Vintage Cake With a Brownie Surprise Inside

The amazing Amanda Rettke from Iambaker.net has a new cookbook, “surprise-inside cakes: amazing cakes for every occasion — with a little something extra inside,” that came out this spring. It details her creative genius in cake baking and decorating, and how to make surprises inside cakes.

I’ve been following her blog for several years now and one of the best cakes I’ve ever made (that really wowed the guests) was inspired by a cake that Amanda made — the rainbow-inside cake. My Elmo cake was so cute on the outside, with Elmo’s famous grin, and some colorful polka-dots, but the reall wow came when I cut the cake open to reveal rainbow colored layers of cake.  (See my Elmo rainbow cake here.) I made it for my daugther’s second birthday and 3 years later she talks about that cake. Now, that’s the power of a surprise!

Well, Amanda has outdone herself this time. Actually, she outdoes herself every time she bakes a new cake. Seriously, I don’t know how this woman does it. She has five children. Young children. Yet, she takes time to make these amazing creations. When I heard about her cookbook I knew I had to have it. And, it’s as beautiful as I imagined.

The cookbook is full of photos and step-by-step instructions on how to recreate her masterpieces at home. Did I say she’s a genius? Look at that heart-shaped, rainbow-inside cake on the cover!

I decided to embark on a cake from the cookbook. For each recipe, she tells the reader the difficulty level — I stuck with the “easy” category. She also has several cakes in the “medium” and even some in the “challenging” category. I stayed far, far way from challenging category. Maybe next time.

The Vintage Cake spoke to me in both ease and look. It’s a beautifully simple cake. But, there is a surprise. A surprise without all the work. A delicious surprise at the bottom of the cake.

There is a brownie inside this cake! Not only a brownie, but a brownie with a chocolate sauce that is poured on warm so that it can seep into the brownie layer making it even more delicious.

Yep, it’s a winner. Just like all the cakes seem.

This book is so much fun. And, Amanda doesn’t just show you how to make the surprises, she’s got all her favorite cake and frosting recipes in the beginning of the book. So, if you just want a masterful chocolate or white cake, you can get that too. This book would make a great present for any of your baking friends. Even if they never attempt to make a surprise inside a cake, it’s a book of inspiration and will surely spark creativity in any baker.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher. Thanks! Affiliate links are used in this post.