Your Walnut Cake Creations!

People didn’t hesitate to get into the kitchen and bake our first selection of the Walnut Cake from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook!  We'll keep adding to this post!

Note:  To see the most recent submissions, scroll to the end of this post.   

Amy from MA said: 

Instead of using oranges because they didn't look so hot at the market, I went with sweet Meyer Lemons. When I peeled one and tasted the juice it was very orangy, so I went with them and they gave the cake an AMAZING flavor. I used them in the soak as well. My little tidbit would be to be sure to line your cooling rack with paper towels because when you put the honey lemon soak over the cake it will drip through your spring form pan making your counter messy and sticky while it cools. I saw that the cake was garnished with the candied peels so I made those earlier in the morning to replicate the staging from the book. Great recipe, which is good for an afternoon tea, not gooey or commandingly sweet and was very good with coffee.

Sue from NJ shared her thoughts: 

I love to bake.....and I had lots if fun cooking the Walnut Cake!  What a wonderful smell of cinnamon and clove with the orange and lemon filling the house during baking on a gorgeous day in October in NJ.   When baking again, I would certainly incorporate a liquor into the syrup. 

 

Trisha from MI gave it her own twist:

I topped it with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel. Mouth watering good.

 

Doreen from WI  made ‘em small: 

I baked the Walnut Cake this morning. Since it's just my husband and me, I cut the recipe in half and baked the cake in two mini spring form pans. The cake is absolutely delicious! Looking forward to next week!

Jay from TN raved about the cake:

We love this cake!    What a perfect Autumn recipe to begin this journey.   I can't think of anything I would change.   We will be enjoying a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a slice tomorrow night, and may have a piece with coffee in the morning.  It really is delicious--a light texture on top and gooey yumminess on the bottom. I didn't have any leakage when I put the lemon-honey soak on (as Amy mentioned), but I did have leakage in the oven, so next time I use the springform I will wrap the bottom with foil.

 

Missy from MA loved the cake: 

 

This cake was a big hit here at our house! My three year old just gobbled up the slice that I photographed. And, I'm about to take a few slices over to our neighbors so that they can enjoy it as well. Loved the simplicity of the recipe and I followed it exactly. My only tweak was that I thought this special cake deserved something better than plain old honey bear honey so I bought some lavender honey for the soak syrup. Perfect with coffee. What a lovely spicy autumn dessert!

 

 

 

John from MI made a great presentation!

 

Despite his crazy work schedule, John managed to bake up this delicious walnut cake, served on a lovely Jadite plate. 

 

 

Bernie from GA teamed the walnut cake with pears!:

 

This cake is scrumptious! I foresee making it over and over again. Baking it was a great excuse to invite a few friends over for tea today and everyone loved it. I did not have enough walnuts on hand so substituted half the walnuts with pecans. Instead of making the syrup, I cheated a little. I made a bunch of fig preserves with orange syrup this Summer with homegrown figs. I used the syrup from the figs to soak the cake and served the cake with the preserved figs. I also happen to have everything on hand for "Caramel Baked Pears"(a few pages back in the book) and threw those together while the cake was cooling. The pears were also a hit, I can't believe how easy they were to make. The cake and pears looked lovely served on brown transferware and creamware. My friends are delighted I decided to participate in this baking exercise since they'll get to try a new dessert each week.

 

Karen in MN found this cake easy to make:

 

We really enjoyed this cake. The recipe was easy to follow and I like the simplicity of the ingredients that came together to make such a delicious dessert. It does make quite a few dirty dishes to clean up, but it was well worth it. I've never made a cake before using bread crumbs instead of flour and I was surprised at the lightness of the finished cake. I used a local honey that I bought at my neighborhood farmer's market that already had citrusy notes that went well with the orange in the cake and the lemon juice in the syrup.

 

 

 

Justin was happy!

 

Justin (who didn't provide his location) was very happy with the way the cake turned out.  He's ready for the next recipe!  Tune in on Sunday, Justin!

 

 

 

My own version! Kenn - MI

 

This cake was no problem at all to make.  I added a bit more orange zest, and the flavor really comes through in the finished product.  I love the combination of citrus, spice, and nuts.  A perfect afternoon dessert.  I have to agree with the others, this is a perfect pairing with coffee!

 

Rebecka from PA loved this cake:

 

The cake is delicious with coffee! I used orange blossom honey in the syrup. This is the first time I've made a cake with bread crumbs and I really like the texture. 

 

 

 

Week 1 Recipe

Are you ready to start baking?  Our first recipe is featured on page 248 of the "Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook," Walnut Cake. 

You may submit your photos and brief description of your baking experience anytime through the week, with the deadline being next Sunday, 10/20.  Submissions should be made to BeekmanBakes@comcast.net. 

Your Response is Amazing!

Hello fellow Beekman Bakers!

I am totally blown away with the first day response to the community cooking project.  In less than 24 hours, we have 80 participants, with over 1, 500 page views! That's nothing short of incredible! 

All of the good neighbors that responded are listed in the roll call located on the right side of the page.  I have a feeling this will be an active blog!

Several of you indicated that you may not be able to participate on a weekly basis... it's all good! Join in when you can, share what you want, and hopefully you'll be inspired by others along the way.  While I may be a control freak (yes, I'm one of *those* people..) there aren't a lot of rules here.  All I can ask is that we all be good neighbors, keep the 'vibe' positive, and have a good time. 

Thanks so much for joining in on the fun, and for your love and support of our friends Brent and Josh.  Oh, we can't forget Farmer John and Polkaspot too! 

Don't forget.. the first recipe selection will be posted on Sunday, 10/13.  Because of copyright legal stuff, we are not able to post the actual recipe.. you'll have to look in your book for that! 

See you soon!
Kenn

Welcome to Bake Like a Beekman!

It’s time to throw on an apron(pumps and pearls are totally optional),  get out your baking supplies, and dirty up a few dishes… we’re going to bake our way through the newest cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell (with Sandy Gluck), the “Beekman 1802 Heirloom Desserts Cookbook.”   

Every Sunday, we’ll select one recipe to create and participants will be asked to send in a photo of their creation (channel your inner food stylist at this point) with a brief summary of their experience making the dish.  Did you tweak the recipe a little?  Add a little something?  Have a few fabulous serving suggestions?  We want to know how you made the dessert your own!  We’ll post all of the submissions here on the blog so others can see your work and learn from YOU!  All submissions for the weekly recipe selection are due by the following Sunday, if you want them posted on the blog. 

Inside the “Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook” space is provided for your own notes, and other family favorite recipes – so we’re hoping you might make a few notes in your copy of the book after seeing what others create.  After all, this is how heirloom recipes come to life!

Along with sharing your baking creations, we’ll have some special posts along the way… guest bloggers, interviews, and maybe Brent and Josh will stop by the blog to check out your baking skill.  We’ll also be doing a random drawing or two (or three, or four) along our baking journey, for items autographed by Brent and Josh.   There will be many other extras along the way.  Sounds like fun, eh? 

Here's How to Join in the Fun!

To join Bake Like a Beekman, all you have to do is send an email with your name (first name is fine, or if you want to make one up, that’s fine too.. just know everyone will begin calling you by that name) and the state your from to:   BeekmanBakes@comcast.net   We’ll be posting a member listing here on the blog.  Note:  We will NOT share your email address with anyone.  We’re all expected to be good neighbors, and good neighbors respect privacy!

The first recipe will be selected and posted here on Sunday, 10/13.  Photo submissions will be due no later than the following Sunday, 10/20. 

I look forward to baking with you!

Kenn