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Rich, chocolatey and a load of interesting flavors, this ginger chocolate peach cake would be great for a super special holiday or party! 

*I was given a copy of this book for the purposes of this review. All opinions are 100% mine, because no one tells me what to think or say :)* 

I was excited to be asked to review, Sugar Redefined by Alyx K. I love reading cookbooks and recipes in my spare time, and I needed some new sweet inspirations for the men in my life. Upon seeing this book, it was hard to pick a flavor to share  with you, but the decision was finally made for the ginger chocolate peach cake. Excited, I began to make a grocery list of ingredients.

Whoa, Nellie.

There were a LOT of ingredients to this cake. I also didn’t have three 6 inch cake pans, so a trip to the store was in order for that exact item. I gathered all the ingredients, and set to work. First up was cutting out three 6 inch circles of parchment paper.

Then, I added all the dry ingredients to one medium mixing bowl, and whisked together. In a separate bowl, I mixed the wet ingredients and whisked those together. I couldn’t help but stop and smell that for a while, because the combination of the vanilla extract and fresh grated ginger was nearly intoxicating!

I combined the wet into the dry, and mixed that well. Oh, that ginger smell! After greasing and lining the bottom of the pans, I scooped the batter in as equal amounts as possible into each pan. Baked in a 350 degree oven for 32 minutes (I have an electric oven I use just for baking) and allowed the layers to cool.

While the cake was cooling, I set about grabbing an insulin shot and made up the frosting. After whipping for what seemed like an eternity, it came together and looked like a delicious buttercream. The Frenchman totally approved. After leveling off the layers, and adding a bit of frosting to them to hold the jam in place, I frosted the cake. It was then that I realized I had to make the ganache.

That melted quickly and went onto the frosted cake. Oh, boy, does it look rich! I was almost afraid to cut into the cake, for fear of destroying it. But, we had to taste it. The smells were still hanging in the air, and the cake was just begging to be sampled.

The flavors were amazing, but it WAS very, very sweet. I enjoyed making the cake, truly. Alyx has a definite style with her baking, and it’s easy to see her love for it in this book. I am pretty sure she is working in an upscale restaurant somewhere, as their head pastry chef. If not, with recipes like these, she is on her way up.

In this recipe book, you will find:

• lots of delicious, exciting flavors
• full color photos of each finished cake
• the full “whys” of each ingredient used in the recipes

These were great positives to the book. Her flavor combinations are unique and some I am really interested in trying. The brown butter, blueberry, and cardamom or the strawberry, vanilla bean, and black pepper were all flavors voted on by the Frenchman to try next.

There are some things I wish had been different with this book.

• The recipe instructions are written in paragraph form. It would be a lot easier to follow if they were written in step by step, numbered instructions.
• Recipe layout is hard to follow, as the printing format caused recipes to appear on multiple, turned pages. It would make it easier if the ingredients were on the lft side, and the instructions on the right.
• The recipe I reviewed (shown at the bottom) didn’t let me know if the butter for the buttercream should be softened or not. For a lot of us, soft butter in buttercream is common sense, but for someone who might not know that, that tidbit would have been helpful.
• Also, the recipe I used calls for different measurements, such as “3 tablespoons heavy cream” for the frosting and then 3 ounces heavy cream for the ganache. That was a bit confusing, and it would have been easier if they were all by weight or volume.
• Each cake calls for three 6 inch layers.  It would have made for a better recipe book to break up the cakes a bit, and maybe turn some of them into cupcakes, 8 inch layers or even a sheet pan type. I had to purchase the 6 inch pans because I didn’t have them laying around. Most home cooks do not keep 3 6 inch pans around “just in case”. Although, I do believe they can be used again, so it wasn’t a waste of money in my opinion.
• Each cake recipe calls for cake, frosting, filling, and a ganache. Every. Single. One. That’s a lot of ingredients and a LOT of sugar. While they are beautiful and perfect for a higher class restaurant, these recipes are not something you would use on a daily or weekly basis. However, they would be GREAT for a super special occasion.

All in all, I am not sorry that I made the cake, nor reviewed the recipe book. I think that Alyx has a great future ahead of her and you will be seeing more from her in the years to come. In the meantime, if you would like to get a copy of her book, you can find it on Amazon here. 

 

Ginger Chocolate Peach Cake

Ingredients:

for the cake:

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 3 Tablespoons vinegar
• 1 jar peach jam

For the frosting

• 4 sticks unsalted butter
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3-5 Tablespoons heavy cream

For the ganache

• 3 ounces heavy cream
• 2/3 cup white chocolate
• 2 Tablespoons peach jam

Instructions:

For the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line and spray three 6 inch cake pans.
2. Measure out the milk and add the vinegar. Let sit 5 minutes until the milk is curdled.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk together to combine.
4. Using a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, milk/vinegar, vanilla and fresh grated ginger. Whisk together.
5. Pour the wet into the dry and mix together. Divide the batter among the 3 cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pans to continue cooling.

For the frosting

1. place the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip, starting slow and gradually increasing speed for about 2 minutes.
2. Gradually add the heavy cream until a spreadable consistency and whip on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

For the ganache

1. put the heavy cream, and white chocolate into a microwaveable bowl and heat in 15 second burts until the chocolate melts, stirring after each session. Once melted, add the 2 Tablespoons peach jam.

To assemble

1. take a cake layer and spread a thin layer of frosting. Then, take a piping bag of frosting and pipe a dam along the edge of the cake. Fill with some of the peach jam.
2. Add another layer and repeat.
3. Once the cake is frosting, take the ganache and put on the top of the cake, and let it drip down the sides.
4. Decorate as desired.

What is your favorite layer cake to make? Would you try this ginger chocolate peach cake? Be sure to let me know if you try it and love it!