Welcome to the first ELR Mixing Assignment of 2026!
This year, we’re shaking things up with The stone series… Instead of a themed recipe each month, we’ll be tackling foundational challenges — the building blocks that make great mixes possible.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
Create a Cake Base / Stone.
- Not a full dessert.
- Not a fruit bomb.
- Not a frosted bakery overload.
A solid, reliable cake base recipe that can be used as the backbone for future creations — something other mixers can pick up, tweak, layer, and transform into their own masterpieces.
The Rules of the Assignment:
- No frosting, icing, glaze, or whipped cream.
- No fruit, nuts, or fillings.
- No toppings of any kind.
Just the cake base layer itself, Flour, sugar, eggs, and fat…
What Counts as a Cake Base?
Anything in the cake family is fair game:
- Yellow cake
- White cake
- Pound cake
- Sponge cake
- Angel food
- Butter cake
Even quirky ideas are welcome - as long as it’s a cake base!
What We’re Looking For,
A base that:
- Stands on its own
- Has structure and body
- Leaves room for toppings, fillings, or accents later
- Can be adapted into multiple flavor profiles
Use whatever flavor houses you prefer…
Recipes should include:
Notes on why you chose certain concentrates
How you balanced texture, crumb, density, or sweetness
Suggested pairings for future mixers to try. — If you already have a go-to cake base layer you’ve used before but never published it as a stone, feel free you use that for the assignment, must be posted on or after Jan. 1, 2026
Why This Assignment Matters:
A great cake base is one of the most versatile tools in a mixer’s arsenal.
Nail this, and you’ve got the foundation for:
Birthday cakes
Fruit cakes
Coffee cakes
Ice cream cakes
Holiday cakes
And every wild idea the community dreams up in 2026 
Ready to Begin?
Let’s build a library of cake foundations the whole community can use.
Post your Cake Base Recipe on ELR with the tag #ELR/Cake26 in the title on or after Jan 1st, and tell us what makes it tick. Comment and link your recipe below, 2 finalist will be randomly chosen at the end of the month. Staff will test the finalists recipes and a single Grand prize winner will be awarded $50.00 - plus bragging rights and their recipe featured on multiple social media / mixing channels!
This message will self-destruct in 10 seconds…
Just kidding LOL, Mix on!