We are baking from the book "Baking with Julia" and enjoying stretching our comfort zones... while of course with this one our mid-sections came under real threat too... this is a complicated looking, easy to make recipe... that combines eggy spongecake and crunchy meringue with whipped cream and espresso caramel flavors... or in my case, strawberry, since I have a "non coffee hubby)... Helen and Barb held out for the coffee/caramel flavors and wowed those who got a bite of this great dessert.
The lead in picture is Helen's Cardinal slice plated and ready for tasting... I am going to drop in the pictures here and then share a bit of what else was going on in our kitchens... in Washington state AND in Texas.
These are Helen's slices right out of the oven, before stacking.
and here it is all stacked and ready to chill before slicing..... awesome! 
Barb's baked... 
stacked and covered with whipped cream... and 
sliced and ready for enjoying....
Here is mine...
Stacked and 
drizzled with a puree of fresh strawberries and pineapple... with strawberries embedded in the whipped cream.
What a FRENCH Bakery adventure this was for us... Barb said she would be so far out of her comfort zone she would have to leave a trail of bread crumbs... but she found her way home in time to taste this great dessert... while she was baking this she added a couple of loaves of Tartine bread that would make Chad Robertson green with envy and scrambling to find her and put these loaves on his next cookbook cover.
Are those wonderful or what!?!
While Barb was doing that Helen and I, in separate kitchens, were making sauerkraut, 
having found cabbage on sale; this was another unbelievably easy "why haven't we done this before" experience.
Since coming on to this website and taking the ITJB challenge, we have become very adventurous... and our baking days each week together make the best memories, discussions and just plain good old "sister times!" ...
Next week, Helen's choice from Julia, Rustic Potato Loaves.
Happy Baking!
Diane, Helen and Barbra.
Now you are making me home sick! Kardinalschnitten !!! :)
Always amazed how big it gets! A cake plate is never big enough... I haven't attempted it myself but my mil makes it on occasion. What a treat!
Incredibly easy to make... the slicing is the tricky part!, and oh so good... I like the name Kardinalschnitten! Now I feel as though I have accomplished a French and German treat! I used a bread board under mine... even a turkey platter wasn't big enough! LOL... thanks for the comments.
Diane
http://katieatthekitchendoor.com/2010/03/08/adventures-in-austrian-pastry/
I will ask mil about cutting "tricks." :)
What did I read? known in English as Vatican Cake
my apologies... I will check out the link... the video I watched with Julia, said to hold the bench knife against the back of the "log" to stabilize... I tried that, but was still pretty unstable... hmmm, could be me. LOL... Thanks!
I have know mil baking part of the cake at night, and finishing in the morning to be served later in the afternoon. Don't know if that makes any sense.
I appreciate is a well done one that tastes great and is easy. I'm not sure this qualifies as easy with all the egg separation going on but it has to beat slap and folds:-) Love the strawberry take on it too. Barb has that Tartine bread down and I'm sure Chad would struggle to his to look that good - if he evr could. Love the sour kraut. Salt cabbage and crock is all you need - plus some time on your hands. Fermenting stuff i9s pretty cool. Put some red onion and hot Korean chili powder and use napa cabbage and you have kimchi, Age that for a year or two and you have really old kimchi :-).
Love all the baking and kraut making, Well Done and
Happy baking GMA's
You three always manage to make my mouth water! Those desserts looks sooooo good! I have that book and have made many things from it. Congratulations on a great bake!