Monday, March 05, 2012

Luau on Castro Street

for those of you who remember Ben's famous Pool Party on Castro Street cake


I bring you Birdy's follow-up:

Cake concept from our favorite cake book. Which I see you can buy used for $3!
Fantastic almond cake recipe here. (Warning: uses weird canned product.) I made it in a sheet pan and baked it for less time.
World's best frosting here. I added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Perfect.

Okay, a real recipe is coming soon. Also, is anyone interested in a step-by-step real-time recipe for/instruction in sourdough? I've become a little obsessed, and wanted to gauge your interest in such a topic. 

31 comments:

  1. Cute cakes!

    And, sourdough is my favorite. Is it hard to do? I have made your 5-minute bread successfully, and it's made me believe I could attempt some more difficult bread making. :)

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  2. "World's best frosting", says the frosting-hater. I find you hard to trust on this particular subject...

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    1. okay, this makes me smile, how well we know you, catherine....

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    2. Angela4:48 PM

      I didn't notice, but, true :)

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  3. Bring on the sourdough! I need to know...

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  4. Julie2:15 PM

    Yes, I am very interested in your step by step for sourdough bread! My mother-in-law tried to quickly show me her process while we were visiting over Thanksgiving (they live 8 hours away). I tried to write it all down, but I can't decipher it and she was a bit ambiguous about certain steps.

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  5. I would love a sourdough tutorial!

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  6. Deirdre2:50 PM

    Happy birthday, darling Birdy!
    Yes please on the sourdough recipe! Also if you have any ideas about making sourdough English muffins, I will love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.

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  7. I was thinking about doing sourdough after reading the recipie in Wild Fermentation (have you *seen* this book?? It's amazing.) but had to return it to the library before I got the chance. There is one in Nourishing Tradtitions that uses rye flour, but it sounds more complicated than others I have seen. So yes, yours would would lovely! Great cake! Happy Birthday to Birdy! Today is my husband's 35th, and he is getting the heart cake I bought on markdown at our fancy local bakery after Valentine's!

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  8. Anonymous4:48 PM

    Yes, please on the sourdough.

    Also, I made your warm sweet potato salad and LOVED it. How wonderful to have a recipe that will please the vegan (feta served on the side) and gluten-free branches of my family tree with such panache.

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  9. I just started a sourdough starter about a week ago. I made my first loaf two days ago, and although it was yummy, it just wasn't sour enough. I love SUPER-sour sourdough and I've never been able to make it sour enough at home. Do you have any starter secrets???

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  10. God yes, show me the sourdough! My starter grew mold and had to be sacrificed to the trash can. I cried a little on the inside.

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  11. Could you repost the cake book? Link no good!

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  12. Anonymous7:51 PM

    Whatever you are obsessed with, we are obsessed with. Post the sourdough!

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  13. Solo almond filling is hardly a weird product (to me). It's my preferred ingredient for hamentaschen filling, which means there's half an unused can in my fridge as of yesterday morning. After we've made and eaten our fill of hamentaschen, we love spreading the leftovers on toast.

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  14. I'd love the sourdough how to even if I have to admit I may never use it for lack of time. I just love reading your entries, whatever they're about!

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  15. Yes please on the sourdough! We made your no-knead bread and have been talking sourdough for my picky eater who won't eat grilled cheese on wheat. Happy Birthday Birdy, although I'm feeling the same kind of nostalgia as I do when I look at my recently-9 yr old. How did that happen so quickly??

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  16. Just wanted to say happy b'day to Birdy, been reading since she was *tadpole against cervix* can't believe that candle on cake.

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    1. "can't believe that candle on cake" ditto me. sniff.

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  17. denalimama12:34 AM

    Yes, pleeeeease to sourdough!

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  18. Anonymous8:14 AM

    Very cute cake! Love it! Sourdough - yes, but can you make it easy, please!? :-) Otherwise I definitely won't be able to follow, since I only started with the bread baking and am not too confident of my skills yet.

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  19. Yes, please, sourdough!

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  20. Sourdough, yes please! I was just lamenting the fact that I must buy sourdough as I have not yet had the guts to make it at home. This is just what I need to get over my fear and TRY IT already.

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  21. Yes! Ever since reading the description of how they made the sourdough in the Little House books, I've been intrigued.

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  22. ladidah1:51 AM

    sourdough, yes! never liked it much until moving back to west coast this year and now i reach for that instead of a french baguette. especially interested i f the bread can be cooked with the dutch oven method.

    i love birdy's cake. the water/sand is very convincing!

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  23. ladida1:53 AM

    and i just noticed it's the same bunch of beach-goers. too funny!

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  24. NINE??? Wow. Incredibly happy (and belated) birthday to Birdy!

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  25. Anonymous8:19 PM

    Slight variation on the line in "Field of Dreams": "If you post it, I will make it." Yes, sourdough, please, thank you! I'm making crunchy oven fries right after I type this.

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