We have all experienced this in social situations: The group of cool kids who sit at the better table, get away with more and seem to have generally happier lives. They are a group which always seems unattainable and snobby from the outside but which we all secretly want to be part of anyways. Well the cool group to me for a little while now has been the Daring Bakers with their secret challenges and fabulous pictures. Unlike the snobby kids from high school they are most welcoming to new members. So this month I got up the nerve to ask to join and low and behold here I am posting about my first challenge.
This month the Daring Bakers tackled the Bostini as set to us by Mary from Alpineberry. In case you are wondering what a Bostini is, it is a take on a boston cream pie but more like a cake. It is a beautifully rich custard topped with an orange chiffon cake and finished with chocolate glaze. It was a really fun and truly challenging place for me to start.
I hadn’t ever made a chiffon cake before and the only custards I had ever done were for ice creams. That said, my cake didn’t go too well. I made it at the cabin where my kitchen is a little light on equipment and baked it in a couple of different containers but none that were ideal. Some were underdone and some overdone and they all seemed to fall a bit after coming out of the oven. In the end I had to pick and choose what pieces of cake I ended up using in the plated dessert.
That said the custard and the end result were fantastic. Totally not something I would’ve ever made on my own too, which is half the fun. I actually ended up eating the leftovers right out of the fridge and fully couldn’t stop myself. (You know, that “I will just have one bite” moment?) If you are interested in the recipe check out our Challenger Mary’s blog here.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved the custard as well. And from your photos – I would never know that you had problems with the cake!
Same here – cake looks terrific, as does the rest of it. I agree that a lot of the fun lies in trying new things we never would have without having that challenge laid out for us.
Chiffon cakes are always tricky, I’ve had mixed results with them but this one turned out for me.
Well done on your first challenge and welcome to the club!
You did a great job on your first Daring Baker challenge! I just love working through a challenge, and for better or worse, its always nice to have learned something. And I agree…the Daring Bakers are a cool group!
Sorry to hear about your cake problems (I can empathize!) but you pulled it back beautifully. Besides, as you figured out, the custard was the business so the more of that the better.
Delicious. Love to have them
)
Congratulations on completing the first challenge. What I see on the photos looks quite nice.
Even with prob with the cake, everything turned out nicely!
And I agree with Bri, chiffon cakes are harder than others. Some recipes turned out fine, some are not…
Grats on your first challenge! I love picking up new skills along the way too. I would have never made custard if not for this cake. Its a great dessert to have in the catalog!
Your Bostinis look great. I love the presentation in the glasses! Congrats on doing your first challenge, it was my first month too
love your post, very funny opening, i thought your cake looked like a butterfly, looks great to me
Oh my goodness! I hope we don’t actually seem like that … no question that your gorgeous bostinis would break the ice!
Wonderful job on your first challenge! They look beautiful!
The stuck up kids aren’t allowed in our group. *grin*
Fabulous first post! I love the Bostini in the champagne glass.. very elegant. =)
So happy you’re with us!
xoxo
It looks elegant on those glasses. Glad you liked the challenge
That’s right it’s the stuck up kids that don’t make it into this group! hehe.
Katarina your Bostini look wonderful – really show beautifully in glass! So glad you’ve joined us.
Thanks everyone! It really is truly wonderful to be part of such a fun group. And the whole point is that it isn’t snobby at all but extremely welcoming and supportive!
You did a wonderful job on your Bostinis. Welcome to the Daring Bakers!
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Awesome job on your bostinis and congratulations on a successful first DB challenge! I agree that the DBers are such a welcoming crew. I love their unbridled enthusiasm as well as the creativity and genuine kindness. Now you’re one of the DBers
-jen at use real butter
Nice dessert. It’s fun to try new challenges, isn’t it! I really like the presentations that have used glasses.
Your cake looks nice and fluffy! I’m glad your end result turned out. Congratulations on your first challenge!
Beautiful job on your first challenge! I love your presentations, j’adore!
Welcome to the “cool table”!!! I love the rustic Bostinis!! Great job on your first challenge.
Great save, nonetheless. Lovely presentation!
Nice presentation in the glasses.
Lovely Bostinis. Making something you wouldn’t usually make is truly one of the best things about the DBs, but the very best is that everyone is so supportive and welcoming. Thanks for capturing both those and doing a great job on the challenge, too. Glad you are a Daring Baker!
I absolutely love the look of the dessert in the oversized glass. Gorgeous! Welcome to the DBs!!
The torn cake, the over-sized wine glass — I love your contemporary presentation on this one.
Welcome to the “cool kids”. It’s taking this kid way too much time to get around to looking at everyone’s Bostini, but I’m glad you’re here!
Your Bostini looks great!
Welcome to the Daring Baker’s!
hi Katarina!!! Ur bostinis look yummy!!! Welcome to DB!! I m new too…these girls r great, aren’t they??
Beautiful job on the Bostini!
Welcome to the DBs!
xoxo
Very elegant presentations…beautiful.
Hi you have a lovely blog. Great recipes.