In case you're not up to speed, this is the ninth bake in The Great Blogger Bake Along series. Read about it here.

Finally! One I've actually done before! This is a German cake, and a few years ago, Tom requested it for his birthday after seeing a YouTube video of someone making one. My parents happened to be visiting, so my mom and I took this on together. I actually liked that recipe better than this one, but let me explain further in a moment.

The Challenge

This schichttorte recipe. A twenty layer sponge cake with a chocolate/rum frosting and sugar and rum white frosting. I've also seen this called baumkuchen or "tree cake."

The Outcome

This type of cake turns out so pretty. I've now made a cake using this method three times, and it makes me want to experiment using other batters. It's a very eggy sponge, which is personally not my cup of tea, but the taste was okay. The only problem that both my mom and I came across, is that the layers get hardened, and essentially over-baked. It ended up being rather dry and both my mom and I cut off the bottom of our cakes and ate the top layers with frosting. Oh, the frostings were delicious! I'd be happy to put both of those frostings on just about ANYTHING.

Would either of us bake this again?

Overall, we were a little underwhelmed with this recipe, but the technique is actually quite fun and easy. I'll gladly make this cake again using a different batter, but the same frostings. If you're an amateur baker, looking for a 'fancy' way to make a cake, don't be afraid to give this a try!

Here's the glamour shots...

(take note of the four-legged one who can't resist getting a little too close while I take photos on the floor)

Here's my mom's report

This week's challenge was going to be pretty easy because Joy and I made this a few years ago.  Actually, that one turned out nicer than this one. For some reason the "sponge" in most of these challenges turns out heavy and dry. I certainly appreciate a cake with some density and texture, but this cake was so thick and heavy it was hard to swallow. Slicing it into practically paper thin slices helped. 

Making the rings (layers) was a whole new way of baking a cake. Under the broiler. It had to be watched carefully and I was pleased with how my layers turned out. The outcome in appearance was lovely, but taste... not so impressed.

My review:
Once I cut the bulk of the cake away and put the bottom half where it belonged we did enjoy eating the rest. The chocolate glaze was delicious. Perhaps a bowl of the chocolate with the cake cut into chunks for dipping is the answer. If I did that, I would have made another variation of this cake called "Baunkuchenspitzen." (Tree cake Pieces) I would make this again using a different recipe.

This really is a fun type of cake to make and with the right recipe, is a not-too-sweet little dessert. I'd recommend trying this one (it's the one I had made previously) or even this one where the same guy uses a box cake mix. 

Wednesday, June 14th
Another special Showstopper Bake by our guest Star Baker, Cameron!

See her last showstopper here! I cannot WAIT to see what she's been baking for us! Also, you guys should know she doesn't send me her post or even tell me much about her bake until a day or two before it goes live, which makes it extra exciting for me :) So I'm always just waiting on the edge of my seat!

Also, because of summer schedule conflicts, my mom and I have decided to do our final finale bake (which is actually THREE bakes) on July 19th, so stay tuned!

That finale will include Victoria Sandwiches, Tartes au citron and Scones