I must confess that I love to celebrate—everyday, if possible. I believe when you look for reasons to celebrate ordinary things on ordinary days you increase your happiness.
A few years ago I came across an article about a woman who went through a very distressful divorce and consequently was severely depressed. She just couldn’t seem to get her life back on track. I don’t remember how she came up with the idea, but she decided to bake a cake every day for one year. Only a few weeks into this exercise, her mood had improved greatly. She began to look forward to every new day. To use up her cakes, she invited friends over or gave them away. She became known as the “cake lady”, but, more importantly, she regained her zest for life.
Now, you might imagine that a remedy like that would appeal to me. Fortunately, I am not depressed, but as I mentioned, I really like to celebrate the day and a cake is a great way to do it. In fact, cakes are more or less synonymous with celebrations.
Making cakes from scratch has always been a problem for me. My husband, who rarely cooks anything, maintains that as a boy he turned out consistently beautiful and delicious homemade cakes for his family because he and his brother loved eating them and their mom worked all day. He also insists it was pretty easy. How nice. I fancy myself a cook and usually enjoy success, but cakes have been a problem—one time a cake may turn out beautifully and the next time, same recipe, not so great.
Then I received a copy of The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This really is the bible of cake making. The instructions are absolutely thorough and accurate and she explains, in simple terms, the theory behind each technique. As a matter of fact, as a master’s candidate in Foods, she wrote her dissertation on whether sifting affects the quality of a yellow cake. She received an A+. Every cake that I have baked, following the detailed but not difficult instructions has turned out to be wonderful.
There is no specific recipe in The Cake Bible for a beautiful and delicious American cake classic—Lane Cake—but it calls for three white cake layers. I made this cake to celebrate the first really warm, spring day in Red Wing, Minnesota. My husband and I each had a generous slice and then I gave the cake to a friend with a large family of teenagers. What a great way to celebrate.
Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama won a blue ribbon at a county fair in Columbus, Georgia for a cake she named Lane Cake. The cake became nationally famous when it was featured in Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I found this great version in Cook’s Country April/May 2008.
For the three (9-inch) layers of white cake:
White Velvet Butter Cake (The Cake Bible)
7 large egg whites
1 ½ cups milk
3 ½ tsp. vanilla
4 ½ cups sifted cake flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks plus two tablespoons butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/3 cup of the milk and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 ½ minutes to aerate and develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans (see note) and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about ½ full. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight (if you plan to store or freeze the cakes for later use).
Note: prepare three 9-inch by 1 ½-inch cake pans greased, bottoms lined with parchment or wax paper, and then greased again and floured.
Lane Cake
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 (18-ounce) jar cherry preserves
1 Tbsp bourbon
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp. water
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. vanilla
3 (9-inch) white cake rounds
For the filling: Pulse 1 cup pecans, coconut, 1 cup preserves and the bourbon in food processor until coarsely ground.
For the frosting: Combine egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar in a large heat-resistant bowl set over medium saucepan filled with ½ inch of barely simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). With hand-held mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg white mixture to stiff peaks, about 4 minutes; remove bowl from heat, add vanilla and beat egg white mixture until very thick and stiff and cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes.
To assemble: Spread half of filling on bottom cake layer. Repeat with second cake layer and remaining filling. Top with final cake layer. Spread frosting on sides of cake, leaving top plain. Spread remaining preserves in thin layer over top of cake and decorate with remaining chopped nuts on edges.
Now invite the family or the neighbors in to enjoy a celebration of spring.
A few years ago I came across an article about a woman who went through a very distressful divorce and consequently was severely depressed. She just couldn’t seem to get her life back on track. I don’t remember how she came up with the idea, but she decided to bake a cake every day for one year. Only a few weeks into this exercise, her mood had improved greatly. She began to look forward to every new day. To use up her cakes, she invited friends over or gave them away. She became known as the “cake lady”, but, more importantly, she regained her zest for life.
Now, you might imagine that a remedy like that would appeal to me. Fortunately, I am not depressed, but as I mentioned, I really like to celebrate the day and a cake is a great way to do it. In fact, cakes are more or less synonymous with celebrations.
Making cakes from scratch has always been a problem for me. My husband, who rarely cooks anything, maintains that as a boy he turned out consistently beautiful and delicious homemade cakes for his family because he and his brother loved eating them and their mom worked all day. He also insists it was pretty easy. How nice. I fancy myself a cook and usually enjoy success, but cakes have been a problem—one time a cake may turn out beautifully and the next time, same recipe, not so great.
Then I received a copy of The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This really is the bible of cake making. The instructions are absolutely thorough and accurate and she explains, in simple terms, the theory behind each technique. As a matter of fact, as a master’s candidate in Foods, she wrote her dissertation on whether sifting affects the quality of a yellow cake. She received an A+. Every cake that I have baked, following the detailed but not difficult instructions has turned out to be wonderful.
There is no specific recipe in The Cake Bible for a beautiful and delicious American cake classic—Lane Cake—but it calls for three white cake layers. I made this cake to celebrate the first really warm, spring day in Red Wing, Minnesota. My husband and I each had a generous slice and then I gave the cake to a friend with a large family of teenagers. What a great way to celebrate.
Emma Rylander Lane of Clayton, Alabama won a blue ribbon at a county fair in Columbus, Georgia for a cake she named Lane Cake. The cake became nationally famous when it was featured in Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. I found this great version in Cook’s Country April/May 2008.
For the three (9-inch) layers of white cake:
White Velvet Butter Cake (The Cake Bible)
7 large egg whites
1 ½ cups milk
3 ½ tsp. vanilla
4 ½ cups sifted cake flour
2 ¼ cups sugar
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks plus two tablespoons butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/3 cup of the milk and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining milk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 ½ minutes to aerate and develop the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans (see note) and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pans will be about ½ full. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto greased wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so that the tops are up and cool completely before wrapping airtight (if you plan to store or freeze the cakes for later use).
Note: prepare three 9-inch by 1 ½-inch cake pans greased, bottoms lined with parchment or wax paper, and then greased again and floured.
Lane Cake
1 ½ cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 (18-ounce) jar cherry preserves
1 Tbsp bourbon
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp. water
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. vanilla
3 (9-inch) white cake rounds
For the filling: Pulse 1 cup pecans, coconut, 1 cup preserves and the bourbon in food processor until coarsely ground.
For the frosting: Combine egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar in a large heat-resistant bowl set over medium saucepan filled with ½ inch of barely simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). With hand-held mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg white mixture to stiff peaks, about 4 minutes; remove bowl from heat, add vanilla and beat egg white mixture until very thick and stiff and cooled to room temperature, about 4 minutes.
To assemble: Spread half of filling on bottom cake layer. Repeat with second cake layer and remaining filling. Top with final cake layer. Spread frosting on sides of cake, leaving top plain. Spread remaining preserves in thin layer over top of cake and decorate with remaining chopped nuts on edges.
Now invite the family or the neighbors in to enjoy a celebration of spring.
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