Garcia, because it's so
obviously something I wouldn't like. I'll stick with coffee heath bar
crunch -- or, better yet, Haagen-Dazs coffee or mango ice cream, or
mango sorbet.

>
> Oh well...more for the rest of us ;-)

Yep. :-)

serene
--
http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
http://www.jhuger.com

Serene wrote:
> djs0302 > wrote:
>
> > I have this thing against combining
> > fruit with chocolate.
>
> *Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.
>
> serene
> --
> http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
> http://www.jhuger.com

Us chocolate and fruit haters have to stick together. Somebody could
give me a dozen large juicy red strawberries dipped in the world's
finest chocolate and I'm afraid after eating one to show my
appreciation the rest would end up in the garbage. I love strawberries
but dipping them in chocolate ruins them. Chocolate covered cherries
are just as bad if not worse. Chocolate covered bananas sound okay but
I can't imagine actually wanting one over something else. As far as
chocolate covered oranges are concerned, absolutely positively with out
a doubt no way.

Wayne Boatwright wrote on 26 Apr 2005 in rec.food.cooking

> Not mixing fruit with chocolate does not guarantee your sanity! :-)
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright *¿*
>

Damn! There goes that mental health day.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic Since Aug 2004
1AC- 7.2, 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Weight from 265 down to 219 lbs. and dropping.
Continuing to be Manitoban

Lots of conventional home made cakes work for this - they all tend to
be dryer than
box mixes. That's not counting stuff made with mayonaisse or cabbage
or whatever.
Gennoise is very typically soaked.

The one that tasted like minute made probably had minute made
concentrate soaked into it.
For your own purposes, you can make a simple syrup (1:1 water to sugar,
heated) and flavor
it however you like. Or sprinkle on lots of booze.

Greg Zywicki
Oh, and Chocolate covered candied orange peel, dried apricots, and
candied ginger are all fantastic.

Wayne Boatwright > wrote:

> On Tue 26 Apr 2005 07:42:16p, Serene wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
> > djs0302 > wrote:
> >
> >> I have this thing against combining fruit with chocolate.
> >
> > *Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that.

>
> Not mixing fruit with chocolate does not guarantee your sanity! :-)

*Clearly*. :-)

serene, nutso cuckoo
--
http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
http://www.jhuger.com

djs0302 > wrote:

> Us chocolate and fruit haters have to stick together. Somebody could
> give me a dozen large juicy red strawberries dipped in the world's
> finest chocolate and I'm afraid after eating one to show my
> appreciation the rest would end up in the garbage. I love strawberries
> but dipping them in chocolate ruins them. Chocolate covered cherries
> are just as bad if not worse. Chocolate covered bananas sound okay but
> I can't imagine actually wanting one over something else. As far as
> chocolate covered oranges are concerned, absolutely positively with out
> a doubt no way.

"Me, too."

ObFood: Cooked up some arborio rice while I sauteed eggplant, tomato,
garlic, and basil in butter. Mixed it all together and stuffed tomatoes
with it. So good.

serene
--
http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
http://www.jhuger.com

Someone left the cake out, in the rain...


--
Ray Gordon, Author
http://www.cybersheet.com/easy.html
Seduction Made Easy. Get this book FREE when you buy participating
affiliated books!

http://www.cybersheet.com/library.html
The Seduction Library. Four free books to get you started on your quest to
get laid.

Don't buy anything from experts who won't debate on a free speech forum.

"Ray Gordon" > wrote in message
...
> Someone left the cake out, in the rain...

But you'll never have the recipe again

Right?

I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!
Oh, no
No, no
Oh no!!

Dimitri

Serene wrote:

> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
> > On Tue 26 Apr 2005 07:42:16p, Serene wrote in rec.food.cooking:
> >
> > > djs0302 > wrote:
> > >
> > >> I have this thing against combining fruit with chocolate.

Generally i agree (strawberries dipped in chocolate are a waste of both
ingredients IMO) but the exception to the rule would be a raspberry
sachertorte. I have also had a poached pear with grated chocolate &
wine sauce that was very good "pears with poir william" iirc. Though if
i had to choose between a pear with chocolate or sharp cheddar cheese i
would choose the cheese.

Recently i had a peanut butter cookie with a thick chocolate coating on
top, very good.
---
JL

> > >
> > > *Thank* you. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say
> that.
>
> >
> > Not mixing fruit with chocolate does not guarantee your sanity! :-)
>
> *Clearly*. :-)
>
> serene, nutso cuckoo
> --
> http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
> http://www.jhuger.com


--
---
Joseph Littleshoes
may be consulted at
---
http://finblake.home.mindspring.com/tarotintro.htm