Search Results for 'Lemon Meringue pie'

[Mike Nolan]

The filling in a lemon meringue pie needs to be a custard, pudding, mousse or curd. That means it needs something to thicken it, such as a starch (corn, wheat, tapioca, etc) or egg yolk. I've had dairy-based ones and ones made with no dairy, the latter tend to be more commonplace, I think.

[skeptic7]

I haven't had time and its been very hot but I hope to be able to bake a pie this weekend. I'm going to try a buttermilk pie crust but with all butter as found in KA 200 anniversary cookbook and the recipe from "As easy as Pie" by Susan G. Purdy. This seems a reasonable recipe with 3 eggs and no milk.
My memories of Lemon Meringue pie date from my childhood making it with a lemon pie mix. So dairy seems a strange ingredient, as does recipes using boiling water. So this will be the first time I've tried this from scratch.
I found a recipe that called for boiling water, and another one for using a double boiler both of which seems complicated. Why would these techniques be used?

[Mike Nolan]

There are so many different ways to make the custard for a lemon meringue pie, one of the simplest might be the microwave lemon curd recipe that KAF put out several years ago, and it works very well with meyer lemons. (I'd cut back on the lemon juice in it for a pie, it's pretty tart.)

Something I've seen done but never tried is adding lemon juice to pastry cream. I think that'd make an interesting lemon meringue pie.

[S_Wirth]

Yesterday, after BakerAunt's mention of the Borden booklets, I dug out my old one from 1956...Borden's Eagle Brand, 70 Magic Recipes.

It has many of the same recipes and pictures as the one rottiedogs gave a link for above. The Magic Lemon Meringue Pie is the same in my booklet except the way sugar is written in the meringue section.

My grandma made probably more lemon meringue pies than anyone in our area. She worked in area restaurants thru the years and she made the pies for the restaurants. She made cooked lemon filling and also used the filling for white layer cakes filling. It was a common sight to see her lemon meringue pies at any visit to her house.

Eagle Brand no longer comes in the 15 oz. can, like so many other canned goods today, it has been down-sized.

[BakerAunt]

My Mom's go-to recipe was the Borden Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe. I went to their site, and I noted that they no longer post a Lemon Meringue--probably because of concern over raw egg whites. My mother always put it briefly under the broiler after she put the meringue on top. I don't know that it made a difference, but no one ever became ill from one of her pies. I probably have the original recipe in one of the old Borden cook booklets, but it is likely already packed for the move. I'll look when I get home from church. Perhaps someone else has it?

I've never been fond of meringue, so I'd probably make this one, but with a lot less whipped cream:

https://www.eaglebrand.com/recipe-detail/lemoncreampie-3977

• This reply was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by BakerAunt.

[S_Wirth]

This will take you to some recipes here on this site:

https://mynebraskakitchen.com/wordpress/forums/search/Lemon+Meringue+pie/

Hope they will help you!

[skeptic7]

Does anyone have a good lemon Meringue Pie recipe preferably for Meyer Lemons? There might be one out there already but searching and I don't get along.
Thanks

[Italiancook]

We're no longer having Fettuccini Alfredo. We're having a fully cooked ham, since the oven temp is broken and I can't bake one. We're also having stovetop candied sweet potatoes, broccoli, mashed potatoes with ham gravy -- I know, ham gravy is really too salty for good health, so I'll only have a little of it. We'll buy a pumpkin pie from a local restaurant. I don't like pie. The only pie I ever "make" is lemon meringue pie for my husband. The pumpkin pie is also for him.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 5 months ago by Italiancook.

[Italiancook]

I "baked" a Lemon Meringue Pie. I used a store-bought frozen pie shell. I used Jello Lemon Pie Filling and substituted 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice for part of the water. I made the meringue, so I "baked" this pie. Other than that, I mostly cooked.

[rottiedogs]

Sandra’s Lemon Meringue Pie
Submitted by sandra Alicante on April 09, 2011 at 11:13 am

DESCRIPTION
Pastry shell filled with a bittersweet lemon filling, topped with a decadent pillow of fluffy meringue.

SUMMARY
Yield 6 portions File under desserts, lemon, pastry

INGREDIENTS
Pastry base

6 oz plain flour
3 oz margarine
4 tbsp cold water

FILLING

In large bowl put
1 1/4 cups warm water
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
grated rind of one lemon
6 tablespoons cornflour
3 egg yolks

MERINGUE

3 egg whites (large)
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

INSTRUCTIONS
Pastry

Put flour in large bowl, add marg and use fork to create crumbs. Add water and stir to dough that leaves bowl clean.
Roll to fit pie tin.
Prick base with fork.
Line with baking paper and fill with dry rice.

Bake at 200c for 15 min.
Remove rice and paper and bake another 5-7 min until base cooked through.

Filling

Mix all together and cook in microwave ,stirring often. until mix gets thick and gloopy.

Meringue
While the filling is still hot and in its bowl.

In clean dry bowl, stir 3 egg whites, 3 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Whisk till thick and holds peaks.

ASSEMBLY

Pour hot lemon mix into pastry case. While still hot, pile on meringue, sealing edges to pastry. Bake at 180c (not fan oven) for 10 minutes untill golden tipped.

Allow to cool.

[rottiedogs]

The 30 Cakes of Gina's Wedding
Submitted by ecc on August 19, 2003 at 12:26 pm

DESCRIPTION
The 30 Cakes of Gina's Wedding

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under cakes

INSTRUCTIONS
First of all, there's only 22 recipes here. There were 30 cakes at the wedding reception, but the other eight came from the restaurant (they were the ones that were level and symmetrical; mine were the lopsided, sloping ones).

Second, these recipes were typed up as a gift to my sister Gina. She can cook but she hasn't done much baking. I didn't edit out the little notes and opinions meant to be helpful to her. I might even be wide of the mark on a few things, but if it gets her to be more comfortable trying to make a cake, I'm not going to worry about it.

Third, the recipes are not my own creations, though a few of them are my own amalgamations of other recipes. Many of the recipes come from King Arthur's Baking Sheet. All of them are credited.

Fourth, I knew there would be a lot of non-drinkers at the wedding so I left out or substituted for all the alcohol (besides extracts) in the recipes. I have noted those substitutions so you can add the booze back in as you like.

Last, I'd be happy to email anyone a copy of these if you want the bigger-type version. It's 41 pages long, but they can be assembled in a binder with page-protectors so that you don't have to turn the page in the middle of any one recipe. My email address is ericacchrist@yahoo.com

Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cake

This recipe comes from Bert Greene’s The Grains Cookbook. He calls this “The Semi Chocolate Challenge”. Though it looks dense and rich, it is actually pretty light on the tongue as well as being delicious. This cake freezes well. I have adjusted the late, venerable Mr. Greene’s recipe in the following ways. He only calls for 1/3 cup sugar and I used ¾ cup. If the idea of biting into a solid café au lait appeals to you, then use 1/3 cup sugar. If you’d like this cake to taste like dessert, use ¾ cup sugar. Also, he only calls for ¼ teaspoon of salt and as far as I’m concerned, there’s never a reason to use less than ½ teaspoon of salt.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 cups brewed coffee
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
¾ cup sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semolina
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

More whipping cream for frosting

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Set aside.
3. Combine the coffee and cream in a medium-size saucepan. Heat slowly to boiling, the reduce the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Slowly stir in the semolina and cook, stirring constantly, 10 minutes. [This is tough going, I usually give up and move on before ten minutes is up] Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Stir the chocolate mixture into the semolina mixture, and beat in the eggs and egg yolk. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Bake 1 hour. Cool completely on a wire rack. Loosen the edge of the pan with a knife and remove the sides. You may dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar. Frost or serve with whipped cream.
5. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients and implements:
· Use good chocolate. I used Ghiradelli to make this cake for the wedding.
· To make vanilla sugar: Slice a vanilla bean lengthwise and put it in a jar. Fill the jar with sugar. Let it steep for a week or so before you start using it.
· Semolina is basically Cream of Wheat, but do try to find semolina flour. If you can’t find it at the grocery store, any co-op will have it.
· If you don’t have a springform pan, get one. I use mine more than any other baking pan in my kitchen.

Buy this cookbook! Bert Greene The Grains Cookbook, 1988, Workman Publishing, New York

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

This no-holds-barred recipe is from Adventures in Sourdough Cooking and Baking by Charles D. Wilford. The sourdough doesn’t make this cake tangy or weird. It adds richness and depth—nobody would guess the secret ingredient was sourdough! This cake freezes well. I made only one adjustment to this recipe. He calls for 2 cups of sugar and I used only 1½ cups. You could probably even go down to 1 cup of sugar and still not suffer from un-dessertiness.

1½ cups fresh, room temperature sourdough starter
4 oz. sweet cooking chocolate
½ cup boiling water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
½ tsp. salt

1. Assemble all ingredients and utensils. [Mr. Wilford is never fails to include this instruction at the beginning of all his recipes] Let all ingredients come to room temperature.
2. Grease and flour 2 nine-inch round cake pans. One 9 x 13 pan works also. Three eight-inch round pans work also if you’re feeling ambitious.
3. Preheat oven to 350ºF
4. Put the chocolate and boiling water in a small pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into a glass or china bowl and add the baking soda. Stir until blended; the mixture will foam up. Cool to lukewarm.
5. Cream the butter and sugar together [five minutes in the mixer; it should get pretty fluffy]. Add the egg yolks, one by one, mixing well after each addition.
6. Mix in the vanilla and the chocolate mixture.
7. Stir together the flour and the salt in a separate bowl.
8. Add ½ cup of the sourdough starter to the now chocolate batter, then ½ cup of the flour, then the next ½ cup of the starter, then the remaining flour, then the last of the starter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat until batter is smooth.
9. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold them into the batter.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan(s).
11. Bake for 35 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Let cool for about five minutes in the pans. The cakes will shrink obligingly from the edges of the pans. Then turn them out onto a rack to cool.
13. Frost however you like. I used an old-fashioned white frosting for the cake I made for the wedding. Recipe follows.

Notes on Ingredients
· I won’t bore you with a treatise on sourdough. There’s lots of stuff out there about it and it’s pretty easy to make and maintain. But if you want to make this cake and need some sourdough starter, let me know the day before you want to make it and I’ll give you some sourdough starter.
· Unsalted butter is almost always called for because it allows you to control the amount of salt in the recipe. I’ve also heard that unsalted butter is generally fresher than salted; because salt acts somewhat as a preservative, it will extend the shelf-life of butter.
· Use good chocolate. I used Ibarra Mexican Sweet chocolate for the cake I made for the wedding. Ibarra has a little cinnamon added, which is a flavor I think works well with sourdough. Also, Ibarra comes in disks that are 2.1 ounces, so there was a touch more chocolate in my cake than the recipe called for.
· I used Mexican vanilla. It seemed appropriate to use since I had used Mexican chocolate.

Old Fashioned White Frosting

This recipe appeared in an issue of “The Baking Sheet”. See below for info about it.

1 cup (8 oz.) milk
" cup (1 ½ oz.) all-purpose flour
big pinch of salt
½ cup (1 stick, 4 oz.) unsalted butter, soft
½ cup (3 ¼ oz.) vegetable shortening
1 cup (7 ½ oz.) sugar [use bakers’ or superfine if you have it]
½ cup (2 oz.) confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Combine the milk, flour and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk until all lumps are dissolved. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. This does not take very long.
2. Cover and refrigerate milk/flour mixture
3. Beat together butter, shortening, sugars and vanilla. Beat until creamy.
4. Add the chilled milk/flour mixture and beat until just blended. It should be pretty fluffy.

Notes on ingredients:
· Bakers’ sugar is finer than regular granulated sugar. It dissolves into the other ingredients more quickly and easily. It will make the icing a little smoother. Regular granulated sugar will work, though.

Citrus Cake

This recipe came from the back of the Baker’s Catalogue of the King Arthur Flour Company. They call it a “Margarita Cake” but as it has no tequila in it I would hate to either put someone off or disappoint someone by calling it that. Because this cake it so worth trying! It is light, refreshing and even good enough to eat without the suggested fresh fruit and whipped cream accompaniment. I did make a couple adjustments to their recipe. I used only 1 ½ cups sugar instead of the 1 ¾ cup the recipe calls for. I raised the amount of salt to ½ teaspoon from ¼ teaspoon (see above). Also I chose to use orange oil instead of lemon and lime oil in the cake, for variety.

CAKE
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), soft
1 ½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon orange oil
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup lemon whole milk yogurt

GLAZE
2 tablespoons Key lime juice
2 tablespoons water
½ cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch pan.
3. Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda and salt.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition.
5. Mix in the lemon rind, juice and orange oil.
6. Stir in about a third of the flour.
7. Stir in half the yogurt.
8. Stir in the next third of the flour.
9. Stir in the rest of the yogurt.
10. Stir in the rest of the flour.
11. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
12. Bake for about 25 minutes in a 13 x 9 inch pan. [In the rose bundt pan it took almost 50 minutes] It is done when a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
13. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.
14. Make the glaze: heat the lime juice, water and sugar until the sugar melts.
15. Turn the cake out onto the serving plate or platter. Brush with the syrup until all the syrup is absorbed.
16. Cool completely.
17. Serve with whipped cream and berries.
18. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:

· Orange oil is very, very concentrated orange flavor. It isn’t the same as orange juice or orange rind. If you can’t get your hands on any orange oil, you’ll have to use about a tablespoon of orange rind.
· Key lime juice isn’t that hard to come by, but you will probably have to find it in a specialty store. I’ve seen it at Williams-Sonoma for example. The Baker’s Catalogue does carry it as well.
· Use whole-milk yogurt. You’ll get a much better crumb (the texture of the cake) and it will keep better.
· For baking, yogurt is basically interchangeable with cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, or quark BUT in this case the acidity of the yogurt reacts with the baking soda for leavening so I would recommend leaving well enough alone and using yogurt.
· I, of course, use King Arthur Flour to make all my cakes.

King Arthur Flour Company’s new cookbook, The Baker’s Companion, is due out in the fall of 2003. I can’t wait to get my copy—I’ve already advance ordered one!

Pear & Almond Tart
(CONTAINS NUTS)

This recipe comes from an issue of “The Baking Sheet”, a bi-monthly baking newsletter published by the King Arthur Flour Company. It was in a larger article about fruit tarts so the crust, the filling and the assembly are in separate sections. This tart is rich, delicious and surprisingly elegant. This tart keeps well in the fridge for days. It also freezes well.
It doesn’t look anything like a tart when I make it—apparently I have volcano-kitchen, because everything I make rises up and overflows if it gets half a chance. Anyhow, this thick tart, if you will, is easy to make but does require a few hours of time. The only changes I made to their recipe were small adjustments in the flavoring, which I will note in the recipe itself.

CRUST
This sweet pastry dough recipe will be enough for two tarts. Just throw the other half in your freezer and keep it until you need it for something else. It will keep for about 3 months.

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 ½ cups flour
a pinch of salt

1. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl after each addition.
3. Sift the flour and salt.
4. Gradually add the flour to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead a few times.
6. Divide the dough into two pieces and form each piece into a ball. Flatten the balls into disks and wrap in plastic. Chill at least one hour before using.

FILLING
This is called Frangipane filling, which is the name for a custard with almonds. I am giving you the whole recipe though in my kitchen (see above), half is just about enough. At any rate, with the whole recipe you will have some leftover.

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), very soft
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract [Use less if you prefer]
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cups ground, blanched almonds
½ cup all-purpose flour

1. If you can’t find ground almonds, put 8 ounces (1/2 lb) of blanched almonds in a food processor and quickly grind. Careful, though. Food processors heat their contents and almonds will get oily if they are warmed.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add the almond extract.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Sift the flour and mix it with the ground almonds.
6. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
7. Refrigerate until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY
Once you have done the crust and the filling, it’s just a matter of putting it together and baking it. So you see you could do all that a day ahead even.

1 pastry crust
1 frangipane filling
1 can pear halves (in juice, not syrup)

1. Preheat oven to 375º
2. Roll the dough out between two sheets of plastic to about ¼ inch thick. Return the dough to the fridge for about ten minutes.
3. Grease a 9 inch round or rectangular removable-bottom tart tin .
4. Slice pear halves length-wise as thick or thin as you like. I slice them thin because they cook in more and then they are a more subtle presence in the tart. Set aside.
5. Take dough out of the fridge and remove plastic from one side. Lay this naked side into the prepared pan. Gently and quickly press the dough into the form of the pan. Trim the excess from the top. Patch any holes. If it gets too soft to work with, chill it for 10 or 15 minutes and then finish up.
6. Fill the dough-lined pan about 2/3 full with frangipane filling. Don’t fill it any more than that; it rises during baking!
7. Artfully lay out the pears. Or not, if that’s too intimidating. In my experience, the filling engulfs them anyway. But just in case your tart behaves itself as mine have not, try to arrange the pears nicely.
8. Place the tart tin on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until the tart is golden brown.
9. You can glaze the finished tart if you like. This is especially good if the filling has not engulfed the fruit; the glaze will seal the moisture in the fruit. To glaze: heat a little apricot jam and put it through a sieve. Then brush the smooth, warm glaze lightly on the fruit.
10. Let cool on a rack, in the pan. In my experience, this tart is pretty runny until it is completely cool. I actually refrigerate it overnight to make sure it is set. But do serve it at room temperature.
11. Enjoy!

The Baking Sheet is a great newsletter if you like baking. I’ve subscribed for several years and have made many great breads and desserts from recipes I’ve read in the Baking Sheet. It’s published six times a year and you can get more info at http://www.bakerscatalogue.com

Strawberries and Cream Cake

This recipe is also from “The Baking Sheet” published by the King Arthur Flour Company. You can use whatever berries you like and/or have on hand—blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries. You could use a mix of berries. This is a super easy recipe. The only change I made to their recipe was in the cream part. They call for sour cream and I used Quark. I just thought I’d be more German about it. As I noted above, you could also substitute yogurt or cream cheese—though it’s so nice and easy to use something soft and easy to mix, I’m not sure I would use cream cheese unless that’s what I had in the fridge and I didn’t want to go to the store for something else before I made this cake!

1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla

1 quart berries, sliced if they’re big

2 cups Quark (1 pint, 16 oz.)
1 egg
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a springform pan
2. Mix flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, egg and vanilla. The mixture will be pretty stiff, you might have to knead it to make it come together in the end.
3. Pat the dough into the bottom of the pan. It will be a little more than ½ inch thick.
4. Spread the berries over the dough.
5. Beat together the Quark, egg, sugar and vanilla. Spread this mixture atop the berries.
6. Bake the cake for one hour. Edges should be lightly browned.
7. Cool to room temperature.
8. Enjoy!

Notes about ingredients:
· Make your own Quark! It’s easy, though you must plan ahead if you’re going to use it in a recipe. Mix four parts whole milk and one part buttermilk (for example, one gallon whole milk and one quart buttermilk). Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours or so. Put it in a big, shallow pan. Heat slowly until the quark separates. Scoop out cheese into a strainer lined with cheesecloth and let drain, in the fridge, overnight.

Chocolate Oblivion Torte
(GLUTEN FREE)

This recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum and it appears in both The Cake Bible as the Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte and Rose’s Celebrations as the Elkin’s 25th Anniversary Silver Snowflake Cake. This is the cake that I made as individual cakes for Annelise’s wedding. The cake is made of only butter, eggs and chocolate so it’s pretty intense. Instead of frosting or whipped cream, I follow her example in Rose’s Celebrations and cover it in fondant, a rolled icing made mostly of sugar. Since the cake is very much a bittersweet chocolate cake, the sweetness of the fondant is delicious—not too much! Even though there are only three ingredients (not including the fondant), I wouldn’t call this a simple cake to make. It isn’t difficult to make, but some of the steps have to be taken pretty carefully. The only changes I made to her recipe were in the chocolate. The recipe calls for 1 ½ lb. bittersweet chocolate and I made it with 1 lb. bittersweet and ½ lb. semi-sweet. It’s pretty tough going if it’s all bittersweet chocolate.

1 ½ lb. chocolate, bittersweet or a combination of bittersweet and semi-sweet
9 large eggs
1 ½ cups unsalted butter (3 sticks, ¾ lb.)

1. Preheat the oven to 425º
2. Butter a springform pan and wrap the outside of it with two layers of aluminum foil. You will be setting the cake in a water bath in the oven, so make sure the foil is really tight at least 1 ½ inches up the pan.
3. In a large metal bowl set over hot water (bowl should not touch the water), combine the chocolate and the butter and let it stand, stirring occasionally, until smooth and melted.
4. In another large bowl or the bowl to your stand mixer if you have one, whisk the eggs and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. You don’t want to cook or curdle the eggs so stir constantly until the eggs are warm to the touch.
5. Remove the eggs from the heat and use a whisk beater or the whisk attachment to your mixer and beat the eggs until they have cooled to room temperature, they are tripled in volume and soft peaks have formed. This will take about five minutes and it is very dramatic.
6. Fold half of the eggs into the chocolate mixture. Don’t fold the chocolate into the eggs, you’ll lose all the air you just beat into the eggs. Fold until the eggs are almost incorporated then add the other half. Fold until no streaks of egg remains. Remember to run the spatula all the way down to the bottom of the bowl where the heavier part of the mixture will settle.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and set the pan in a larger pan—a roasting pan or a bigger cake pan. Add about an inch of very hot water to the larger pan and place both in the oven.
8. Bake for five minutes and then put a piece of buttered tin foil on top of the cake and bake for 13 more minutes.
9. The cake will look soft and not done but take it out of the oven anyway.
10. Let it cool on a rack for 45 minutes.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, about 4 hours.
12. To unmold the cake, run a hot, damp towel around the outside of the springform. Run a thin spatula around the inside of the springform then release the form. Turn onto a plate or cardboard round. Rose says to refrigerate it for at least 12 more hours before the icing/decoration phase.
13. Though Rose provides detailed instructions for making fondant and working with it, I confess to having bought fondant from a catalogue to ice this cake. Either way, if you find yourself rolling out fondant to ice this or any other cake, sprinkle cornstarch on the counter to prevent it from sticking and work fast, it dries out. Keep extra fondant covered tightly at room temp.
14. However, the cake is perfectly delicious with just a whipped cream garnish as well.
15. Enjoy!

Notes about ingredients and utensils:

· Use good chocolate! I used Callebaut for this cake. Rose suggests Lindt Excellence (which I used for Annelise’s wedding) or Valrhona extra bittersweet (my editorial note about that is that I think it’s a bit rich of Rose to call for a ultra high end chocolate made in France and only usually available to professional chocolatiers; though I’m sure it’s fabulous chocolate).
· Don’t use a wooden spoon to stir the chocolate unless it is one that is reserved only for chocolate. Wooden spoons pick up smells from everything they come in contact with and so does chocolate. Try smelling a wooden spoon in your kitchen and see what I mean. I have a wooden spoon that I only use for chocolate (I wrote ‘chocolate’ on it in permanent marker). Otherwise use a plastic spoon. From all the candy bars we eat, you wouldn’t think that chocolate is actually sort of delicate and fussy, but it is.

You can’t go wrong with any of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s cookbooks. The detail she provides is astonishing, though it can be daunting. Rose’s Celebrations is the one that also has a recipe for making your own lox. I have used that recipe with great success.

Orange and Chocolate Filled Pound Cake

If you’re looking for something that’s a far cry from a typical bakery cake, this is it. This cake is very rich though it’s light on the tongue (the orange flavor helps with that). That is a good combination for a dessert! This recipe appeared in the “Baking Sheet” as ‘Sicilian Cassata’, though they call it that with the caveat that they have simplified the recipe to make it easier for the home baker—original recipes call for pistachio paste, candied pumpkin, silver sugar balls among other things. It is traditionally served at Easter. This cake freezes well, icing and all. If you don’t have all dang day to make this cake, you can just buy a pound cake and make the filling and icing yourself. I did some substituting in this recipe and changed the flavors a bit, but that just had to do with what I had around and what I was out of…

POUND CAKE
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 8 0z), cut into pieces
4 oz. cream cheese or sour cream
1 tbsp. vanilla
6 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 300º
2. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. If you use a pan smaller than this, it will overflow. The batter doesn’t rise much, though, so if the batter nearly fills the pan you should be OK.
3. Beat the butter and sugar at medium speed in a mixer for ten minutes. It should be a very light cream color. Beat in the cream cheese or sour cream [or yogurt] and the vanilla .
4. Add the egg yolks one at a time; beat to combine after each addition.
5. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix slowly until just combined.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.
7. Gently fold the whites into the other batter.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for ten minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a rack.
10. If you are not finishing the cake right away, wrap the cake in plastic and store at room temperature.

ICING
12 oz. (2 cups) coarsely chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (chips are fine)
¾ cup black coffee
1 cup (8 oz., 2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate in the coffeee.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer and beat in the chilled butter, one piece at a time. Keep at it! Even if it looks like the butter doesn’t want to melt into the mixture, it will eventually. The icing should be completely smooth.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate until it cools to spreading consistency. Don’t forget about it or it will harden!

FILLING
1 lb. Ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract or whatever flavoring in whatever quantity you think will be good
2 oz. coarsely chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (chocolate chips crushed with a meat pounder are fine)

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl.

ASSEMBLY
1. Slice the pound cake, horizontally, into three layers.
2. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate and spread it with half the filling. Top it with the middle layer and spread the remaining filling on top of it. Top with the final layer of the cake.
3. Spread the cake thickly with the icing. If your filling is dripping and leaking out like mine was, the icing will seal it in nicely. You will have enough icing to even do some fancy decorating if you want.
4. Refrigerate the cake until you’re ready to serve it. A 24-hour mellowing period will allow the flavors from the filling to seep into the cake and the icing to really set.
5. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:
· As you can tell, I used a hodge-podge of stuff, whatever I had around. Even the chocolates I used were a mix of what I had on hand: Callebaut, Schokinog, Baker’s. Because this cake has a mix of flavors, I had a little more leeway with the ingredients. If it were just chocolate or just orange or just pound cake, I would have been more deliberate about my ingredients.
· Cake flour is very fine and almost always bleached. The idea is to make the flour as light as possible so the texture of the cake will be very fine and light. A cake that is as enriched as this one (which is to say, a cake with so much butter and so many eggs) will be fine with all-purpose flour if that’s what you have or if you don’t want to use flour that’s bleached. My choice is, of course, King Arthur’s ‘Queen Guineviere Cake Flour’ which I get from their catalogue. Other cake flours are available at more grocery stores.

Flourless Poppy Seed Cake
(GLUTEN FREE)

This recipe comes from Kaffeehaus by Rick Rodgers. Subtitled “Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” this cookbook is probably the most beautiful one I have. The pictures of the cafés are almost as good as the pictures of the desserts! Rick gives great background information about and cultural context around each of the recipes. This cake is very unusual—moist, nutty and sweet. There is no flour and nothing in the place of the flour. It is almost solid poppy seeds! This cake freezes well. I did not change the recipe at all as it is very simple. Besides, it is unlike anything else I’ve made so I wouldn’t really know where to begin making adjustments.

10 tbsp (5 oz., 1 ¼ stick) unsalted butter, as cool room temperature
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ¾ cup (9 oz.) poppy seeds, ground
½ cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Lightly butter an 11 x 8 baking dish
3. Beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed in an electric mixer
4. Beat in the eggs yolks, one at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Beat in the sugar
6. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until the form soft peaks. Stir about ¼ of the egg whites into the butter mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Before the whites are completely incorporated, fold in the poppy seeds. Then fold in the cream.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake until the cake is lightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.
8. Let cool on a rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and/or serve with whipped cream.
9. Enjoy!

Notes on utensils and ingredients:
· Poppy seeds are pretty oily so they should be stored in the fridge or the freezer so they don’t go rancid. To grind poppy seeds, you can use your mini-prep food processor, or a coffee grinder. If you are very patient, you can use a mortar and pestle. The seeds are tiny, so it will be hard to tell if they are ground or not. Overall, the mixture will darken and thicken a little. I ground mine in a mini-prep and I spun them for almost five minutes (on and off) to get them ground.
· You can use a square baking pan also. The thing about a rectangular one is that the middle is more likely to be cooked before the edges darken too much.

Buy this cookbook! Rick Rodgers Kaffeehaus, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2002, New York

Caramel Cheesecake

This is another recipe from “The Baking Sheet” in which it is entitled ‘Dulce de Leche Cheesecake’. This cake has good depth of flavor without being cloying. It doesn’t taste overwhelmingly caramel-y, to my taste. It is also very easy to make. And after making all these cakes, I was relieved to get to a recipe that didn’t require separated eggs and folding one thing into another!

Dulce de leche is spreadable caramelized milk and sugar popular in South America. I actually made this with cajeta, which is similar but made with goat’s milk and from Mexico. One could, easily, use regular caramel also. This cake freezes well (without the glaze). I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese (see ingredients notes). Also, I added a little Ceylon cinnamon to the crust.

CRUST
1 cup (4 oz., 8-9 whole graham cracker sheets) graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon
2 tbsp (1 oz.) brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1 ½ oz.) butter, melted

FILLING
14 oz. dulce de leche (or cajeta or caramel)
1 ½ lb (3 eight oz packages) cream cheese, softened
½ cup (3 ½ oz.) sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Combine crust ingredients.
3. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch pan or springform pan
4. Set aside 1/3 cup of the dulce de leche
5. Combine the cream cheese and the sugar in a mixer, mixing on low speed. Add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl in between each egg so everything gets well mixed.
6. Add the rest of the dulce de leche, the vanilla and salt and blend until smooth.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325º and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the center is set. Turn the oven off and prop the door open. Leave the cake in the cooling oven for 45 minutes – this is to help prevent it from cracking.
8. Remove the cake from the oven, loosen the edges of the cake with a knife. Refrigerate still in the pan. After it has cooled a bit, cover it and refrigerate overnight.
9. Take the cake out of the pan. Before serving the cake, warm the remaining dulce de leche and spread it evenly over the top of the cake.
10. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:
· Neufchatel is the same as cream cheese but is a little lower in fat and it is made with vegetable rennet instead of animal rennet. I think overall it has a lighter, slightly less cheese-y flavor.
· Ceylon cinnamon is also known as true cinnamon, and it is preferred for baking in Mexico. So I was just going with the Mexico thing.
· I used Mexican vanilla also.
· I got the Cajeta from one of the Super Mercados on Nicollet. I’ve gotten dulce de leche from a co-op, though it’s getting pretty popular so I’m sure some groceries have it now. I have used cajeta in making ice cream—it can also be used as a topping for ice cream.

Another great recipe from the Baking Sheet! There is a special offer for the Baking Sheet in the August issue of the King Arthur Flour Baking catalogue!

Walnut Applesauce Cake with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting
(CONTAINS NUTS)

This recipe comes from Nick Maglieri’s Perfect Cakes. It’s a great cookbook because it has a good variety of recipes and because his instructions are clear. The recipes I’ve made from it have all turned out very good. However, I did not do a test run of this cake before I made it for the wedding. The only thing I can say from making it once is that I barely had enough frosting to cover the whole cake. I am by no means an expert froster so that could be due to operator error, if you will.

CAKE
3 cups All-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 ½ cups dark raisins or currants
1 ½ cups walnut pieces
½ pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce

FROSTING
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mild honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

GARNISH
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts

1.) Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan, line it with buttered parchment paper or foil for easy turn out.
2.) Stir together the flour, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the raisins and walnuts. Add 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture, tossing to coat; set aside.
3.) In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until soft and light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
4.) Beat in one-third of the flour mixture, then beat in half the applesauce, and scrape again. Beat in the remaining flour mixture. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
5.) Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
6.) Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake emerges clean. Cool in the pan on a rack.
7.) To make the frosting, combine the butter, cream cheese, honey, and vanilla in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle and beat on medium speed until soft and light, about 3 minutes.
8.) Invert the cake onto a cardboard rectangle or a platter and remove the paper. Run knife around the sides to release the cake. Spread the frosting on the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.
9.) Enjoy! (I hope)

Notes about ingredients:
· I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese. See Caramel Cheesecake above.
· Nick calls for a mild flavored honey for the frosting, but I think you do want to taste the honey so I used a middling flavored honey. I believe it was a “thistle” honey. Clover honeys are usually pretty mild.
· Nick gives instructions in the recipe for making your own applesauce, which is easy enough and worth it when apples are in season. Let me know if you want the recipe.
· I did use freshly grated nutmeg. Since nutmegs stay good basically indefinitely, it’s best to have a few around and grate them when you need some nutmeg. It’s just so much better than ground nutmeg in a jar.

Buy this cookbook! Nick Maglieri Perfect Cakes, 2002, HarperCollins Publishers, New York

Tres Leches Cake

This recipe for the famous Mexican cake came from the back of one of the spring catalogues from the King Arthur Flour baking company. I made it for some family get-together and Mike declared that it was his new favorite cake, so I had to make it for the wedding! It is a wonderful cake. The texture is moist but not soggy. It’s rich but not heavy. And it’s simple but not boring. Watch out! It’s loaded with milk and sugar—the three milks of the name are cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk (or dulce de leche if you like, see above). It needs a resting period, so make it ahead of time.

CAKE
1 ½ cups All-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 eggs, separated
½ tsp. cream of tartar OR 1 tsp. lemon juice
1 ½ cups sugar
1/3 cup cold water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract

TOPPING
1 cup heavy cream
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk OR dulce de leche
1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Separate the eggs. In another bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar or lemon juice until soft peaks form.
5. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg yolks until they’re pale yellow and fluffy . Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture falls from the beaters in ribbons—like very soft taffy.
6. Add the cold water and extracts.
7. Mix in the dry ingredients.
8. Gently fold in the egg whites.
9. Spoon the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes or so, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
10. Mix the topping ingredients together. If you are using dulce de leche instead of evaporated milk you’ll need to mix it in a little at a time to make sure the mixture is smooth.
11. Using a fork, poke holes all over the cake—it’s still warm, remember it’s only been 15 minutes since it’s been out of the oven. Pout the mixture slowly over the cake and spread it if you have to. The cake should absorb all the liquid.
12. Refrigerate the cake for several hours or overnight. This allows the flavors to meld and the texture to set.
13. Spread with whipped cream just before serving. Serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate any leftovers.
14. Enjoy!

Notes about ingredients:

· I used sweetened condensed milk and not dulce de leche which I realized was a little lazy and inauthentic of me but that was how I made it when I made it the first time that Mike loved so much so my excuse is that I didn’t want to risk having it be not as good.
· I used Mexican vanilla, of course!
· The cream of tartar is to stabilize the egg whites, which helps prevent a pool of unwhipped egg whites at the bottom of your bowl. But if you don’t have it or lemon juice, the cake will survive.
· Some recipes call for some brandy or rum in the topping. There’s no need for it.

Dark and White Chocolate Cheesecake

This is another recipe from Perfect Cakes. When I did a test run of this cake, all I had to do was say the name of it and people wanted to try it. It has a dramatic appearance as well. It is a very good cheesecake. It’s rich so a small slice will do. One of these cakes can easily serve a dozen or more people! The recipe is fairly involved, though none of the steps are difficult or complicated. One thing: it calls for a layer of chocolate cake, pre-made. So the cake gets baked twice, but don’t worry, it still tastes good. Nick references another recipe in his book for a good chocolate cake layer to use. For my test run I used a layer leftover from a different experiment, but when I made the cake for the wedding I used the recipe he referenced. I think you can use any chocolate cake layer as long as it’s a fairly sturdy cake (ie not a light or genoise-style cake).

2 lb cream cheese
1 cup sugar
5 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 large eggs
5 oz white chocolate, melted

One 9-inch layer Devil’s Food Cake, sliced into two layers

One 3-inch deep 9-inch springform pan, bottom buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper: one 10 x 15-inch jelly-roll pan (or any larger pan to set the springform pan into)

1.) Preheat oven to 350º
2.) In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat half the cream cheese on the lowest speed until smooth, no more than 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Add ½ cup of the sugar in a stream, beating for no more than 30 seconds. Stop and scrape again. Add the melted dark chocolate, beating only until it is absorbed, no more than 30 seconds. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Add 3 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing only until each is absorbed. Stop and scrape after each addition and transfer to another bowl if you only have one mixer bowl.
3.) Make the white chocolate batter following the same procedure as for the dark chocolate batter, using the remaining ingredients.
4.) Wrap heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom of the springform pan to come at least 1 inch up the sides. Place one of the cake layers in the bottom of the pan. Pour the dark chocolate batter into the pan. Place the other cake layer on the batter and pour in the white chocolate batter.
5.) Place the pan in the jelly-roll pan and pour warm water into the pan to a depth of ½ inch. Bake the cheesecake for about 75 minutes, or until it is lightly colored and firm except for the very center. Remove from oven and take the cheesecake pan out of the hot water. Remove the foil and cool completely on a rack.
6.) Wrap the cheesecake in the pan and chill overnight. Unmold by running a dull knife around the edges. Release the springform.
7.) Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients and utensiles:

· Use good chocolate! I used Callebaut for this cake.
· I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese. See Caramel Cheesecake above.
· I am often sloppy about what size pan I use. But take if from me that in this case if you use a 8 ½ inch springform pan that’s only 2 ½ inches high, you will not have enough room for all that cheesecake. (that’s what trial runs are for!) So do use a 9 inch springform pan.

Orange Torte
(CONTAINS NUTS)

This is another recipe from Kaffeehaus by Rick Rodgers. He says that it dates back to the Congress of Vienna (1815) and that it is a specialty of Dalmatia (a province along the Adriatic coast). It is challenging to make this torte look good (I tried twice) but it is a delicious treat no matter! The cake is made with bread crumbs and ground almonds so it has a very interesting texture. I was surprised, when I did my test run, how many people were excited about the prospect of eating a piece of Orange Torte. I mean people were clamoring for it! The orange curd part of the recipe was also a challenge. In fact, I never did get mine to thicken much. But you just have to embrace imperfection and get on with the cake.

TORTE
2/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1 2/3 cups (5 ¾ oz.) sliced, blanched almonds
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar, divided
grated zest of ½ orange
¼ cup fresh orange juice

FILLING AND FROSTING
¾ cup sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup fresh orange juice
4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp (2 oz.) unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350º Grease a nine inch springform pan.
2. In a food processor, grind the almonds with the breadcrumbs until the almonds are finely ground.
3. Beat the egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar until they are very thick and light in color, about three minutes at high speed.
4. Beat in the orange juice and zest.
5. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the remaining ½ cup sugar and beat until they are stiff and shiny. Fold about one fourth of the whites into the yolk mixture. Add the almond breadcrumb mixture and fold in briefly. Add the remaining whites and fold until everything is combined. Spread in the pan.
6. Bake about 35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the inside of the springform and then release the spring. Turn onto a rack and remove the bottom. Turn again to cool, right side up. Cool the cake completely.
7. To make the filling and frosting: whisk the sugar, orange zest and juice, lemon juice, butter, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly (warning: it will stick to the bottom of the pan and brown and then burn if you don’t stir constantly) until the mixture comes to a full boil.
8. Transfer mixture to a bowl, set immediately in a larger bowl filled with ice. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and cooled [as I said above, mine never thickened that much. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!]
9. In another bowl, whip the cream until very stiff. Fold in half the curd (it will soften the whipped cream somewhat).
10. Cut the cooled cake into two layers. Place the bottom layer on a cardboard round or a serving platter. Put the remaining curd on it [mine was pretty runny, so this was a trick. But I swear it will taste good no matter what!] Top with the second layer, cut side down [this just cuts down on crumbs flying around while you’re trying to ice the cake]. Frost the top and sides with the whipped cream mixture. Refrigerate until the icing sets, about one hour. Cover loosely or with a cake dome, and chill another four hours or overnight.
11. Rick says to garnish it with an orange, cut into fancy slices and arranged like the spokes of a wheel.
12. I say eat the cake and enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:

· I use dried zests from Penzey’s. I keep them in my fridge and they work pretty good. Fresh zest is better, more potent. If I was making ONE cake for a birthday or something, I could be persuaded to use fresh zest. But dried zests are the amateur-multiple-cake-baker’s friend.
· You can buy bread crumbs. You can also ask baking friends or sisters for bread crumbs if you need them.
· You can save the egg whites leftover from the orange curd recipe. They’ll last in the fridge for a few days. Make a meringue or some choux paste or one of the cakes below.

Chocolate Coconut Mousse Cake

This is a recipe from the most recent issue of “The Baking Sheet”. They call it ‘Mounds of Coconut Mousse Cake’ after the candy bar that inspires this cake. It really is delicious and has a great look to it. It’s also quite a production to make. And it, like several others here, needs some time in the fridge, so there’s no way to make this last minute. However, this cake does freeze well, so it could be made way ahead. I suspect any good chocolate cake would fit the bill, but I used their recipe so I’m typing it up with the cake recipe included. They call for a little coconut flavoring in the filling and I didn’t have any so I skipped it. For me, coconut milk is strongly flavored enough. They also call for separating the coconut milk into the thick coconut milk and the watery coconut milk and I never managed to do this entirely successfully, but the cake was delicious anyway.

CAKE
4 large eggs, separated
½ tsp. cream of tartar or ½ tsp. lemon juice
¾ cup (5 ¼ oz.) sugar, divided
¾ cup (3 ¼ oz.) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (¾ oz.) natural or Dutch-process cocoa
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup (1 ¾ oz.) vegetable oil
6 tablespoons (3 oz.) buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

FILLING
1 can (15 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
2 ½ tsp. (1 packet) unsweetened gelatin
½ cup (3 ½ oz.) sugar
2 cups (6 oz.) sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup (8 oz.) heavy cream

FROSTING
3 tbsp. (1 ½ oz) butter
3 tbsp. (2 oz) corn syrup
1 generous cup (6 oz.) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325º
2. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar or lemon juice until foamy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the remaining ½ cup sugar with the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the oil, buttermilk, egg yolks and vanilla until pale yellow. Add the dry ingredients and beat until well blended—about 2 minutes at medium speed in a mixer, longer by hand. Gently fold in the egg whites, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so everything is combined.
4. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch round springform pan. Bake the cake for 40 minutes and then raise the temperature to 350º and bake for ten more minutes. Don’t open the oven during the first 45 minutes.
5. The cake is done when a finger pressed gently in the middle doesn’t leave a print. You can also hear a faint crackling sound if you listen carefully.
6. Place cake upside down on a rack. Let cool for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan. [when you remove it from the pan, a very thin layer of cake sticks to the pan all around. Don’t worry about this]
7. Start the filling: open the can of coconut milk. If it has separated, carefully pour off the liquid and reserve. If not, pour it through a cheesecloth lined strainer and let drain for ½ hour. Then place the coconut solids [they are almost too soft to be called solids, but maybe that was just the brand I was using] in a mixing bowl. Pour the gelatin into the coconut ‘water’ and allow it to soften for five minutes.
8. Mix the sugar and coconut in with the solids. Whip the cream until it forms medium peaks. Fold half of it in with the coconut mixture. Warm the gelatin over low heat or in the microwave until it melts. Then fold it in to the coconut mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream and then refrigerate for one hour, for the filling to begin to set up.
9. Line a mixing bowl with plastic wrap. Smoothing out as many wrinkles as possible. Split the cooled cake horizontally and set one half aside. In the other half, cut four small wedges out at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock respectively. These notches will help the cake conform to the bowl. Don’t cut all the way into the center of the cake, just an inch or inch and a half in should do it.
10. Place the notched layer into the bowl, smooth side down. Spoon in the filling, spreading it a little over the top of the cake so when you put the bottom layer on, it will stick. Now place the second half of the cake on top (which will become the bottom when you’re done) and press down to seal it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. A small plate that fits over the top of the bowl can be placed on top for a little weight to help seal the cake.
11. Make the icing: it is meant to be poured over the cake and then cooled. It will form a glossy, smooth icing. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine all the ingredients and stir while melting. Remove from the heat and set aside to rest at room temp.
12. Unwrap the fully chilled cake, remove the weight if using, and place a serving plate over the bowl. Carefully turn the whole thing over. Remove the bowl and the plastic wrap. Pour the fudge frosting over the top and gently spread so it covers the whole cake. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
13. Enjoy!

Notes on Ingredients:
· Natural and Dutch-process cocoa have differing alkalinities. In this recipe is don’t matter because it isn’t leavened by an acid-base reaction. In other recipes it does matter. So always use the type of cocoa called for.
· Cococut milk is widely available and now also available in a ‘lite’ version.
· Use good chocolate! I used Callebaut for this recipe.

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

The recipe comes from Celebrate With Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers, a cookbook I got at the height of my cake making mania for the wedding. This is the only recipe I ended up using for the cake collection, though there are at least a few more that I would like to try soon. This delicious cake does taste strongly of both chocolate and strawberry. It is a dense cake, but it isn’t overwhelmingly rich. He calls it a ‘Pretty in Pink’ cake and calls for making it in three 6” round pans so it makes a small, high, round cake. I doubled the recipe and made it in my cool new deep square cake pan. What follows is the single recipe, which will bake two slightly thin regular cake rounds (or 3 six inch ones). He also calls for Wilderberry schnapps in the cake. I wanted the berry hint in the cake but didn’t want to use the schnapps so I made a strawberry reduction as a substitute: I mashed about ten strawberries, pushed them through a strainer and then cooked that down to almost half. I also increased the salt to ½ teaspoon (see above). His directions for making the icing are the definition of tedious so I didn’t follow them the first time I made the cake. The icing had that grainy, slightly lumpy look like a sauce that had broken. It tasted good, but it did not look good. So the second time, for the cake for the wedding, I bit the bullet and followed the instructions and the frosting came out looking great.

CAKE
2 oz. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup all-purpose flour
4 oz. Semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon strawberry reduction [or a berry schnapps, if you prefer]

ICING
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 oz. cream cheese, cut into pieces
½ cup strawberry preserves
4 or 5 drops of red food coloring [optional]

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour the pans you are using.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler and stir until smooth.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. [cocoa is very prone to forming lumps, so sifting it is always a good idea]
4. Beat the sugar and eggs in a mixer for three minutes on medium high speed or until frothy and slightly thickened. Add the chocolate and butter mixture and mix until combined, about 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix about 45 seconds. Add the reduction [or schnapps] and mix about ten seconds.
5. Remove bowl from the mixer and finish mixing with a rubber spatula. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. It is a thick batter.
6. Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. If you are using the smaller cake pans, bake for a shorter time.
7. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Then turn out and refrigerate.
8. Make the icing. To begin, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Set aside.
9. Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes, until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Mix for another two minutes until very soft. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed to combine, about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Beat on medium for ten seconds. Transfer the butter/sugar to another bowl.
10. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of the mixer. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium and beat for 2 minutes, until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Beat on medium for another two minutes until very soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the strawberry preserves and beat on medium for ten seconds. Add the butter/sugar mixture and beat on medium for ten seconds. Add the food coloring, if using, and beat for 15 seconds.
11. Frost the cake. Marcel gives specific instructions for how to do this, but I didn’t follow them. If the icing gets soft, stop and chill the layers and remaining icing at any point. At least chill the whole thing for 1 hour before cutting and serving. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if you like.
12. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:
· This recipe also calls for cocoa. You may use either natural or Dutch-process for the same reason as above.
· As above in Caramel Cheesecake, I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese.
· I did use red food coloring to make the frosting pinker. And I used fresh strawberries as a garnish.

Apricot Marzipan Cake
(MILK-DAIRY FREE)
(CONTAINS NUTS)

This is another delicious cake from Perfect Cakes. Frankly it was one of my favorites of the ones I made. It is rich, fruity and sweet. But since it doesn’t have a creamy frosting or filling, it doesn’t feel heavy or coat your mouth. This cake freezes well. Again, I was trying to make the dessert without any alcohol so I substituted apricot juice for the rum in the punch. It doesn’t give you the spiciness that you can get from rum, but I thought the punch had good depth of flavor (better than if I had just substituted water). And with the layers of apricot jam and the marzipan icing, one could argue that the rum is just gilding the lily anyway. The genoise (cake) recipe is separate in his cookbook, but I included it below because that’s the cake he calls for and it is also without milk-dairy, so not just any white cake would do if you were trying to make it milk-free. I had trouble making the genoise (the cake) in any way attractive but it is covered by marzipan so that is not a big concern. I just went out and bought marzipan. I have included the instructions here because it’s easy to make. Though it’s still easier just to buy it… Nick calls for tinting the marzipan pink and for additional decoration with chocolate and I skipped those things. Though the instructions are included here.

PLAIN GENOISE
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cake flour
¼ cup cornstarch

PUNCH SYRUP
¼ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup dark rum [or apricot juice or…?]
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

APRICOT GLAZE
1 ½ cups apricot preserves
¼ cup water

MARZIPAN
4 ounces almond paste
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
About 1/3 cup light corn syrup
Red food coloring

Cornstarch for rolling out the marzipan

1.) Make the cake: preheat the oven to 350º. Butter and flour a 9” cake pan or springform pan
2.) Half fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat so that the water is simmering.
3.) Whisk the eggs, the additional yolks, the salt and sugar together in the bowl of a mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is lukewarm (about 100º or blood-warm). Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. It should be thick and fall in ribbons.
4.) While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.
5.) Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Fold it in, making sure to scrape through to the bottom of the bowl with the spatula. Repeat with another third of the flour. And finally with the remaining flour mixture.
6.) Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until well risen, deep gold and firm to the touch.
7.) Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Remove the sides or turn out of the pan immediately. Cool completely.
8.) To make the syrup: bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cool, and stir in the rum, orange juice, lemon juice, and vanilla.
9.) To make the glaze, bring the preserves and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Strain into another pan and simmer until the glaze becomes sticky. Set aside.
10.) To make the marzipan, in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat the almond paste and 1 cup of the sugar with the paddle attachment on low speed until the sugar is almost absorbed. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and beat slowly until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the corn syrup a little at a time, stopping frequently and checking to see if you can knead the marzipan smooth; the marzipan will still appear crumbly, and you may not need all the syrup. Remove to a work surface and knead until smooth. Pull off a small piece of the marzipan and wrap in plastic. Add enough coloring to the remaining marzipan to tint it a pale pink, then wrap it in plastic.
11.) Slice the cake horizontally into 3 layers and place one on a platter or cardboard round. Moisten with syrup and brush with glaze. Top with the second layer, moisten it, and brush with glaze. Place the remaining layer on top and brush the top and sides of the cake with the glaze.
12.) Dust a work surface with cornstarch. Roll out the pink marzipan to thin round about 14 inches in diameter. Drape it over the cake and trim away the excess. Gather the scraps together, and roll into a rope under your palms. Use the rope to finish the bottom of the cake. Use a paper cone to pipe a chocolate design on the cake with the melted chocolate. Finally, make a flower or other decoration from the reserved white marzipan for the center of the cake.
13.) Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream Cake

This is another recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum, though I found it in an issue of “The Baking Sheet” and not in one of her cookbooks. My first attempt at this cake for the wedding stuck to the pan so much that it only came out in pieces, chunks and crumbs. Not wanting to throw it away, I put it in a Tupperware container and brought it to work. They ate every delicious crumb! It’s sweet and rich and simple. Fresh fruit is a great accompaniment to this cake, but, really, it can be eaten on its own. The inimitable Rose calls for a Tahitian vanilla bean and the first time I made this I went on a wild goose chase to try to find one. I even looked while I was in London and couldn’t find one! So I made it with a Madagascar vanilla bean and it was fine. Since then, I have found a source for Tahitian vanilla beans. But more about that in the notes. Let’s get on with the recipe.

½ Tahitian vanilla bean
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ¾ oz.) sugar
1 ½ cups (12 oz.) heavy cream
¾ tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 ¼ cup (8 oz.) cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour a bundt-style pan [grease it good! This cake sticks. I used my cool new deep square cake pan]
2. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of the knife to scrape the beans into the sugar. They will be sort of goopy, so be patient. Put the sugar and vanilla seeds into a food processor [or a mini-prep] and pulse until the tiny seeds are evenly distributed through the sugar.
3. Beat the cream until softly whipped. Add the vanilla sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs, beating until they are evenly distributed.
4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the cream mixture.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool the batter in the pan for 10 to fifteen minutes. The cake should shrink away from the sides a little bit. Then turn it out onto a lightly greased rack. Wrap it tightly after it is completely cool.
7. Dust with powdered sugar and/or serve with fresh berries, if desired.
8. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:
· For Tahitian vanilla beans, go to Ebay and clicks on stores. Search for ‘Vanilla International’. It’s a guy in Montreal who only sells vanilla beans. They are very good quality beans and his prices are very reasonable. It usually takes a week for them to get from Montreal to Minneapolis.
· Throw the used vanilla bean into a jar with some sugar to make vanilla sugar.
· I did use Tahitian vanilla extract as well. It is distinctly different from Madagascar vanilla and Mexican vanilla. It’s rich and flowery, almost Gewurtztraminer-like.
· As above for the Orange and Chocolate Filled Pouncake, don’t sweat the cake flour thing too much. It will make a little difference in the texture of the cake, but your cake won’t taste bad if you don’t use cake flour.
· Also, I used superfine sugar for this cake. Again, it makes a little difference in the texture.
· And, obviously, you can’t make a lower-fat substitution for the heavy cream.

Grasshopper Pie
(WARNING: CONTAINS MARSHMALLOW CREAM)

This recipe also comes from “The Baking Sheet”. I did not test it before I made it. The theory behind picking this pie was that I thought I ought to have at least one thing that would really appeal to kids—how many eight year olds do you know that can’t wait to get their hands on a piece of Hazelnut Dacquiose? In their introduction to the recipe, they say it’s a good one for making with kids. The recipe calls for ¼ cup (2 oz.) green crème de menthe and I made the non-alcoholic substitution noted below. I also used more heavy cream than the recipe called for, but only because I wanted to use up the heavy cream I had, so I have not changed the amount that the original recipe called for (though an additional ¼ cup did no harm to the pie). I must repeat that this recipe is untested: so I made all these substitutions and I have no idea how the pie turned out! It looked pretty great—as I was fixing it up the day before the wedding one person told me that he used to have a guitar that same mint green color; another said my whipped cream & oreo garnish on top had a cool art-deco look to it.

CRUST
24 to 28 chocolate sandwich cookies (ie oreos)
¼ cup (4 tbsp., 2 oz) softened butter

FILLING
8 oz marshmallow crème (or melted marshmallows or marshmallow Fluff)
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp. peppermint extract
10 drops green food coloring
½ cup heavy cream

1. Crush the cookies or whirl them in a food processor. Add the butter into the food processor, if using, or mix the two together in a bowl.
2. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9”pie plate. You can reserve a little for garnish
5 eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. lemon oil or 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tbsp. lemon juice

HAZELNUT MERINGUE
3 cups hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¼ cups egg whites (from eight or nine large eggs)
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

BUTTERCREAM
½ cup egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
¾ pound unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup praline paste
½ cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts for finishing

PANS
One 9” springform pan, lightly greased, for the hazelnut cake
Three cookie sheets, lined with parchment; trace a 10-inch circle on each piece of paper, then turn it over, for the meringue layers

1.) Make the hazelnut cake: Preheat the oven to 375º. Pulverize the hazelnuts in a food processor (unless you have ground, toasted hazelnuts to begin with).
2.) Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a mixer on high speed until light and lemon-colored. Beat in the lemon oil (or rind) and juice. Fold in the ground hazelnuts.
3.) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites till stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
4.) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan and allow to cool.
5.) Make the Meringue: Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 300º.
6.) Combine the nuts, 1 cup of the sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor and coarsely grind the nuts. [if you have ground nuts, just mix thoroughly with the sugar and cornstarch]
7.) In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, whip the egg whites and salt with the whisk on medium speed until white and opaque. Increase the speed to high and gradually whip in the remaining 1 cup sugar. Continue to whip until the whites hold a firm peak.
8.) Use a large rubber spatula to fold the extract and the nut mixture into the meringue.
9.) Using a pastry bag filled with a ½ inch plain tube, pipe three 10-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared pans. You will have plenty of meringue to do this.
10.) Bake for about 30 minutes, until the meringues are firm. Bake in two batches if necessary. Leave on the pans to cool.
11.) Make the buttercream: combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and whisk over a pan of simmering water until the mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip the whites with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat in the butter about 3 tablespoons at a time. Continue to beat until the butter cream is smooth and thick. Beat in the praline paste [or the cooled coffee].
12.) To assemble: cut the hazelnut cake in two layers [you actually don’t have to do this if you want a thick cake bottom to the torte. But it will be thick]. Use one layer for the bottom of torte. Trim each meringue layer to an even 10-inch circle. You will only use two of the meringue layers. Spread the cake with buttercream. Top with a meringue layer and spread with more of the buttercream. Place a third layer on top and press gently to level. Cover the sides [not the top!] of the dessert with the remaining buttercream. Press the chopped hazelnuts into the buttercream around the sides of the cake. Chill to set.
13.) Enjoy!

Notes on Ingredients:
· Praline paste is ground hazelnuts and sugar. I made smoke come out of my mini-prep food processor trying to make this myself so I decided to just buy some. My mini-prep did recover, but I don’t think I’ll try that again. However, a full sized food processor should make short work of this.
· The King Arthur catalogue sells ground, toasted hazelnuts and almonds. If you want to toast your own, spread the skinned hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in a 350º oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are golden and aromatic. Grind in a blender or food processor.
· You could make this dessert milk-dairy free as well by substituting shortening for the butter in the buttercream. I did a test run of this with organic trans-fat free shortening from the co-op and it tastes just fine. The texture is a little slick; butter has a nicer texture.
· If you like to make recipes like this, it’s worth it to invest in a container of dried egg whites. You can get one in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. Otherwise you’ll have to make a lot of custard and pudding to use up those left-over yolks.

Spicy Banana Walnut Pie
(CONTAINS NUTS)

This recipe comes from Wanda Brown & Phyllis Goldin’s Waiting for the Dough: writings, drawings and non-prize-winning recipes. Wanda is a poet and Phyllis is a composer. They perform around the Twin Cities and have performed with my theatre company a number of times. The first show of theirs that I saw was called Nobody Knows the Truffles I’ve Seen and I have indeed used their easy chocolate truffle recipe several times! I did not test this recipe ahead of time, but when I emailed Wanda about it she said that the optional cardamom in the “no-problem pie crust” is actually the thing that makes the pie truly delicious—so don’t skip it! They call for margarine in the pie and butter-flavored shortening in the crust but I just used butter in both. If you use margarine and shortening, this recipe is milk-dairy free. They also say that you can substitute pecans, raisins, or dried apricots for the walnuts. This is not the most attractive pie, but it’s very easy to make and I trust that it tastes delicious!

“NO-PROBLEM PIE CRUST”
½ cup unbleached flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour [lacking whole wheat pastry flour, I used ¼ cup stone-ground whole wheat & ¼ cup all purpose flour]
½ tsp. ground cardamom [optional, but don’t skip it!]
½ tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1/8 cup cold water

FILLING
¾ cup mashed ripe banana
3 eggs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1/3 cup corn syrup
2 tbsp. molasses or sorghum
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¾ cup chopped walnuts

1. Make crust: Mix well flour, salt and cardamom.
2. Work in cold butter until all flour is moistened. Add just enough water to make a ball.
3. Roll dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap, turning from time to time to re-position the plastic.
4. Remove plastic from one side and put this naked side down into a pie plate. Remove the plastic from the other side and trim and crimp the edges. Chill until filling is prepared.
5. Preheat the oven to 375º
6. Make the filling: beat all ingredients except the walnuts in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
7. Stir in the walnuts.
8. Pour into crust-lined pie plate and bake 40 to 50 minutes until set and crust is nicely browned.
9. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.
10. Enjoy!

Notes on ingredients:
· I grated the nutmeg and ground the cardamom myself but that’s because I had these spices whole. There are enough spices in this that if you have good fresh pre-ground spices that will be fine. However then you miss the cardamom-aromatherapy session you get from grinding the seeds yourself. MMMmmmmm!
· Pastry flour is low-gluten flour. Using a low-gluten flour gives you more flexibility with working with the crust—lessening the risk that you’ll overwork the crust and have it come out tough. If you don’t have pastry flour (I don’t), keep the crust ingredient mixing to a bare minimum.
· I’ve never used sorghum in a recipe so I can’t comment on whether or not it could be better than molasses. However I would recommend a mild molasses because there are enough distinctive flavors in this pie that a strong or very dark molasses would be overkill.

To order this book @ $15 plus postage & handling contact
the Great River Road Arts Coalition (GRRAC)
154 Elm Street South
Prescott, WI 54021

Chocolate Mousse Cake with Cinnamon Cream
(GLUTEN FREE)

Another recipe from Nick Magleiri’s Perfect Cakes, I didn’t have a chance to test this recipe before the wedding. But I made it again today so I could taste it, finally. This is a very easy cake to make. It’s similar to the Chocolate Oblivion torte but the cinnamon cream gives it a unique and delicious twist. And it’s just not as extreme as the Oblivion torte—like, semi-Oblivion. It’s a pretty flat cake but I think that makes it more appealing to people who don’t want a huge dessert anyway. I used parchment paper on the bottom of the pan and it left a cool wrinkly look on the bottom of the cake, so I used that as the top of the cake. There’s some coffee in the recipe and Nick says that you can substitute a sweet fruit liquor or orange juice for the coffee if you like a different flavor. I made it with the coffee. His recipe also has rum as an optional ingredient. I skipped this but if you want to use it, add 2 tbsp. dark rum with the coffee.

CAKE
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (4 oz, 1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
12 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces
6 large eggs
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

CINNAMON CREAM
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Grease an 8” round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper or foil. Find a larger baking or roasting pan for the water bath. Preheat oven to 325º
2. Bring the water and sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the butter and stir occasionally until the butter is melted. Off the heat, add the chocolate and swirl the pan so the chocolate is submerged in the hot liquid. Let stand for 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the coffee and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
4. Whisk the chocolate mixture until smooth, then whisk into the egg mixture.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place the pan in the larger pan. Pour warm water into the larger pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for about 45 minuntes, until the cake is risen and slightly firm . Remove from the oven and carefully lift the cake pan onto a rack to cool.
6. You’re supposed to run a knife around the sides of the pan to remove the cake, but both times I made it the cake shrank obligingly from the sides after cooling in the pan for about 10 minutes. Nick says to put the pan briefly on the burner of your stove to melt the butter and make it easy to release from the pan, but it released pretty easily for me.
7. To make the cinnamon cream, whip the cream with the sugar and cinnamon. Serve at the side of each piece of cake or spread over the top.
8. Enjoy!

Notes on Ingredients:
· As this was one of the last cakes I made (as well as being one of the last I typed up) I used a hodgepodge of chocolate: Lindt Excellence, Ghiradhelli and Callebaut.
· In both the cake and the cream, I used fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon, the strongest, most aromatic kind around. I get it from Penzey’s. In any event, I would use a Cassia cinnamon and not a Ceylon.

Coconut-Raspberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream

Last one! God Bless Nick Magleiri whose recipes did not fail me in this wedding baking extravaganza. From Perfect Cakes, this recipe is for what Nick calls “a perfect old-fashioned layer cake”. I didn’t get a chance to test this one ahead of time either, but Marge Jacobsen told me she really loved it at the wedding. It’s four layers, but the cake is pretty easy to work with and cut. It isn’t as time consuming as I thought it would be, but it certainly isn’t anything that can be done on the fly. I will report my substitutions though, as I said, I don’t know how exactly it turned out. I used a ¼ cup less sugar in the frosting than he calls for. He has lemon extract in his ingredients and I used half as much lemon oil. Lastly, I used at least a cup of raspberry preserves, though he only calls for ½ cup.

CAKE
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp (4 oz, 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
¼ tsp. lemon oil
1 ¼ cups milk
½ cup egg whites (from 3-4 large eggs)

BUTTERCREAM
½ cup egg whites (from 3-4 large eggs)
¾ cup sugar
20 tbsp (10 oz, 2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¼ strained, fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FINISHING TOUCHES
1 cup seedless raspberry preserves
Shredded coconut (enough to cover the cake)

1. Grease two 9” round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light—about three minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and oil.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Beat in half the egg white mixture until incorporated, then add the second third of the flour mixture. Beat in the remaining liquid, then the remaining flour. Be sure to scrape well after each addition.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth the tops of the batter. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for five minutes then invert onto a rack to cool. Peel off the parchment paper.
6. Make the buttercream: whisk together the egg whites and the sugar the bowl of an electric mixer. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until the egg whites are hot and the sugar is dissolved. Attach bowl to the mixer and whip until cool and increased in volume. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat in the butter until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.
7. To assemble the cake: Slice each cake layer horizontally. Since there are two fillings between each cake layer I found it simplest to do it this way. Place one layer on the serving tray (or cardboard round). Spread jam on top of that layer. Spread buttercream on another layer and then invert that layer (filling sides together) over the first. Spread jam on top of the second layer and spread buttercream on the next layer. Invert the third layer over the second. Spread jam on the third layer and buttercream on the bottom of the last layer. Invert the fourth layer on the third. Spread the remaining buttercream on the top and the sides of the cake. I found that you will just barely have enough so go thin on the buttercream in between the layers! Press coconut all over the outside of the cake, on top of the frosting.
8. Serve at cool room temperature.
9. Enjoy!

Notes on Ingredients:
· See Hazelnut Dacquoise above about all those egg whites.
· Cake flour will help make this cake nice and light but don’t worry if you have to substitute all-purpose flour.
· I used whole milk because I had some for another recipe. There’s enough butter in the recipe that if you use skim milk you won’t detract noticeably from the texture of the cake. But whole milk will give it a little more tender and rich texture.
· Nick calls for sweetened, shredded coconut but I don’t think it will make that much of a difference. If I had had all the time in the world, I might have tried to grate my own coconut. Yum!

[rottiedogs]

Buche de Noel
Submitted by janiebakes on August 04, 2004 at 7:15 am

DESCRIPTION
Buche de Noel

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Holiday & Party Recipes

INSTRUCTIONS
This recipe comes from my High School French teacher ( Bonjour Monsieur Guittard!) We were to translate the recipe and would get extra credit for baking the cake and bringing it to class.
I only make this cake at Christmas time so I pull out all the stops, use the best butter and chocolate, take time to sift the flour befoe measuring and then sift all the dry ingredients together three times.
Make the cake the day before you need it. Let it cool overnight and frost and decorate the day it will be served. The frosting is very rich and the cake should be served in thin slices. If you use eggs in the frosting, the leftovers must be refrigerated. If you leave out the eggs, room temperature is fine. I usually leave the eggs out.
If you don't have a linen tea towel to roll up the cake you can use a sheet of parchment paper.
There is no salt in this recipe. European baking has two camps about salt in pastries and this recipe comes from the "no salt" camp.

1 cup cake flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 water
1 teaspoon vanilla
sifted confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan, line with parchment paper and grease the paper. Sift the cake flour, cocoa, and baking powder together, set aside. Beat the eggs until stiff and lemon colored. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating until the mixture is very thick. Stir in the water and vanilla. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it level with a spatula. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Do not over bake! Remove pan from the oven. Sift confectioner's sugar onto a linen tea towel. Turn the cake out onto the tea towel and peel off the paper. Roll up at once, rolling the towel with the cake. Let the cake cool.

2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 eggs (optional)
1/4 cup milk
1 or 2 Tablespoon instant espresso powder dissolved in a little hot water.
4 squares unsweetened chocolat melted
1 cup unsalted butter softened

Combine ingredients in the order given. Beat at high speed until well combined. The frosting will change from a dark brown somewhat curdled looking mass to a light brown smooth frosting. It will probably be too soft to spread. Place over a bowl of ice and stir until it is the right consistency or put in the refrigerator until quite firm. Beat lightly until soft.

2 squares of unsweetened chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over hot water and spread it as thinly as possible with a rubber spatula onto a sheet of parchment paper, foil or a Silpat. Put into freezer until very brittle. Bend the paper or foil or Silpat until the chocolate cracks into pieces. I like to break it into long shards. Do this just before you are ready to place the bark onto the cake.

Gently unroll the cake and remove the tea towel. Don't worry if the cake cracks, the frosting will cover it all up. Spread a little frosting over the whole cake and roll it up again. Place seam side down. Now, you can frost it using a star tip making rows from end to end; ( Don't make stars, just pipe out a strip of frosting) or just slather on the frosting and place the chocolate shards on top to resemble bark. Gild the lily and sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top to resemble snow. Meringue mushrooms are tradional decorations for this cake, just scatter on the serving platter. I also make frogs etc out of marizipan and leaves and acorns out of chocolate. You can find molds for these at cake decorating stores.

[rottiedogs]

Susie’s Lemon Meringue Pie
Submitted by brianjwood on August 17, 2002 at 8:26 am

DESCRIPTION
Susie's Lemon Meringue Pie

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Pies

INSTRUCTIONS
This is from Good Housekeeping Cookery Book. It is pretty much identical to my wife's, so I am calling it Susie's, but has a couple of interesting variants.

@@@@@
LEMON MERINGUE PIE

175 9 (6 oz) Shortcrust Pastry made with 175g (6 oz) flour
finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
100g (4 oz) granulated sugar
75ml(5level tbsp) cornflour
2 eggs, separated
75g (3 oz) caster sugar
cream, to serve

Rollout the pastry on a floured surface and use
to line a 20.5 cm (8 inch) flan ring or fluted flan
dish. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Bake blind (see page 371) in the oven at 200°C
400°F) mark 6 for 10-15 minutes, then remove
the paper and beans and bake for a further
5 minutes until the base is set.
Put the lemon rind and juice, granulated sugar
and 300 ml (1/2 pint) water in a saucepan. Heat gently
until the sugar dissolves.
Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with 90 ml
(6 tbsp) water and stir into the saucepan until well
blended. Bring to the boil, stirring and cook for
1 minute, until thickened.
Cool slightly, then beat in the egg yolks, one at
time.
Pour the warm filling into the pastry case,
levelling the surface. Whisk the egg whites
until stiff. Whisk in half the caster sugar until
completely incorporated, then carefully fold in the
remaining sugar.
Spoon the meringue on to the filling and spread
with a palette knife. The filling must be completely
covered, but the meringue must not overlap the
flan ring or removing the ring will ruin the final
appearance of the pie. Flick it up with the tip of
the knife and bake in the oven at 150°C (300°F)
mark 2 for about 35 minutes. Ease off the flan ring
and serve the pie with cream.
Variations
LIME MERINGUE PIE
Prepare as for Lemon Meringue Pie, substituting
the finely grated rind and juice of 3 limes for the
lemons. T o decorate, shred a few strips of lime
rind and blanch in boiling water for I minute, then
drain well. Sprinkle over the top of the pie.
LEMON SNOW PIE
Prepare the pie as above, however gently fold the
meringue into the hot filling using a large metal
spoon.
@@@@@

[BakerAunt]

Pie Crust Mix
Submitted by KitchenBarbaria... on March 18, 2011 at 12:39 am

Perfect Pie Pastry Premix - a make-ahead mix for pie crust that you can store in the refrigerator
Yield: 8 cups
Source: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/477353

6 cups (27.6 oz., 782.5g) all purpose flour
1 T salt
2 and 1/3 cups (16 oz., 453g) shortening (reduced .3 oz., 10 g)
OR (18.7 oz., 529g) butter or lard

NOTE: Use shortening, butter, butter-flavored Crisco, lard, or half and half of any of these, too taste. I've typically made it with all shortening.

Whisk the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl.

Cut in half of the shortening with a pastry blender. Aim for large, course chunks at this point - if you end up with evenly pea-sized chunks you overdid it.

Cut in the remaining shortening. Crumb size will be uneven, which is fine, that's what we want. Place in airtight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Some people even store it in the freezer. You will get enough crust mixture for several pies.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE A MIX OF BUTTER AND SHORTENING - make sure you cut the butter in FIRST, as it is much MUCH harder than the shortening and will be harder to cut in. If you do the shortening first, it will be smeared out of existence by the time you get the butter cut in.

I have successfully stored this for several months in the refrigerator in a gallon size FREEZER ZipLoc bag.

TO USE: 2T of ice cold water to 1 c (143g, 5 oz.) of the mix. Add water a little at a time - it may take a bit more, it may take a bit less.

Stir gently and quickly. Dough should be soft and not dry. Add a little more flour if too wet, or a little more water if dry.

Form the dough into a flattened disc (or 2 discs if doing a double crust) and put in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling and preheat the oven. I used to say "ball" here because it's a habit of thinking of it that way after 45 years of always doing it that way because the first cookbook I ever read said that. However, think about it - you're going to roll it out into a round disc - it makes FAR better sense to start from a disc shape!

The original directions suggested using 1.25 c for a single 9" pie crust, 2 c for a double 9" pie crust, and 4 c for a double 10" deep dish pie.

However, in my experience, a minimum of 1.5c is needed for a single 9" crust, and this gave me a thin crust without enough body to be able to do any sort of decorative edge whatsoever. 2c of the mix was not enough for a properly done lattice top, either.

My current recommendation is 2c (286g, 10 oz.) for a single 9" pie crust, 3 c (429g, 15 oz.) for a lattice crust, and 3.5c (500g, 20 oz.) for a double crust (9"). I'll update this as I actually make the pies using these amounts.

comments

Submitted by zeebaneighba on Wed, 2011-05-11 13:38.
Thank you for posting this recipe/link from Chowhound plus your suggestions! I'm really pie-crust challenged; I have good results with the KAF recipes, but their drawback is that it is time-consuming to chill the crusts, etc. I love how they taste, but I've been looking for a recipe that would still taste good yet help in terms of time.
I made this mix about three weeks ago and so far, I've used it for a double-crust 9" fruit pie and a blind-baked 9" crust for a lemon meringue pie. The corrected measurements you posted have worked well for me. I used butter-flavored Crisco; I know that sounds vile, but I do like the taste and the color it gave the crusts. Regular Crisco certainly would be good, too.
As noted, this crust does have a nice flavor and because everything is already chilled including the ice water, it truly does stay flaky and tender. Also, it's easy to roll out and handle (my biggest trouble when using other recipes!) In particular, I love the fact that I don't have to worry about how the crust will turn out! I can decide to make a pie practically on the spur of the moment, focus upon the filling, and know that the crust will indeed be flaky, brown well, and compliment the filling.
Thank you again!

Submitted by pjh on Wed, 2011-06-15 08:59.
I've never done a ready-mix and stored in the fridge or freezer - duh, why not?! I'm definitely trying this - should be perfect for summer fruit pies, and around Thanksgiving... Thanks!

Submitted by zeebaneighba on Fri, 2011-06-17 15:21.
PJ, so glad you commented here! I definitely recommend this recipe. I just made another batch and have it in the fridge for a quick and easy peach cobbler tomorrow. As noted, I really do love the KAF pie crust recipes for excellent taste and handling. You can't beat the butter/shortening combo. However, this recipe is a perfectly good one and it's great to be able to do a pie or cobbler on the spur of the moment. The taste reminds me of my grandmother's pie crusts; really brings back good memories.
And also as noted, absolutely use ZenSojourner's recommendations for the measurements. Experienced pie crust bakers could probably get by with the lesser amounts, but I need the extra measures to do a decent fluting around the edge.
(Yeah, I'm still using the butter-flavored Crisco...! At least it's supposed to be low/practically free of trans fats.)

Submitted by KitchenBarbaria... on Fri, 2011-06-17 23:23.
There's no reason why this technique couldn't be applied to any of your favorite pie crust recipes - it's the technique that makes a difference, not so much the recipe. You would just add up the total amount of dry ingredients and fat and use that amount of dry mix mixed with the recommended amount of water when you're ready to use it later. So for example, this one:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/our-favorite-pie-crust-recipe-recipe

I would quadruple the recipe (multiply all ingredients by four) and mix together all the dry ingredients, then cut in the fat. DO NOT ADD ANY LIQUID AT THIS TIME. Then put it away in the heavy Ziploc or other airtight container until you want it. (Freezer ziploc's only because the lighter bags will allow the flour to pick up flavors from the fridge).

Then when you're ready to make the crust, add up all the dry ingredients in the single recipe and measure that out (you can ignore the little T and tsp of extra dry ingredients like baking powder and the like), then mix the cider vinegar with the lower amount of recommended water, then add water as necessary to get the right consistency - just like if you'd stood there and just now cut the fats into the flour.

That recipe uses about 2 c of fat/flour mix to 1 tsp of vinegar and 3 to 5 T of ice water for a single crust pie. (Just put the vinegar in the lowest suggested amount of water and mix up, then bring the dough up to the right consistency with plain water)

So I'd start off measuring out that much of the mix for a single crust, double that amount for a double crust, and 1.5 times that amount for a lattice crust. Adjust according to your own ways of making pie crust, as you would if you were making one recipe up at a time.

There's nothing sacred about the particular recipe above - it's the way it's made in advance that's the key. Just make up your dry ingredients and fats in advance and keep out all liquids until you're ready to actually make the crust.

Submitted by rockyroadfarms on Sat, 2011-07-09 08:18.
Thank you for posting this! I'm pie crust challenged and the explanation is a huge help. I definitely over work the fat business.

And there ain't anything wrong with butter flavored Crisco! It's the secret ingredient in some of my most requested cookies. If they only knew. Hehe!
MaryAnn

Submitted by aaronatthedoublef on Wed, 2011-10-12 09:27.
This is excellent and PERFECT timing. I just came on to post a question asking if anyone does this.
Thank you so much.

Submitted by KitchenBarbaria... on Wed, 2011-10-12 13:54.
Well I do it all the time, but then it's my recipe, LOL!
Probably it would be better to ask that question on the forums.

Submitted by Weezer on Wed, 2011-12-14 23:24.
I am going to try my hand at making the KAF piecrust. I have a 10" ceramic pie plate, so how large should I roll the crust to fit the pan? I noticed in one of these posts, she freezes the crust for one hr. before baking, wouldn't doing that with my ceramic pan cause it to crack when I put it in the hot oven??? Don't want to cause my pan to crack up, I've had it a very long time.

Submitted by KitchenBarbaria... on Thu, 2011-12-15 23:38.
I go for about 3" bigger than the target pan, so I'd roll that bottom crust out about 13" (roughly). Top crust, about 1" bigger than the diameter at the top of the plate. That's for a normal 1.5" to 2" deep pie plate - if it's a deep-dish plate, adjust accordingly.

I've seen that sort of suggestion re refrigerating the pie dough in the pie plate but I don't think this is either necessary nor desirable. Like you, I'm pretty sure thermal shock would be an issue. I leave the dough wrapped well in the fridge until the filling is ready to go in, only then do I take it out and roll it out, then immediately fill it, top it, bake it. Unless its 100F in your kitchen it shouldn't have time to warm up any appreciable amount. The whole reason for chilling the dough is to keep the fat solidified WHILE YOU ARE HANDLING IT so the crust will be flaky. Once you've rolled it out and put it in the pan, there is no further benefit to be had from chilling (as long as it's going directly into the oven).

Just make sure your filling is no more than room temp so it doesn't melt the shortening (or butter or lard, whatever you are using), have everything laid out and ready to go, and you should be good. I bake in Pyrex plates exclusively and have never had an incident of thermal shock, but I don't chill the plate itself. I let the pie bake about 10 or 15 minutes in the oven and move it down onto my baking stone after that to help the bottom crust brown up faster (and avoid thermal shock). Since I started using the chilled crust mix all my pie crusts are extremely flaky and tender. I don't see how there could be any possible advantage to chilling the dough in the pan, all things considered, and this works very well for me.

[BakerAunt]

Cake Lessons from Kid Pizza for Livingwell [A collection of four threads]

KidPizza - Cake Time! Thread I
Hi, KidPizza! It's Friday morning and I'm checking with you to see if there's anything extra I need to buy over the week-end before making your yellow cake recipe either Sunday or Monday morning, if that works for you. I have all the usual suspects for making cake, including King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour, Gold Medal bleached all-purpose flour, and Swans Down cake flour You'll need to tell me which one is best for your recipe. I also have salted and unsalted butter, but, again, you'll need to tell me which you prefer. My baking powder, baking soda, eggs, and milk are all fresh. I'm so excited!
posted by: Livingwell on January 10, 2014 at 7:47 am in General discussions

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 10, 2014 at 1:36 pm
LIVINGWELL:
Good morning. Penelope I am also excited to help you. I was thinking of you a few hours ago while I was baking my experiment BB cakes. I must leave you now as the stock market is getting ready to open
in 2, minutes this is how I earn my living for the last 33, years. I do not wish this way on my worst enemy. See you later.
,
~CASS/KIDPIZZA.
.
Penelope, I am back. I will post the recipe tomorrow sometime. I will also post options as well
.
My BB cakes/ loaves/muffins came out tasting great. The only thing is they deflated "LARGE",(LOL) Almost 15/20% worth. I did realize why after thinking about. I corrected the recipe along with the sugar content.

I have learned a great deal since I decided to take your suggestion about defrosting the blueberries that I never would have figured out. But I did because I did what I thought intially was a foolish thing to do. This morning after baking & then when I tasted one I learned one more thing....I have been employing the in~correct frozen BB. So does everyone else. But I am the only one that has figured this problem out. I just bought a 14, oz frozen package at Trader Joe;s . I will use it in my muffin fruitcakes recipe. It is KAF recipe which I modified. It will not go to waste.
.
Yes, Penelope, you have all the ingredients for the Basic YELLOW CAKE recipe.
One option is employing some honey. which you can decide to do later on.
.
See you tomorrow sometime. Enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~KIDPIZZA.

reply by: Livingwell on January 10, 2014 at 5:09 pm
KidPizza, I'm glad you discovered the size of the blueberries helped ensure baking success for your blueberry cakes. I like to use frozen Maine wild blueberries when I make muffins (using my thaw method, of course). They're smaller than "normal" blueberries and look nicer in the muffins.
.
I'm not a big honey fan, but if I have to put it in the yellow cake recipe to have success, I will. I will let you know for sure which day I am baking. Since you're two hours behind me, you should see my post when you log on that day. I really appreciate you taking me under your wing to teach me how to make a good yellow cake.

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 11, 2014 at 6:02 am
LIVINGWELL:
Good early morning Penelope. I will post the recipe in it's standard form first. Then you can try the better technique of separating the eggs in which you will get a very light cake. Trust me easy enough.
This YELLOW CAKE recipe is a simple one also known as a 1~2~3~4 cake. It is the basis of many other cake recipes that vary in it's ingredients but still in balance in the dictates of baking science.
.
COMES NOW:
.
BUTTER...........................1,cup.......8,oz
SUGAR............................2 cups.....14,oz
FLOUR, AP,Bleached........3,sifted cups,.......12.75,oz
EGGS***...........................5 Large.....8.75,oz
Milk..................................1,1/4 cups..10,oz
Baking Powder...................1,TBLS.....1/2,oz
Vanilla extract....................1,tsp
Salt. 1/2,tsp......1/2, oz.
.
*** Variation from 4, eggs. 4, eggs apply if separating the eggs. WHICH WE WILL DO THE NEXT BAKE WHEN YOU ARE READY.
.
.........................................Approx...52, oz
DIRECTIONS:
.
Sift the flour, powder &salt, set aside. ......in the mixer, place butter (65/67,degrees)
beat, till smooth, add sugar & mix for 5, minutes... sugar must get melted.
Add eggs 1, at a time for 1, minute each Add vanilla.. Penelope, now & then scrap down the bowl & the beaters.
.
Now mix in 1/3rd of the flour by estimate & 1/2 of the milk blend in with a spatula repeat add 1/2 remaining flour all the milk... blend & balance of flour & blend.
I will not tell you how to prepare your baking pans I am sure you know how. Bake at 350 pre~ heated oven...lower 1/3rd. Time close to 30/35, minutes...do a tooth pick test.
.
PANS:
(2,) 8,in X 1.5, round or (1), 9,X,13, X 2, in. pans/or you can add other ingredients to make muffins, baby loaf cakes,ete. like bb, coconut, cranberries ete.
.
Good luck Penelope. & enjoy the weekend..
.
~KIDPIZZA

reply by: Livingwell on January 11, 2014 at 10:30 am
THANK YOU, Kid Pizza, for your yellow cake recipe! A special thank you for including the ingredient amounts by volume since I don't weigh them out. I can't wait to make your recipe, and every day this past week himself has asked if today's the day he gets cake. I am planning on making a two layer 9-inch cake with chocolate frosting, a favorite flavor combination. As soon as I'm done with the cake, I will post my results. Again, I will make it first thing Monday morning.
.
I just thought of a few questions:
.
1. Is regular granulated sugar OK, or do I need to use superfine? I also have King Arthur Baker's Special sugar on hand.
.
2. Since there is salt in the recipe, should I use unsalted butter?
.
I'm so excited!!! "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 12, 2014 at 8:33 am
LIVINGWELL;
Good morning my friend. For the sugar choice either is acceptable. However, using the fine sugar you can save about 1.5/2, minutes of mixing time because remember the sugar must be incorporated into the butter during creaming, in order to create bubbles that the leaveners begin to expand to provide structure, & the sugar to become melted as well. (Remember Penelope, butter is optimum at 65/67 degrees to begin creaming)
.
Use unsalted butter.
.
Just a thought Penelope, as you know when cakes finish baking. The tops of the cake generally are rounded as in convex configuration. Then you will have to slice that portion off to level it.
.
Here is my secret trick gifted to you. When ready to bake ....you must with your spatula gently from the center toward the outer portion move some of the batter so the configuration is more concave rather than flat. You see Penelope, during baking the center portion will rise & be level & not in a convex configuration.
Enjoy the rest of the day my friend.
.
~KIDPIZZA.

reply by: Livingwell on January 12, 2014 at 9:40 am
Thanks for the baking tip so the tops don't dome. Though I don't get domed tops, I will try your trick to make sure I don't with this new recipe. Tomorrow is cake day! "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 12, 2014 at 5:26 pm
LIVINGWELL:
Hello again. Penelope, I know you use volume measure. That is why I posted both ways. I must say however I was just going thru my work & I noticed a typing error on my part. The salt is 1/2, tsp, yes
but it isn't 1/2, oz. in weight. It is 1/8th oz.' Please make that correction
.
I will be thinking of you tomorrow morning. You will just do fine as always.you will see.
.
~KIDPIZZA.

reply by: Livingwell on January 12, 2014 at 5:38 pm
Correction noted. I am already getting ready to start baking first thing in the morning. I printed out your recipe, cut out the parchment paper circles to line my cake pans, got the measuring cups and spoons out, and started assembling some of the ingredients. Gee, can you tell I'm excited about making this cake?? "Penelope"

reply by: D.Waver on November 01, 2014 at 5:11 am
Can you please clarify the flour? Do I use AP (gold medal) pre-sifted, or do I weigh out the flour and then sift it? I see you sift together the dry ingredients. Don't want to over sift..
Thanks!

reply by: Mrs Cindy on November 01, 2014 at 8:12 am
D.Waver, as a general rule you sift then measure. If you measure by weight, which you should be doing, you can put your bowl on the scale and zero it out. Then sift your flour (yes, Gold Medal BLEACHED AP flour) into the bowl until you get to the correct weight. Do not ever trust that pre-sifted statement. It means nothing. The flour will become compacted in the bag it's packed in. You must sift to aerate.
.
I use the above system to get the correct amount of flour in the bowl. But if I have other ingredients that need to be sifted with the flour, I sift about 1/2 the flour, add the other ingredients, then sift the rest of the flour. Usually I measure the small teaspoons of baking soda and powder and do not weigh those. The amount is so small. Here is where KidPizza comes at me, screaming like a banshee. This is not correct. I know it, he knows I know it. But, it's what I do.
.
Hope this answers your questions. Post back if you need more help.
.
~Cindy

reply by: D.Waver on November 04, 2014 at 1:16 pm
Thank you so much Cindy! I love how passionate everyone is here - screaming like a banshee should occur when people are debating baking instructions ... NOT when someone steals your parking spot 🙂
Have a great day!!

reply by: Rascals1 on November 04, 2014 at 6:09 pm
That's a good recipe, I've been using it since the early 1960's but mine only has 4 eggs.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on November 05, 2014 at 7:19 am
You're welcome! Yes, screaming like a banshee should, indeed, occur when debating cooking questions. And, believe me, we get that way very quickly around here.......?
.
~Cindy

YELLOW CAKE SUCCESS! (Thread II)
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, KidPizza, for sharing your yellow cake recipe and offering me advice on how to make it! After many yellow cake failures over the years, your recipe came out as good as any from a bakery. I followed your instructions to the letter with two exceptions: I lowered the oven temp to 325 degrees to account for my dark Chicago Metallic cake pans, and I used Penzey's double strength vanilla. You're supposed to halve the amount of vanilla when using their double strength, but I still use the amount called for in the recipe for richer flavor, and this cake definitely had a wonderful flavor, as well as a nice fluffy texture. I made a 9-inch two layer cake and each layer baked up to a height just shy of 2-3/4 inches, which made for nice sized layers and a good looking cake. I tried your trick of spreading the batter to the edges of the pan to create a concave center to prevent doming, but the batter wouldn't stay put! The layers were just ever so slightly domed, but I always turn them upside down, anyway, so the flat bottoms provide flat surfaces for easier frosting, so it wasn't a problem. This was the first time I have ever been able to pick up the cake layers without them sticking to the cooling racks! That made it much easier to place the second layer on top of the first by hand instead of using a wide cake spatula and having the cake stick to that, too! I was so excited about making this cake that I woke up at 2:30 this morning and took out the butter, eggs, and milk so they could come to room temperature. Himself took a few pictures of the finished cake and is going to try and post them so you can see how well it came out. Now I can't wait to make the white version! Thank you again for sharing your recipe and expertise! "Penelope"
posted by: Livingwell on January 13, 2014 at 1:15 pm in General discussions

reply by: Livingwell on January 13, 2014 at 1:27 pm

Photos are up for anyone who wants to drool over them. Have a towel handy!

reply by: robinwaban on January 13, 2014 at 1:33 pm
Wowee!!! Beautiful. I will also have to try Kid Pizza's advice and make one. I hope it comes out as lovely as yours!

reply by: frick on January 13, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Darn, drooled all over the computer. I may have to twist his arm for that recipe. I love a good plain cake, but it has to be good. A home made cake should fall in that happy medium between being light enough to be enjoyable, and not as light as a box mix. It's a delicate balance. I think I don't make them often enough. Bundt cakes are so darned easy. But my poor DH wants frosting. So, Kid Pizza, care to share your recipe with me?

reply by: Livingwell on January 13, 2014 at 2:46 pm
Thank you, Robin! I'm really pleased with the way it came out.
.
Frick, the recipe is in this post:
.[uploader: it is in Thread I]
.
The texture is just as you describe, fluffy enough that it isn't a mix, but with enough body that you know you're eating something. We just love it!
.
Though I usually use King Arthur unbleached flour for most of my baking, I used Gold Medal bleached flour in this cake.

reply by: berwynbaker on January 13, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Right about now, I would kill for a slice of that cake. I am going to have to copy kidpizza's recipe for use in the new future. BB

reply by: omaria on January 13, 2014 at 4:32 pm
Oh, that looks just delicious ! Beautiful also.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 13, 2014 at 5:11 pm
I have found, if I follow his ingredient list and instructions TO THE LETTER, there is nobody better at this art of cake making than the MASKED MARVEL. Your pictures look wonderful. I tried to lick the frosting, but the iPad would not cooperate. ?
.
We are so lucky to have KidPizza on this forum. His years of experience and his willingness to share, benefit us all. I have been fortunate enough to meet this kind, wonderful gentleman, and believe me when I tell you, he is a true, old world GENTLEMAN. They don't make them like him anymore. He has taught me so much. If I find myself stumped or confused with a recipe, I will stop and think, What Would Cass Do?? I have copious notes about baking listed under CASS' NOTES. When I have a high ratio fat to flour cake, the first thing he says is 1.) Use BLEACHED flour, NOT unbleached flour. There are so many more 'Must Dos' in his list. He has been invaluable.
.
Now, there is one more cake I simply MUST bake. I wonder if I can figure out the four eggs and separating egg whites.ill have to read carefully to figure out when and how to fold in the egg whites. Unless the great one would like to chime in here with instructions.......hint.......hint........hint!!
.
~Cindy

reply by: frick on January 13, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Livingwell, Thank you Of course, I should have realized that. Since you mentioned it, I have always pushed batter up toward the sides of the pan to try to counteract the doming. Cake batter stubbornly usually refuses to stay, as you found to be the case. Still, since it may help, I won't stop trying.
.
Now I have to decide whether to try the four egg version, or the 5 egg version. Did you make the 5 egg one?

reply by: cwcdesign on January 13, 2014 at 5:44 pm
Gorgeous cake, "Penelope" I'll have to add that recipe to my repertoire. Especially after KP's wonderful instructions for my lemon coconut pound cake which I am definitely going to make again. Just have to translate that recipe to my "book."

reply by: Livingwell on January 13, 2014 at 5:46 pm
I have no idea how to go about making the white cake version, so will have to depend on KidPizza to walk me through it. That's next on my "to try" list!

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 13, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Frick, have you tried the 'cake strips' that you put around the outside of the pan to keep the cake flat? I have a set and love them. I use them when making double layer round cakes. Perfectly flat cakes. No doming! KAF sells them.
.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/cake-strips
.
~Cindy

reply by: bakeraunt on January 13, 2014 at 10:50 pm
I want to second Mrs. Cindy's advice about the cake strips. I use them all the time. I also do the trick of pushing the batter toward the sides. The cakes come out quite nicely.

reply by: frick on January 14, 2014 at 2:00 am
I have the cake strips. I nearly always forget about them; will even have to do a "deep search" since I seldom bake layer cakes. That chocolate marble bundt nearly always seems to fill the bill, though I love frosting!
.
I need to decompress the freezer of peaches, and farm cakes with cream cheese & chocolate chip filling are calling me. I also haven't made cinnamon swirl bread in ages. I have a little free time, but no room in my jeans. 🙁

reply by: Livingwell on January 14, 2014 at 7:17 am
Oh my gosh, I have the cake strips from King Arthur and have never used them! Since doming is not usually a problem for me and I turn the layers upside down, anyway, I didn't even think about them. I saw them in the drawer the other day and thought I should use them some time. If I think about it, maybe when I make KidPizza''s white cake. Whoops, I mistyped his name and typed KisPizza - Freudian slip of the fingers?? If he was here, I would give him a big hug for helping me!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 14, 2014 at 9:26 am
MRSCINDY:
Good morning my dear friend. Thank you very very much for all the kind words. I appreciate it.
I am happy to see that you have been posting lately. It means simply you are getting to feel much better & that makes me happy.
.
Cynthia, I will post the entire recipe employing the EGG WHITE version so that there is no confusion.
.
COMES NOW:
.
BUTTER.......................................1,cup.......8,oz
SUGAR........................................2, cups...14,oz
FLOUR. AP.(bleached) .................3,cups....12.75,oz
EGGS***.. SEPARATED................4, Large...7,oz...If you require help with this please post back.
MILK****........................................1, cup......8,oz
BAKING POWDER.........................1, TBLS..1/2,oz
VANILLA........................................1,tsp
SALT..............................................1/2 tsp...1/8th oz.
.............................................APPROX ..48,oz./, 3 pounds.
***, eggs separated when cold...whipped when at room temp. That is how you can get the most volume.
**** Using the 4, egg method.... Milk is then reduced to 8, oz.
.
Pre~Heat oven 350, degrees bake at lower 1/3rd of the oven
.
Whip up the Meringue to "FIRM" peaks....set aside
.
.
Standard Creaming mixing method. all ingredients at room temp. Butter, then FINE SUGAR,
,& vanilla. Now & then scrape down bowl & beaters. Total time approx. 6 minutes. Best if batter is between 70/73, degrees when pan is placed in the oven.
.
Using a spatula mix in 1/3rd of the flour & 1/2 of the milk. Mix till blended. Repeat with 1/2 remaining flour & all of the milk. Add balance of flour & mix till no white flour traces remain.
Mix in 25% of the whites & blend in with a spatula using the bottom to the top mixing method gently.
When mixed in, repeat with all remaining whites...blending gently .When ready begin panning.
.
Remember bakers you can add fruits to these recipes, coconut, cranberries, etc.
(2), 8 in or 9,in X 2,in pans or (1), 9 x 13 x 2 pan. Prepare pans in the standard manner with parchment paper
.
I hope I didn't leave out important information.
.
Good luck my dear culinary friends & enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~CASS/KIDPIZZA.

reply by: omaria on January 14, 2014 at 10:09 am
Want this in my file. Thanks Cass.!

reply by: frick on January 14, 2014 at 1:47 pm
Thanks, Cass. May you come out a winner in the day's encounter with the stock market.

reply by: Livingwell on January 14, 2014 at 3:38 pm
Thank you for the white cake recipe, KidPizza! After my yellow cake success, I am feeling much more confident that I can bake more cakes than just chocolate. White cake is next on my "to try" list and I am going to print out your recipe now. I do have one question, though. With the yellow cake, the flour amount said 3 sifted cups of flour, but the white cake recipe says 3 C. flour. Does that mean it does not have to be sifted before measuring it out? With the yellow cake, I sifted the flour, measured it out, then sifted it again with the baking powder and salt. Now I just have to figure out what kind of frosting I want on the white cake. I think white on white might be nice.

reply by: cwcdesign on January 14, 2014 at 4:30 pm
Livingwell, this is the other version of the yellow cake recipe using 4 eggs instead of 5. mrscindy was asking about separating the eggs and folding them in separately, so KP posted this variation.
-
Just thought you'd want to know. I can't wait to see the white cake recipe either.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 14, 2014 at 4:48 pm
You're right, cwcdesign, the recipe KidPizza posted for me is the YELLOW CAKE recipe using the separated egg white method. It is NOT the white cake. Please don't confuse this recipe for the white cake recipe. The white cake will not have any egg yolks in it.
.
I'm sure we can talk the PROFESSOR into posting his famous WHITE CAKE RECIPE if we just behave ourselves. First, everyone must make both versions of the yellow cake with resounding success. After that THE GREAT ONE will allow us to move to the next recipe. Right, Cass?
.
And, yes, Cass, I'm feeling a little better. Never really GREAT, but a little better. That's the important thing, right?
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 14, 2014 at 6:32 pm
Uh-oh! I thought that WAS the white cake recipe. That's what I want to make in the upcoming week or so, so I hope KidPizza posts the real white cake recipe soon! I'm on a cake high here and want to see if I can have equal success with a white cake. I even bought extra butter for it when I went grocery shopping this morning.

reply by: BakerIrene on January 14, 2014 at 6:38 pm
I would use ganache. Maybe even just a glaze of ganache rather than icing.

reply by: Livingwell on January 14, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Oooo, that sounds yummy!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 15, 2014 at 6:35 am
LIVINGWELL.
Good morning. Penelope, I will work on the white cake today & I think I can post it tomorrow.
.
Yes, Penelope, If you wish to bake the separated eggs version you also should SIFT the flour there as well. I just didn't notice my omission when I printed out the recipe.
.
Enjoy the day my friend.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on January 15, 2014 at 7:38 am
Good morning, KP! Thanks for clearing that up. I am easily confused, so appreciate your detailed instructions. Before making your wonderful yellow cake, I have never in all my years of baking made cake where I sifted the flour first, then measured, then sifted it again with the leavener. The yellow cake was so good that I am now wondering if I should do that with every cake recipe to get equally good results.
.
It's chilly here with more snow expected, just as we were getting rid of the old stuff! Stay warm there and have a good day!

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 16, 2014 at 10:42 pm
Livingwell, your point is well taken. Yes, you should/could sift, then measure and sift again, with almost all cake recipes. Many recipes have weights now, instead of measurements. This is specifically to stop the over weighing problem found in many kitchens. When you sift, measure, sift, you end up closer to the correct amount of flour. I've started doing that with almost all my baked goods. I sift the flour into the measuring cup on the scale. Then resift with the leavening and other dry ingredients into the bowl.
.
I would be interested to hear what Cass has to say about it. I wonder what his take will be.
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 16, 2014 at 10:54 pm
Thank you, MrsCindy. I only measure ingredients by volume, not weight, but am anxious to try the sift-measure-sift method again.
.
I hope to make the white cake in the next week or so, so hope KidPizza posts the recipe soon! Of course, all this cake isn't good for my diet, so I shared the yellow cake with a friend, who pronounced it delicious!

reply by: cwcdesign on January 16, 2014 at 11:07 pm
Livingwell, KP posted the White Cake recipe earlier today for you.

[uploader's note: the recipe is in Thread III here.]

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 17, 2014 at 5:19 am
MRSCINDY:
Good morning.
.
"PRECISELY"
.
I hope this post finds you well.
.
Enjoy the rest of the day my dear friend.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on January 17, 2014 at 10:49 am

Thanks, Cwc! I was only here for a few minutes last night and don't know how I missed it, but got it this morning.

LIVINGWELL, I am posting the WHITECAKE recipe for you. Thread III
LIVINGWELL:
Good morning. Penelope, my friend. I am posting the White cake recipe that you asked for. I hope you will enjoy it as much as the yellow cake recipe.
.
This recipe can be put together in two mixing methods. I am posting the easier one. If you do not like anything about this cake, post your concerns...be as descriptive as you can be. We can FIX it. We can also try the superior mixing method known as 2 stage mixing. It is superior but it has to be done accurately. Nothing that you cannot do.
.
Anyway. I have 2, other recipes but I believe this one to be the superior one.
.
"WHITE CAKE RECIPE:
.
.
COMES NOW:
.
Sifted cake flour...................................3,cups........10.5,oz
Milk....................................................1, cup, plus 1,Tbls.....8.5,oz
Sugar, (fine).........................................1.5,cups.....10.5,oz
Butter (un~salted).........1.5, sticks...........................6,oz
Vanilla.........................2, tsp ***
Baking powder..............1, Tbls plus, 1,tsp................5/8ths, oz
Salt, 1/4, tsp
Egg Whites...................(5)......................................5,1/4,oz. (Approx)
.
DIRECTIONS:
.
350, Degress, lower 1/3rd of oven, about 30/35, minutes. REDUCE Temp 25, degrees. for Blace or dark pans.
.
Combine flour,,salt & powder & set aside.
Place butter (65/67,degrees) in mixing bowl & beat till smooth. Begin drizzling in the sugar. When complete,
Begin adding the whites in 3, segments, 20/30, seconds mixing time for each segments.
Add vanilla SCRAPE BOWL & BEATER EVERY NOW & THEN WHEN REQUIRED.
.
Add 1/3rd of flour into bowl, & 1/2, milk mix with spatula...add 1/2 of remaining flour & all of the milk. Add balance of flour,mix gently till no white flour specks appear.
.
*** Penelope, remember that in employing VANILLA it will take away some of the WHITE of the white cake...so be carefull of how much you use. NOTE, KAF sells powdered Vanilla...2.5, oz jar at $17 bucks. I thought you would like to know. that
.
I am finished know (I think) I hope I got it all done correctly.
.
Good luck & enjoy the rest of the day my good friend.
.
~CASS.
posted by: KIDPIZZA on January 16, 2014 at 8:03 am in General discussions
.
reply by: omaria on January 16, 2014 at 5:19 pm
I am sure, Penelope will be here soon enough. But I want to say thank you also.

reply by: happyone179 on January 16, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Hi Kidpizza,
I too want to thank you for posting the recipe for the yellow and white cakes. You know so much about baking. Is your profession a baker? I am just curious.
Wendy

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 17, 2014 at 5:40 am
HAPPYONE179:
Good morning. Thank you very much WENDY for your kind sentiment for me. I appreciate it.
.
No, I am an amateur in the culinary arts. I study baking science when I can read about it that is without falling asleep in my recliner while reading.
.
There are many other members that have much knowledge about baking that are members as well like MRSCINDY, BETTINA, GINA (SMARTYPANTS) & MIKE NOLAN& ANTELOPE & plus cast of thousands (LOL).
.
I hope that you will enjoy the 2, cake recipes as much as my baking pal LIVINGWELL has.
.
Good luck in your baking & enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~CASS/KIDPIZZA.

reply by: Livingwell on January 17, 2014 at 10:13 am
Good morning, Cass! Thank you for posting the white cake recipe for me. Himself and I loved the yellow cake so much, as did our friend that we shared with, that I am feeling confident about tackling white cake. I will use the easier mixing method. The second one sounds like the reverse creaming I asked about in another post that you said is very tricky if one is not a professional baker. And I am definitely NOT a professional! I just know how I want food to look and taste, but don't always know the best way to get it there. I really appreciate your help! I wasn't sure when I was going to make the white cake, but now that you've been kind enough to post the recipe, I will make it some time in the next few days and post my results.
.
I have never heard of powdered vanilla, and didn't know King Arthur sold it. I will check it out and add it to my wish list for my next order. If I buy it and use it in a cake, would I have to replace the small amount of liquid it provides with another liquid, such as more milk?? I have clear imitation vanilla, and am not crazy about the fake flavor, but use the small amount needed when I want very white cupcake frosting
.
Have a good week-end!
.
"Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 17, 2014 at 3:05 pm
LIVINGWELL:
Good afternoon. Yes Penelope, the other mixing method is the one I had once described to you. But if we try that you will get thru it very well. I have others. Listen Penelope, did you ever whip up a few egg whites???? Do have a hand held mixer???
.
This is technique that brings lightness to a cake...like you can slice the cake with a feather. It is a easy technique it does take about 5,minutes to do but then the machine does all the work.
.
Enjoy the rest of the day my friend.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on January 17, 2014 at 5:52 pm
KP, I have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer that I hate and avoid using, and a Kitchen Aid hand mixer that I love and use as often as possible. I used the hand mixer for the yellow cake and plan to use it for the white cake, too. I would like to try the cake with the easier mixing method first before I get all fancy.
.
Again, thank you for your help! "Penelope"

reply by: Oat Brandi on January 19, 2014 at 8:33 am
Hello! This is my first post here. This white cake recipe was enough to make me register as opposed to just reading 🙂 I have been searching for the perfect white cake for quite a while now and have two questions/concerns about this recipe if you would be so helpful to offer your advice. #1 Compared to the other white cake recipes I have used yours has less sugar.... and #2 Could the milk be replaced with buttermilk and the baking powder reduced to 2t and add 1/2 t baking soda? I *love* the flavor that buttermilk adds to cakes an tend to especially prefer it in white cakes.
Thank you so much...my apologies for barging in!
Brandi

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 19, 2014 at 9:05 am
OAT BRANDI:
Good morning. Welcome to our baking forum. We here always enjoy meeting new friends.
.
Yes, Brandi, you can reduce the bkg powder by 1/2 the stated recipe amount & add 1/2, tsp of soda for the buttermilk subst.
.
You sound like you are knowledgeable about baking & it's science. We look forward to your ideas from time to time when posters post their baking disappointments. They ask WHY ??? & how to fix their problem.
.
Anyway enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~KIDPIZZA.

reply by: Livingwell on January 19, 2014 at 9:38 am
Good morning, Cass! Today is white cake day, and I will make it as soon as I finish the papers and more coffee. I'll post my results, and hopefully a picture or two, when I'm done.
.
Welcome Oat Brandi!

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 19, 2014 at 7:44 pm
As usual, MASKED MARVEL, you have given us a perfect recipe and I have copied it to my files. I can't wait to try it.
.
One question; can I beat the whites to stiff peaks before folding the whites into the batter? At what point should I add the whites? After the flour and milk, so I don't deflate the airiness of the whites? In other words, cream the butter, slowly add the sugar, then the vanilla powder. Then add the flour and milk in three additions, then, BY HAND, fold in the beaten egg whites.
.
This would change the texture of the cake, but I'm not sure what else might change. Any suggestions?
.
Like I said, as usual you have come through with the perfect recipe. Thank you!
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 7:26 am
Uh-oh. Looking at MrsCindy's question about beating the egg whites before folding them into the batter makes me think I made a mistake. I added them as is. Was I supposed to beat them first??? KidPizza, HELP!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 8:32 am
LIVINGWELL:
Hello again. No penelope, that is another way to prepare this cake. It makes for a lighter cake. One thing I have learned in experimenting employing the "Whipping the whites technique" is it provides lift....Sooo.... I do believe the leaveners must be reduced. I have done that in one of my recipe for BB cakes they deflated almost 1/4, inch. they tasted good however. although slightly soft I will reduce the whipped up whites by 1, I hope it will improve it's denseness as well I will soon get it right. If you wish to try this method on both of your new recipes post back & we will go thru them together.
.
Have a nice day my friend.
.
~CASS>
.
reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 9:46 am
Good morning, Cass! OK, it's good to know I didn't make a mistake. In fact, in taking out everything in preparation to mixing up the batter, I put a small mixing bowl and the beaters in the fridge to chill before beating the whites. It was only after I re-read the instructions one more time before starting that I saw there were none for beating the whites first. I thought maybe not beating them first may have accounted for the slightly drier texture of the white cake. "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 11:35 am
LIVINGWELL:
Hey, it's me again. Listen Penelope, I didn't know that you knew how to whip up whites. I do remember in one of our postings very recently I had made mention of it & your reply "I do not want to get fancy (lol) Soooo, I thought best not to be annoying.
.
Anyway my good friend next bake, whip up just 2 of the 5, whites with your hand held mixer. Start off this way whip to "FIRM PEAKS" (Tips bent over about 1/4 inch max.) Set aside...without washing the beaters continue with the creaming operation. Mix in pans by eye 25% of the whites & with a spatula mix in gently with OVER & UNDER MOTIOMS. Then the balance ...Pan & bake without wasting time.
.EDITED
About the FINE SUGAR. If you have a food procc. Or even a blender it will reduce the sugar granules as well. Do what I do I have a medium sized Tupper ware thing I pulverize about 1, pound maybe a little more & store it in the tupper ware thing. Every time you are going to use the contraption first do some sugar Then with out cleaning out the bowl continue with your baking bizzznizzz. This way you save a lot of time for yourself.
.
You will have much more moistness.
.
Penelope, in the adjacent thread you asked about the honey, if a person could taste it. No way !!! but you know that it is in there just from seeing it sparkle on it's surface with it's moisture wanting to ooze out.
.
Anyway my friend do one or the other & see which is best for yourself.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 1:57 pm
Hi, KidPizza! Thanks for the explanation about the honey. It may be worth a try in another attempt, but I would like to try the beaten egg white method first. I do know how to whip egg whites, but didn't know that's what you were talking about when you said there was another mixing method, and thought you meant the reverse creaming method. I do need specific instructions - LOL. Do I understand you right that if I make the cake with whipped egg whites, I only need 2 whites instead of 5? Please tell me if I read that right.
.
Oh, and by the by, you are *never* annoying 🙂 "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 2:01 pm
PENELOPE. 2 whites beaten & 3 whites added total of 5.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 2:53 pm
I'm a little confused about how are the two different forms of egg whites are mixed in and when. Let me tell you what I *think* you said and you correct me if I'm wrong.
.
Beat 2 egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. Mix the remaining 3 egg whites (as is in their liquid form) into the batter at the point stated in the recipe. Mix in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. The very last step to the mixing process is folding in the beaten egg whites. As soon as they're incorporated, quickly pan the batter and bake.
.
Is that right?? "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 7:09 pm
YES, PENELOPE, You got that correct.
Not stiff peaks...but FIRM PEAKS. Peaks curl over about 1/4, inch or close to that.
.
~CASS

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 7:14 pm
OK, gotcha! I will add that to my notes on the recipe. Thanks, again!
.
Have a good evening! "Penelope"

reply by: horses272 on January 21, 2014 at 10:02 am
Thank-you for sharing the white cake recipe, also for educating me about the vanilla as well!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 21, 2014 at 11:58 am
MRSCINDY:
Good morning Cynthia. I just took out 4, cheesecakes out to place on racks to cool. I started 1: 30, this morning. (2) 7,in... (1,each 5, in & 6, in) The 5,in in is mine. The others are gifts.
.
I will deliver the (2) 7,in to my church Thurs morning. I am the volunteer baker...this is going to be a celebration of life for the family of a recently deceased parishioner. I received the request Sunday afternoon.
.
Now about the White cake....Yes Cynthia, whip the whites to FIRM peaks, (Tips bent over approx 1/4, in) Set aside, without cleaning the beaters start the creaming sequence.
.
Cynthia, you mentioned "What else can we change???? Let us wait to see if you accept the outcome.
Then we can change even the creaming mixing technique to the 2~ stage mixing method. OR... if you do not mind the color to be slightly become a OFF WHITE slightly we even use 1, WHOLE EGG instead of 1, egg white.
.
Enjoy the rest of the day dear friend.
.
CASS.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 22, 2014 at 4:52 pm
Cass, you amaze me! Your church should count their blessings having you in their parish. You are really something. I can taste those cheesecakes as we speak. Yum, yum, good!!
.
I'm hoping to make some cakes this week. Maybe both the white and yellow cakes. I can always take them to the vet clinic. I DONT have to eat them. I have taste testers scattered around for that task. If I get them done, I'll let you know.
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 22, 2014 at 7:43 pm
Cindy, I will be interested in seeing your cake results, too.
reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 22, 2014 at 10:14 pm
I have my baking biddy coming over this weekend to help with some other things we need to do, so maybe these cakes can be on our radar, also. I'll let you know!
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 23, 2014 at 7:47 am
OK 🙂

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 23, 2014 at 5:54 pm
I can't believe I'm just catching this. All the blame goes to my iPad. Ipadisms are the bane of my existence. I read, re-read and re-re-read and they still slip through! She is my very dear friend and baking BUDDY. She is, by no means a 'biddy'. I would never insult anyone, much less this wonderful lady, by referring to them as a biddy.
.
However, my iPad.......now, that's a whole 'nother animal......
.
~Cindy

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 25, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Cass, KidPizza, MASKED MARVEL, thank you, thank you, thank you for posting these recipes and casually tossing out the. Challenge to try this technique. My hat's off to you, oh Master of Baking!
.
It has been many years, probably 30, since I've made a 1, 2, 3, 4 Cake. I had forgotten how luscious and rich the batter was. I used the French technique, separating the eggs, whipping the whites to firm peaks and folding them in right before panning the batter. I can't emphasize how impressed I was with the batter. Simply the best! Thick, rich, so unlike most cake batters.
.
I didn't have any clear or powdered vanilla for the white cake, so I made a bad choice. I choose to leave the flavoring out altogether (don't ask me why, it was a total brain fade) instead of adding almond or lemon. Consequently, the cake was flavorless. Beautiful texture, rose beautifully, nice and moist......but no real flavor. That shows how much of a difference a small amount of extract can make. I used a very nice Chocolate Buttercream Frosting on it, which saved it to some degree. I made this as three layers in 8" round pans. I gave half of the cake to a friend with two young children. I told her to give them forks, sit them on the floor with the cake and let them have at it. Her report back?........the kids said it was the best cake EVER!!!! ?
.
The yellow cake: okay, here is where the Master of all things Baking, kills me. See. I had five egg yolks left from making the white cake. So, I weighed the yolks and found I needed two more eggs to get to the correct total weight of eggs. I separated those two eggs, added the two yolks to the five I already had and whipped the two whites to firm peaks. I made the cake as directed, adding the yolks after creaming the butter and sugar. Just before panning, I folded in the whipped egg whites. Again, this batter was heavenly to work with. This one had vanilla in it. I baked this one in a 9x13" pan then cut it in half to make a squarish two layer cake. It was also frosted with the same Chocolate Buttercream. I wanted both cakes to be as equal as possible. I gave half of this cake to the same friend with the same instructions. She and her husband preferred the yellow cake. I don't think the kids really minded. They were just thrilled that Mrs. Cindy said it was okay to let them have forks and eat all they wanted ! Mom didn't object! ?
.
Again, I want to thank you for posting these recipes. Both of them are excellent basic recipes with endless possibilities. Any lack of flavor was my fault entirely. There was no lack of texture or crumb in either cake. Both rose beautifully. If you have never made a standard 1. 2, 3, 4 cake which the yellow cake is, then you owe it to yourself to try it just once. Yes, it is a little time consuming, but, people, if I can make two of these cakes in one day complete with frosting and follow Cass' French technique, then certainly YOU can make just one of them!
.
You don't have to make this cake as bland as I ended up with. There are so many possibilities with either one of these. Flavorings, fillings and frostings can add so much. Fruit is another option. Please, do yourself a favor and try your hand at one of these. Do the sifting and re-sifting, like Cass says. Listen to him when he talks about temperature of the butter and batter. He's serious about processing the sugar in the FP to get super fine sugar. He means it when he says the sugar must melt/dissolve into the butter. And, please, take the time to check the temperature of the batter before panning it. It DOES make a difference.
.
When we ask a member, like KidPizza, who has been on the baking circle from the begging, to help with or post a recipe, the very least we can do is try it and report back. Livingwell did just that! And in doing so, she tossed down the gauntlet to the rest of us to do the same. I, for one, am glad she did. Like I said, I hadn't made one of these cakes in over 30 years. I had forgotten what a pleasure it was, what a sense of accomplishment it gave, to be able to make these cakes, side-by-side, and gift them!
.
Just so you don't think I'm going to trash the rest of those cakes, I will tell you what is going to happen for tomorrow evening: Triffle! The frosted cakes, cut into cubes, layered in a trifle dish with lemon curd, strawberries, blueberries, almonds and whipped cream. The white cake will get it's flavor boost from all those extras. The whole thing will end up being a dessert to be talked about. Nothing goes to waste!
.
My report, submitted with love, thank you, Cass!
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 25, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Cindy, from your detailed description, I can taste your cakes from here! I think you are a more experienced baker than I, though, and that's why your white cake came out better. Did you beat all the egg whites before adding them to the batter, or beat 2 and add the other 3 in their liquid form?
.
I STILL need to make DLady's oatmeal cookies! They're always in the back of my mind and then I get busy with something else and don't make them. And oatmeal cookies are himself's favorite! One of these days....

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 25, 2014 at 6:36 pm
I actually beat all five whites to firm peaks, added 25% to the batter and folded/mixed that amount very well, in all honesty, probably a little too much! Then added the remainder of the beaten egg whites and very gently folded them in to the batter. At that point I panned the batter and put it in the oven immediately.
.
The only other deviation from the recipe occurred with the flour. After careful measuring and weighing, I was short by 1/2 cup of cake flour. Jumping in the car for a quick trip to the store isn't an option for me. So, what I did was substitute 1/2 cup of AP flour minus 1 Tbsp and added 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. I sifted and re-sifted the entire amount of AP and cake flour 5 times before measuring/weighing the flour. This was to aerate and thoroughly incorporate the flour/cornstarch mix. Since this is the way to make cake flour from AP flour, I felt I was using a small enough amount that it wouldn't make much difference. From what I could tell, it didn't make any difference!
.
I sometimes think even though I've been baking for a long time, it doesn't make me a very experienced baker. I have learned a ton of stuff from The Professor. Most of what you hear me say is being parroted from him and Swirth or some of the original members of the Baking Circle, many of whom are truly experienced bakers. Some even do this professionally! Imagine that! Baking, doing what you love, for a living! Nothing could be sweeter!
.
Pretty soon you will find yourself expounding on yellow cake recipes to a newbie on this very forum. You will have come full circle......
,
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 25, 2014 at 8:33 pm
Cindy, thanks for the info about the egg whites. Even though I've been baking for 40 years, I'm still not a confident baker and worry every time I bake something. I can follow directions to a T, but, if I have a problem, I have no idea how to fix it. Like your cake flour shortage. I wouldn't have a clue what or how to sub. I love baking and am in awe of anyone who bakes professionally.

reply by: Mrs Cindy on January 26, 2014 at 9:18 am
Livingwell, I used to be the same way. I could follow ANY recipe, but was afraid to venture too far from the written word. About 12-13 years ago I started taking cooking classes at a speciality store, here in Houston, and stumbled into a Chinese cooking class with an incredible teacher. What she taught went far beyond Chinese food. She was just so calm! If a student did some completely hairbrained thing she fixed it, laughing and joking us through many disasters! I discovered there was no such thing as impossible.
.
From that experience, and this forum, I learned that you seldom, if ever, have to throw something in the trash. You can make something from almost anything. Except, of course, for the croissant dough I threw away because I was mad. But, that's a different story! ? (I SHOULD NOT have thrown it away!!)
.
The important thing to remember is this: it's just ingredients. Unless you accidentally put rat poison in your bowl, it can still be eaten and who knows what wonderful new recipe you will create! Have fun with it. And if you really screw up, THEN you can throw it away and nobody will have to know about it but you and the garbage man!!
.
Stay with us. We will get you over your fear of failure. You have come to the right place!
.
~Cindy

reply by: Livingwell on January 26, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Thank you, Cindy! My biggest problem is, I'm a perfectionist and want everything to look like it does in the cooking magazines. Yeah, I know, they have food stagers, Photoshop, and other tricks they use, but I want things to look as good as they taste. I'm my own worst critic! I feel like I've learned something from everyone here already, and I've only been a member for about a year and a half.

WHITE CAKE RESULTS Thread IV

THANK YOU, KidPizza for another baking success! I made your white cake recipe today and both himself and I thought it came out very well. Since I had made the yellow cake as a two layer cake, himself requested I make this cake in a 13X9 pan. I followed your instructions to the letter, with two differences: I lowered the oven temperature to 325 because, while my Kitchen Aid 13X9 cake pan isn't as dark as my round Chicago Metallic pans, it is darker than most and I didn't want to overbake the cake and risk it coming out overdone and dry; and I used clear imitation vanilla to keep the color of the batter and cake as white as possible, and mixed it with the milk before adding the milk to the mix. Even with the lower oven temp, we both thought the texture was slightly drier than the yellow cake, but looked good and the cake has great flavor. I doubled the Quick Buttercream Frosting from this site, using my tweaks (see my 6-1-12 and 6-2-12 reviews), and was afraid I would have way too much frosting, but I only had a tad left and it didn't make too much for the cake. You can see in the photos himself took and posted for me that I am not very good at smoothing out the top of the cake, so if anyone has any tips on how to do that, I would appreciate them!
.
Here is KidPizza's white cake recipe if anyone would like to try it:
.
[Uploader's Note: It is in Thread III]
.
Thank you again for ALL your help, Cass! "Penelope"
posted by: Livingwell on January 19, 2014 at 4:57 pm in General discussions
.
reply by: omaria on January 19, 2014 at 7:45 pm

That cake looks beautiful ! I think for such a large surface you did a great job with the frosting. Many little "mistakes" are hidden with icing decorations that get piped on. So you did very well.

reply by: berwynbaker on January 19, 2014 at 7:50 pm
I will take a slice of that cake, please! BB

reply by: cwcdesign on January 19, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Looks beautiful! And, I'm impressed that you turned it out of the pan before you frosted it. If it were just for us, I probably would have frosted it in the pan 🙂

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 7:30 am
Thanks, everybody! I would usually just leave it in the pan for us, too, but I wanted to show KidPizza how the whole cake came out. I was going to try and pipe a border on top to cover up some of the uneven parts, but didn't have enough frosting left.

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 8:18 am
LIVINGWELL:
Good morning. Penelope, I am very happy this recipe turned out well for you. I would like to address the "SLIGHTLY DRY" words you used. I know Penelope that you do not care to employ honey however, my dear friend this is the ingredient that will provide 'MOISTNESS & it is ANTI~STALING as well. It begins to work overnite. I wish you will consider it. Just remove 4, TBLS of the sugar & add 2, TBLS of honey at the point when you are finished creaming the butter & sugar....THATS IT !!!
.
Penelope I thought I would bring up one of the very good uses for the yellow cake....BOSTON CREAM PIE. I have not made one probably in 7, years But I enjoyed them very much.
.
The white cake I think it lends itself for a strawberry layer cake with whipped cream all over it.
.
I do not know if I mentioned it to you but it is a white cake that I have been experimenting with for a Blueberry muffins/cakes. (Not this recipe. another) You can use it for that as well.
.
I am trying to encourage you to become all you can be in the kitchen. There may be a few failures along the way ,but that is part of acquiring our culinary skills & our knowledge.
.
Let me know what you are considering.
.
Enjoy the rest of the day my friend.
.
~CASS.

reply by: cwcdesign on January 20, 2014 at 9:02 am
OK, KP, now I HAVE to try the yellow cake - #1 son's birthday request is always Boston Cream Pie (it's not until August) so I have time to practice 🙂

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 9:57 am
Oh yummy! I have not made a Boston Cream Pie in *years*, and my last (and first) attempt was a dismal failure. The cake was dry, the cream filling squished out all over the place, and the chocolate topping dribbled down the sides, mixing with the cream filling. How can I say this politely?? It looked
"predigested" before it had even been served!
.
I will try the white cake another time and use a bit of honey. Can you taste it in the cake? I'm not a big honey fan at all and only buy it because himself is. I don't always have superfine sugar on hand, so wonder if the recipe works with regular granulated sugar.
.
Have a good day there, Cass, and THANK YOU again for all your help! "Penelope"

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 12:48 pm
CWCDESIGN:
Good afternoon. I am sure you will do a good job of the cake & the BC pie. I am going to discuss this very subject with Penelope shortly.
.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
.
~CASS.

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 1:07 pm
LIVINGWELL:
Penelope, are you enjoying the holiday weekend???? I thought for a few moments about your BC pie as you described. When I made my first one about 14, years ago, I had the same problem...as I was learning how to bake after cooking everyday since 1959. I mentioned this to my chef instructor. He said something about make the pastry cream thicker so that it would not ooze out of the sides. Of course that isn't the answer.
.
I had tried it again a few more times but to no avail. Since I have begun to study Baking & Baking Science I have learned the why... the cake comes out like you have described. I will make it again soon. I cannot bake to often I do not have the strength to stand up well. I am experimenting right now. I hope I can get a copy out soon so I can bring it over to where I volunteer for the employees & volunteers to enjoy.
.
So my dear friend when you get the notion of trying one more time give me a Warning (lol) & we will discuss it.
.
~CASS.

reply by: cwcdesign on January 20, 2014 at 1:41 pm
livingwell, was it by any chance the ATK "best" recipe for Boston Cream Pie? My first one with that recipe was a disaster for similar reasons. At least it tasted good, but I have been on the hunt for a better recipe since. Have been meaning to try the King Arthur recipe - they talk about the thickness of the pastry cream on the blog, but since #1 son wasn't here for his birthday, it didn't happen this year.

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 2:07 pm
Cass, I would very much be interested in your Boston Cream Pie recipe. Do only as much as your time and health allow. We'll be here whenever you're ready to post.
.
Cwc, the recipe I tried was from the Betty Crocker cookbook I got as a wedding gift years ago, so my sorry cake was a few years after we got married. I don't know if it was the recipe or my inexperience, but I haven't attempted another one since!

reply by: KIDPIZZA on January 20, 2014 at 2:31 pm
PENELOPE,
I was not proposing a recipe for you although if you want one for the pastry cream I can locate one for you in my pro baking books. I was referring to the assembling of the ingredients, ie, pastry cream, & GANACHE or the CHOCOLATE FROSTING if that is your choice of covering. I usually have done a ganache cover. The assembly thereof is the culprit for the disaster if it isn't done correctly.
.
~CASS.

reply by: Livingwell on January 20, 2014 at 2:45 pm
Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. It isn't very different than assembling a layer cake, so I think I'm good there, but thanks for your offer 🙂 "Penelope"

• This topic was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.