Passport
Baker
Rebecca
Location
Madison, WI
Baking Challenge
Wisconsin Chiffon Cake
Give your dessert a clever name — and tell us about your recipe.
"Autumn is Coming" Flan Chiffon Cake. This is a cider spice chiffon cake, topped with pumpkin flan, maple caramel and maple-ginger pecans.
What was the biggest surprise during your baking journey? Did you use any unconventional approaches? What did you learn along the way? Tell us about it!
When I researched chiffon cake recipes, I couldn’t find any that excited me, but I learned that flan-topped chiffon cake is a popular Filipino dessert. That sounded like a great way to incorporate more Wisconsin ingredients and flavors in my baking, so I found a recipe for pumpkin leche flan and adapted a chiffon cake recipe to use hard cider and spices. Add a maple caramel from a different flan recipe and top with some maple ginger pecans from recipe #4, and voila! A Wisconsin-ized Filipino dessert. I was thrilled that the combination turned into a tempting and delicious bake.
How did you add a Wisconsin twist to your flavors or decoration?
One of my favorite times in Wisconsin is when seasons change, and this cake celebrates the beginning of fall. The main flavor elements are Wisconsin products: maple syrup and a fresh pie pumpkin came from the farmer’s market, and I used a Wisconsin honeycrisp apple hard cider in the cake. There are also plenty of Wisconsin eggs and dairy in the bake.
How did you do?
I participated in all 10 Great Wisconsin Baking challenges this summer — I’m a Star Baker!
Follow Us