A Little Bit of All Right

July's Cake Slice Bakers' choice was an easy one for me.  The Strawberries and Creme Crepe Cake required no oven time make it a perfect choice for a hot, summer day. This cake has three main parts: crepes, creme filling, and sliced strawberries.  Start by making the creme filling so that it has plenty of time to get cold and firm. We happen to own a crepe pan, but I had never actually used it.  My husband is normally the crepe-maker in the family.  I collected a few tips from him, made sure I was clear on the directions, and started cooking.  The recipe claims there is enough batter for around 20 crepes.  Using the 1/4 cup measuring cup as recommended, I ended up with over 30.  Not a bad thing as the cake had to sit overnight in the refrigerator, so this gave everyone something desserty that they could fill with whatever was on hand. Once all the crepes are cooked, filling cold, and strawberries sliced, begin assembly.  I assembled in my 9 inch springform pan.  The pictu

My family was feeling the need for a chocolate cake after several fruit-based cakes, so I turned to American Cake  as I hadn't baked from it in a while.  In the 1917-1945 chapter, I found exactly what we needed, The Brooklyn Blackout Cake.  This is chocolate cake, layered with chocolate pudding, and covered first in chocolate buttercream and then chocolate cake crumbs. The cake layers were moist and chocolatey.  I split the two layers in half to make four, used three for the cake and the fourth was crumbled up to cover the frosting with. The filling was pudding-like but made without eggs.  The buttercream was unlike any I've ever made.  The instructions had me melt the chocolate, add the butter and mix until it was melted, then place the warm mixture over ice and beat until thick and spreadable.  At first it looked like it would never thicken up, but then, right around 8 minutes, it thickened up beautifully.  All of the components were delicious on their own, but comb