A beautiful cake is a study in delicacy and patience; an act of creation based on simple science and few ingredients yielding a perfect outcome. A towering confection made of layers and fillings or just a single layer topped with a favorite frosting, the cake is nature’s most pure and lovable dessert (next to something like an apple or an orange of course).
Spring finally came to Ossining and New York City at large. I’ve been watching with baited breath these past few weeks, hopeful, yet realistic since it is only the latter part of March. Usually a snowstorm comes tromping through our village the first week of April (usually quite close to my birthday), but so far the clouds seem to be shying away and the sun has blazed forth more days as of late than I can count. I like it and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
With the temperatures climbing into the 70’s over the weekend, it was time to take to the garden once more. The first few moments of garden cleanup are something worth relishing. I’m sure some people would think it’s a lot of work to maintain a backyard full of flowers, but to me it’s what keeps me sane. The earthy smell wafts up from the ground as I pull back decayed, damp leaves revealing green shoots sneaking out from underground bulbs. It’s heavenly. Discovering newly sprouted plants you had forgotten about planting and old favorites opening up to say hello once more is the kind of thing gardeners fantasize about for nearly 5 months…at least that’s the case in the northeast.
Step outside without a jacket, feel the warming sun strike your skin and with a stern grip on your clippers remove an old branch with a vigorous whack. It’s deeply satisfying. It’s the same satisfaction (or certainly very similar) I get when a properly prepared and risen cake is pulled from the oven. The smell, though not of leaves, has the freshness and invigorating quality of floral scent moving through branches. The warmth of the oven is like the sun, and a secret chemical process which made the cake rise is not unlike a bulb releasing it’s treasure once the heat outside has warmed the soil just enough.
What makes the cake so perfect? What sets it apart from the slue of desserts we bring to parties and gatherings? I think it must be simplicity mingled with an ability to reach towering, sculptural heights, appearing both sturdy and delicate at the same time. It can be dressed up or down and in the end as long as it tastes good the cake is successful. I don’t make cakes that often these days… mainly for special occasions. They can be time consuming to do properly, and for me it’s something I want to enjoy and not rush through. Last Saturday was one of those days where I made time to create the buttery, tall goodness known as cake. It was a special birthday after all.
Our dear friends Jonathan and Izabella both had their birthdays last week, 40 and 39 respectively. I hope they don’t mind me giving out their ages, but Jonathan turning 40 is a big birthday and one worth remembering and celebrating. As one of their gifts I decided to bake them a cake. With the turn of good weather and impending springtime blossoms I wanted to make something fitting and seasonal as well as something I knew they would like. I turn time and again to lemon as one of my favorite flavors, and of the several lemon related cakes I have made I know they always seem to like the ones with the lemon curd fillings and yummy coating of buttercream the best (second only to chocolate I believe). I typically do a two layer cake, one of Martha’s recipes, as well as her recipe for lemon curd and buttercream, but I wanted to change things up a bit and returned to the Baked: New Frontiers in Baking cookbook which I used to make the whoopee pies last October as well as Lisa’s Sweet and Salty birthday cake from November. I really like the recipes in this book, and they are full of complex flavors using multiple, easy techniques (my favorite).Making the cake tiers was a fairly standard process as far as recipes go. The batter is made using mostly cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour gives you a more delicate crumb and a lightness you don’t get when using AP flour. The zest of a lemon is incorporated into the batter as well for a subtle citrus hint. Finally, 3 whipped egg whites are folded in at the end for additional airiness and volume…I think this is the secret of the recipe.
Lemon curd is good in any form. This particular recipe uses more lemon juice, and get this…less butter than I normally use. Shocking? I know. Surprisingly, I loved it. The curd is tart but sweet at the same time, and would be tasty served on a piece of cardboard let alone as a wonderful filling for cake.
The buttercream in the recipe was also different. Normally I have made buttercream by whipping egg whites and sugar together in a double boiler, then attaching the bowl to the mixer and beating it until cool and fluffy. This is usually followed by the addition of butter. This recipe’s buttercream instead called for milk, flour, sugar and heavy cream being cooked in a saucepan for nearly 20 minutes (similar to making a roux) and then beating this concoction in the mixer with butter and lemon curd…again, less butter was called for than I’m accustomed to. Strangely, it gave the frosting structure without being heavy.
All of the aforementioned parts lead up to a light and fluffy, strong but dainty, divine lemon cake. I can’t find the recipe for this one online, so I suggest you buy the book and get started STAT!!!…Or come over and help us finish this one because four people shouldn’t try to eat a whole 3-layer cake by themselves!!! (But it is fun to try.)
No comments:
Post a Comment