Print Page |
Email story |
A Piece of Cake
December 2002: Sixth Slice
Newsletter written by Anne Byrn December 11, 2002
A Word from the Doctor
It's hard to believe that the winter holidays are here! If you're feeling the pinch to bake, buy, and be the life of back-to-back parties, rest assured you are way ahead of our family. It seems I am forever late in getting a newsletter written (this one) and books completed (next one).
But that did not stop me from traveling to Seattle last week and appearing on KOMO-TV's "Northwest Afternoon." This was a wonderful program, aired throughout much of the Pacific Northwest, and what made it more fun and spontaneous was the live studio audience present.
This was a vivacious group, especially since many were high school students. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and their baking questions were good ones, from how to tell when cookies are done to how to keep the cake crumbs out of your frosting when frosting a layer cake. I stressed that the old-fashioned combination of vegetable shortening and flour was the best method for preparing pans before frosting a cake. It bakes up into a soft crust that doesn't pill like a worn sweater, and helps the frosting go on like a breeze. Then I asked the woman who fretted about the crumbs just how she greased her pans before baking. And she replied with conviction, "I use Spam."
As soon as Spam was out of her mouth, the host lost it, I lost it, and the audience laughed themselves to tears. Obviously, we all knew she meant to say "Pam." But she didn't, and because she didn't this was one funny TV moment, a priceless faux pas that unraveled the crew and titillated the audience. And for a moment I came off my high horse against the vegetable oil sprays like Pam.
I'm still chuckling inside about prepping pans with Spam, but I'm not going to recommend it this holiday season. But I am happy if you prep your pans with Pam, Crisco and flour, or just butter. I'm happy if you mist with oil or line with waxed paper, for this holiday season I just hope you bake.
And in this newsletter I am sharing three recipes you'll want to bake, such as the long-requested pumpkin bar recipe, a carrot bar from a reader, and the much-requested Italian Cream Cake recipe that begins with a white cake mix. This last recipe will appear in my new cookbook to be called The Dinner Doctor, out next September. Enjoy these recipes, the busy season, and again, I hope you bake.
Anne
Note From Workman
Some of you were able to catch Anne on her satellite media tour with Kahlua last month and I thought I'd give you a quick behind the scenes on what "satellite media tour" (or SMT) means and what our Anne did to make this happen.
It all starts with time slots for 18 stations—six per hour over three hours—between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm all across the country from Cincinnati to Los Angeles, Orlando to Portland, Oregon. Anne comes to New York where we arrange satellite "feeds" with all the stations. (You actually RENT time on a satellite and then tell the stations where to turn their satellite dishes.) Some stations will do the SMT live, some tape for airing later in the week.
There is one decorated set and two cameras in New York. There are five unfrosted cakes of the recipe currently and 18 mixing bowls. Anne has an ear-piece so she can hear the host on the other end—they can see her but she can only hear them. Every TEN minutes she does it again. For three hours. Eighteen demos. Eighteen frostings. Eighteen times repeating all the steps and explaining the joys of baking.
The best part for Anne is she got to talk to millions of you by only making one plane trip. The best part for us was we got to eat the demo cakes after they were done! And here's my holiday testimonial: If you are a Kahlua fan and want a quick bundt cake instead of the layer cake on the site, try the amazing Black Russian Cake in Chocolate From The Cake Mix Doctor. You don't even need the glaze—a quick dusting of powdered sugar and you have a beautiful, rich winner. Happy Holidays!
— Jim Eber, Publicity Director and Cake Fan, Workman Publishing
Recipe Swap
Easy Italian Cream Cake
On a recent trip to Southern Living magazine, I asked the test kitchen staff if they knew about the origin of the Italian Cream Cake—a cake that has been around for a couple of generations in the South, sounds exotic with the addition of coconut and pecans, and then uses a cream cheese frosting on top. They did not know the cake's roots, but they did know the scratch version was a much-requested recipe, even though it was time-consuming to produce.
Lisa Jones sent me her version of this cake many months ago, and in testing for my new book, this was one cake I wanted to get right. I know there are various renditions of this floating around cyberspace, but this is the one that will appear in The Dinner Doctor when it is released next fall. This cake is easy, moist, and delicious.
Makes 12 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
5 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
3 large egg yolks
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour three 9-inch round layer pans with vegetable shortening and dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.
2. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Set the bowl aside.
3. Place the cake mix, egg yolks, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl, and with the same beaters used to beat the egg whites, blend with the electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Turn the beaten egg whites out on top of the batter, and with the rubber spatula fold the whites into the batter until the mixture is light but well combined. Gently fold in the coconut and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops out. Place the pans in the oven, two on the center rack and another pan above if three layers will not fit on one rack.
4. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 25 minutes. The top layer may bake more quickly, and it might needing rotating to a lower rack during baking. Remove the pans from the oven, place on a rack to cool 10 to 15 minutes, then invert once, and then again, so that the layers rest right-side up on racks to complete cooling. Frost with the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting and serve.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
Blend an 8-ounce (softened) package of cream cheese with 8 tablespoons soft butter, then add 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar and 1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring. Beat until creamy, and frost the middle, top, and sides of the cake.
Pumpkin Spice Bars
Nearly a year ago Vivian of Valrico, FL, searched for a pumpkin bar recipe that called for a spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin. This is as close as we can come to that request. These are simple to prepare, look great cut into bars or squares, and are moist and flavorful from pumpkin.
Makes 2 dozen
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 30 to 35 minutes
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain spice cake mix
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts for topping
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jelly-roll or half sheet pan about 18- by 13- inches and 1-inch deep. Place the cake mix, melted butter, and eggs in a large bowl and blend with a wooden spoon until they just come together. The mixture will be dry. Press this mixture over the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside.
2. Place the soft cream cheese in a mixing bowl and blend on low until softened, 30 seconds. Add the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin, and eggs. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour this over the crust, and top with pecans. Place the pan in the oven. Bake until the filling has set, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 1 hour in the pan, then cut into bars.
Tip: Add a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the cream cheese mixture. Make sure the cream cheese is soft before you begin.
Carrot Bars
Judy Wilson of Sun City West, AZ, saw I was looking for a pumpkin bar and sent in this recipe for carrot bars. They are a snap to prepare and moist and chewy.
Makes 2 dozen
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 23 to 28 minutes
1 package (18 ounces) carrot cake mix with pudding
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raisins
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil and flour. Place the carrot cake mix, oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl. Blend on low until just combined, 1 minute. It will be thick. Fold in the nuts and raisins. Turn the batter into the pan and bake until the bars test done, 23 to 28 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then spread with the Cream Cheese Frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Blend a 3-ounce (softened) package of cream cheese with 4 tablespoons soft butter, then add 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until creamy, and spread a thin layer over cake in the pan.
Hot Tip
Michele Cull of Louisville, KY, spoke to me a couple of years ago at a book signing in Louisville about how she bakes cake in a jar. I was fascinated by her process, and how these little cakes in a jar are perfect for shipping to others and just the right size for small households. She recently e-mailed with the method, which she says works for any cake, bread, or brownie that does not need frosting.
"Use pint-size wide-mouth canning jars. Sterilize the jars in a boiling water bath and allow them to air dry. Grease the inside of the jars. Put 1 cup of batter in the jars and make sure you keep it off the rim. Bake the usual time at the usual temperature. A toothpick works as a test for doneness. Boil the lids to sterilize them while the cakes are baking. When the cakes are done, remove them from the oven, and immediately place a hot lid on each jar, then place on the ring, and tighten it so the ring is snug. The cakes in the jars will seal as they cool."
Doctor the Doctor
Annie Palmer in Washougal, WA, loved the Tunnel of Fudge cake in the chocolate book and came up with some possible variations. Like using strong coffee in vanilla pudding with a chocolate cake batter or rum in vanilla pudding in chocolate batter or adding macadamia nuts instead of the walnuts.
Next Issue: February 2003
Valentine's ideas, winter cakes, and the requested Lemon Streusel Cake.
|
