Thank you to everyone who sent photos of your Cherry Shortbread Crumble Bars! So many of you adapted the original recipe to match your tastes or the ingredients you had on hand. It’s always a joy to see how home bakers make a recipe their own. 😊
The March Bake Club winner is Cindy from Arvada, Colorado. She has been notified and her prize is on the way.
Also — April marks the 2 year anniversary of the Of Batter and Dough Bake Club! Seeing your bakes each month is one of my favorite things. Thank you for sharing your Bake Club Challenge creations.
The April, 2021 Bake Club Challenge Recipe is…
Cream Cakes!
This month you have a choice: bake either the Banana Cream Cake or the Coconut Cream Cake. If you can’t decide, bake both — you’ll earn two entries for the prize.
Both cakes feature a generous layer of one of my favorite components: pastry cream. A cake filled with pastry cream is undeniably delicious.
The Coconut Cream Cake is assembled as a layer cake with a thick coconut pastry cream between the layers. The Banana Cream Cake is baked in a Bundt pan and then filled with banana pastry cream, Twinkie-style.
When developing the Banana Cream Cake, I first planned to make it as a layer cake like the Coconut Cream Cake. In the Coconut Cream Cake recipe the pastry cream is prepared without folding in whipped cream, resulting in a thick, stable filling that’s perfect for stacking.
For the banana version, I preferred a lighter texture and folded whipped cream and mashed banana into the pastry cream. That airy filling was delicious, but not firm enough to support a cake layer, so the top layer slipped. The easiest fix was to bake the banana cake in a Bundt pan and inject the lighter banana pastry cream into the center, similar to a filled snack cake.
Whichever cake you choose, I usually frost them with Cream Cheese Buttercream. Feel free to use American Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream if you prefer.
The April Bake Club Prize:
Le Creuset Silicone Craft Series Utensil Set with Stoneware Crock
We’re repeating this prize because these silicone spatulas are some of the hardest working tools in my kitchen. I use them constantly for every task. They are heat resistant up to 500°F and come in several colors — if you win, you can pick your favorite color.
How to participate in the Bake Club
Sign Up to Join The Bake Club
You’ll receive an email each month announcing the new recipe challenge and prize. This is also how I’ll contact you if you win.
When you sign up, you’ll provide your name and email address. If you’re selected as the winner, I’ll email you to confirm where to send your prize.
(If you signed up previously, you don’t need to sign up again.)
Bake This Month’s Challenge and Show It Off!
Snap a photo of your Cherry Shortbread Crumble Bars and post it to Instagram with the tag #OfBatterAndDoughBakeClub.
Or upload your photo to the Of Batter and Dough Facebook page, or email it to [email protected].
Sharing your photo automatically enters you to win this month’s prize. Submit your photo before May 1st.
Want a bonus entry?
Leave a comment and rating for whichever cake you bake — Coconut Cream or Banana Cream — and you’ll receive a bonus entry.
