Cake Recipes & Coffee

Why would one want to spend time and effort figuring out cake recipes if you can fetch freshly baked cakes from almost every shop. That is perhaps one of the reasons home baking cakes has been out of fashion for quite a long time. But for those who like yummy food (and there are so many people out there who do like it) the cakes from shops can't beat freshly baked home made cakes. The delicious smell which fills up the kitchen, yummy taste and of course the creative side of the whole process give you wonderful experience and a sense of pride.

I must admit that it took me years to start baking cakes. First I was just collecting best cake recipes and slowly building up my confidence. As a result I now have a collection of several hundreds of recipes. The beginnings were slow and up until recently I've been stuck with simple recipes like fruit cake, spice cake, coffee cake recipes and roulades. It is not a surprise then (I guess) that birthday cakes have always been baked by my husband or my mum.

But I have my motivation now as I am really interested in best cake recipes (and cakes) which make yummy combinations with various different coffees. Yes, I enjoy baking for my friends, but the cakes must also pair well with coffee beverages. You might be wondering, how on earth I can tell which cake recipe pairs well with one or the other coffee drink. Well, the only chance to find this out is to experiment a little and my friends and family act as key judges in the quest to find the best coffee and cake combinations. It takes some time to do that but the whole process is a great and yummy fun.

Whenever I use a new cake recipe (or just bake another cake) I get my daughter to join me in the kitchen. She loves to help me and we have always such a wonderful time together. Cooking with kids is a great opportunity to teach them about the food they eat and basic cooking and baking skills like weighing, kneading a dough, cracking eggs and much more. But it is not all just about learning, cooking with kids must be FUN, FUN, FUN and a great adventure.

The sweet trouble is that there are so many yummy cakes which have caught my attention and which could match coffee well. I will continue my "coffee and cake journey" with help of my family and friends and update this website with more photos and ideas. In the near future I will invite YOU as well to contribute your best yummy coffee and cake combination.

Here are some of the best cake recipes which have been tested in our kitchen and go perfectly with a nice cup of coffee:

Sour cream & spice cake recipes

Fruit cake recipe - Raspberry buckle

Tiramisu recipe

One of cake recipes Cake mixture Crumble mix for cake Sour cream & spice cake recipe

I have learned a few simple rules which need to be followed to ensure a good cake every time.

Cake baking tips

You need to know your oven. Discrepancy of only a few degrees in the temperature can ruin the cake. Try simple recipes first.
Flavour and texture of the cake depend on the choice and preparation of appropriate ingredients. For instance, substituting self-raising for plain flour will yield very poor results.
Appearance of the cake depends on careful preparation of the cake tin. Lining paper must fit really well. If it has lumps and bumps the finished cake will be bumpy too.
Flour should be always sifted before use. Sifting breaks down any small lumps.
Fats play a large part in the success of each cake and different kinds are suitable for different recipes. Margarine and butter behave differently!
Sugars are very important. Using the wrong type will spoil the cake as well.
Eggs are essential to make cakes light but they should normally be at room temperature and not straight from the fridge.
Baking powder should be sifted with plain flour in the proportion given in a recipe. Sifting plain flour with baking powder gives pretty much the same result as using self-raising flour.
During baking there must be enough room for the heat to circulate around a cake tin uniformly to avoid burning.
A centre shelf is usually the best position for baking a cake; avoid opening the oven until the minimum required time is reached. The cake should always be tested before removing it from the oven. Creamed cake mixtures should spring back when pressed lightly with the finger tips. Fruit cakes are tested by piercing with a skewer which should come away clean.

Good to know

Form of unleavened bread was the precursor of all modern baked products.
The first evidence of baking many kinds of sweetened bread was found in ancient Egypt.
The Greeks introduced and baked the first form of cheesecake and Romans baked the early version of fruitcakes.
Bicarbonate of soda and baking powder replaced yeast in the 19th century.
A big breakthrough in baking cakes happened with an advent of temperature controlled ovens.
Some of the best cake recipes normally combine flour, sugar or other sweeteners, eggs, butter, shortening or margarine, liquid, different flavors and baking powder, baking soda or yeast.
In the past the cakes were accompanied by tea or a glass of sweet wine but today coffee is the most popular beverage combined with cakes.
It is so easy to find some of the best cake recipes in books, magazines, or the internet. YouTube is also a good source of videos showing how different cake recipes are turned into delicious cakes and that particularly helpful for beginners.
Best cake recipes offer a lot of opportunities to experiment cooking with kids.
Cooking with kids is also educational. It teaches children how to be better prepared for their independent life.
Cooking is such an important part of our lives so every parent should try cooking with kids. They should go together to markets, discover new ingredients, invent new dishes and rediscover a serene, sharing atmosphere.

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