What Flavor is your Dragon...Cake

December 5, 2018 4:21 PM

I have the dragon cake pan from Think Geek with lots of intricate detail that disappears if you put icing on it. Plain cake with powdered sugar isn't enough flavor. What cake will taste good by itself without icing and work with this mold?

I did see this question but it's more about decorating. I've made it once for a friend's birthday with powdered sugar, cocoa powder and powdered freeze dried strawberries (for more color. It kept the definition and looked nice but the powdered sugar, etc didn't add much flavor. The yellow/chocolate swirled cake was a bit boring to eat. I tried adding some chocolate chips but they disappeared/absorbed into the cake batter.

I've got an applesauce loaf recipe that you make in a bread pan that's delicious. Would this work in a mold. How about banana bread or brownie mix? I'm not the best baker but can follow a simple recipe. Last time, I just used 2 cake mixes swirled together and baked forever at a slightly lower temperature because I saw someone say it worked for them online. Now I'm trying to step it up.

Any bakers out there that have know a tasty cake recipe or flavor for an un-iced cake?

posted by stray thoughts to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

My grandmother makes a rum cake which is drizzled with a thin glaze. I don't have her recipe but here is a similar one. You'd want to leave out the nuts so they don't interfere with the cake detail.

You could do a glaze of some sort for almost any kind of cake, I would imagine. A thin glaze soaks right in, making the cake moister and sweeter.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:28 PM on December 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

Our family is a big fan of orange cakes. This recipe looks close.
posted by sevenless at 4:32 PM on December 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

A lemon poundcake would be nice. One of the ones where you drizzle lemon glaze over the cake hot out of the oven until it's saturated (same process as for rum cakes) with the extra lemony goodness.
posted by lovecrafty at 4:33 PM on December 5, 2018

Best answer: Any bundt cake recipe will work well as they are generally not frosted but either glazed or powdered. I have made one similar to this peanut butter chocolate chip one and it was a huge hit. The chocolate chips add a similar creaminess that frosting would add and the pudding and peanut butter keep it silky and moist.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 4:45 PM on December 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

A honey spice cake, like a nice lekach, would have plenty of flavour. Or maybe this gingerbread cider cake -- the clear glaze accentuates details and tastes good too.
posted by halation at 4:46 PM on December 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

I've had an orange almond cake similar to this one. Amazing flavor - you could put a glaze or some powdered sugar on it but I've never found it necessary. Same for this chocolate cake.

More ideas here.
posted by bunderful at 5:43 PM on December 5, 2018

A lot of the suggestions above sound delicious, but since you mentioned banana, please make Chrissy Teigen's banana bread. It is SO SO SO good.
posted by bookworm4125 at 6:00 PM on December 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

For a Dragon cake, I'd pick something with a bit of heat to it. Maybe you can find a good cinnamon cake recipe that would work with the pan?
posted by nalyd at 6:08 PM on December 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Or a chocolate cake with cinnamon and just a hint of cayenne ...
posted by bunderful at 6:25 PM on December 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

How about plating it onto a moderate amount of frosting— like a bed for the dragon? You’d keep the cake detail but still have some frosting with each slice...
posted by calgirl at 6:58 PM on December 5, 2018 [7 favorites]

Also, that's a beautiful pan! So cool.
posted by bookworm4125 at 7:00 PM on December 5, 2018

Make gingerbread, add lemon glaze.

Would make a good ice or jello mold, as well.
posted by theora55 at 7:14 PM on December 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

I would try a coffee cake, making the streusel style topping while it's still in the pan. Then when you turn it over the topping would be on the bottom but you'd still get some with every bite. Plus, coffee cake is pretty rich without frosting.

I'd also look at cakes that use powdered sugar as a topping already. Orange Almond cake, Sting of the Bee cake, Flourless Chocolate, Almond Poppyseed cake. Oh man, my mouth is watering now!
posted by TooFewShoes at 8:50 PM on December 5, 2018

Don't make honey cake in that. Honey cakes are notoriously sticky and hard to get out of complicated bundt pans. Ask me how I know.

Whatever you make, grease the living hell out of the pan, with shortening + flour or shortening/flour mix.

I'd do a pound cake. Lemon is good.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:48 PM on December 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

I have the same pan and have only ever used it for (as others have said above) for bundt cakes, coffee cakes, banana bread. It's an awesome pan!
posted by methroach at 10:05 PM on December 5, 2018

Could also do a genoise and soak it in a syrup of your choice.
posted by JPD at 3:25 AM on December 6, 2018

You could also consider offering the cake with sides that would enhance the flavor but which are meant to be put on after the cake is sliced. Like if the cake were a pound cake you could also have on hand a bowl of dragon hearts (macerated red berries or cherries) and whip cream that people could top their slices with. Or you could do a chocolate dragon and then have a hot fudge drizzle and marshmallow cream that gets the breath of the dragon (toasted with a brulee torch). That way you don't have to fuss too much with the amazing design.
posted by LKWorking at 8:25 AM on December 6, 2018 [3 favorites]

Here is a stupid-easy, super chocolatey cake recipe that we generally dust with powdered sugar, because icing it sounds insane:

1 package dark chocolate cake
4.5 (3.9?) oz pkg instant choco pudding
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1.5 cups chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Combine all until smooth, put in greased bunt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour (50+ minutes at high altitude)

Inside it's moist, but the surface is crunchy.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:41 AM on December 6, 2018

Intricate cake pans for this are *perfect* for molds: Jello (both boozy and teetotal), ice cream, flan, harden-able chocolate.... you could even do ice to float in a punchbowl.

You could then under-fill the pan with cake batter and bake it so it's a little short, you could then take some sheet fondant, and pressed it into the pan, and then put it on top of the cake.
posted by ApathyGirl at 11:58 AM on December 6, 2018