I was suddenly shaken awake late one night last month. I groggily opened my eyes to three masked figures hunched over me in the dark. Before I could make sense of the situation I was pulled out of bed, down three flights of stairs, and out of my apartment building. A lone van awaited in the dead of night, and a door opened as I was dragged inside. The van sped away and a blindfold was pulled over my face. Excitement filled up inside of me as the van screeched to a halt. Two arms pulled me out of the van and into a building, up stairs and into a room. Suddenly in my hands I felt tools, and my mask was lifted. One hand held a whisk, the other a spatula and I faced a mixing bowl full of egg whites.

“Mix, mix mix,” the women who filled the room cheered. I jumped into action, pulling pans of sugar onto the stove, whipping up whites and folding batter.

“Hurrah,” they all cheered as I garnished off my cake and it was over. I had made it, a Daring Baker I would now be.

A few months ago I came across the Daring Bakers and I’ve thought about this scene ever since. Here was a group of bakers who all participate in a monthly recipe challenge, each posting about their luck or struggles with the recipe. With La Vita Cucinare finally up and fully running, I joined last month with eager anticipation of the challenges to come. And with March fast and furiously at an end, my first challenge is finished and a Daring Baker I have become(sadly without the blindfold)

This month’s challenge was Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake, my first Daring Baker challenge and my first Dorie recipe. The cake came out too thin in my half sheet tray, but when the recipe was doubled, became a a nice classic sponge. Butter cream never ceases to amaze me, as the curds of butter and meringue break and then always faithfully come back together, and Dorie’s was a good recipe that I would use again. I tried a variation on the recipe below, orange zest and juice in the cake and a marmalade between the layers, which made for a nice citrus cake, great for a friend’s birthday and as my initiation into Daring Bakers.

PERFECT PARTY CAKE
From Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours (pages 250-252)

For the Cake
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in more lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves.
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Oak Glen: Apples Bring a little East to the West

Traveling east into the San Bernadino Mountains, the palm trees and roaring waves of the Los Angeles coast fade out of memory. In their place, tall voluminous mountains appear. The red leaves and crisp air  transport visitors to this Californian New England country side. Oak Glen Road, spotted with apple orchards and village stores, invites families from all over to pick and buy apples, press fresh apple cider, and purchase an array of homespun wares.

After an unfortunate dry season, u-pick apple picking at Oak Glen’s many orchards is scarce this season. Busy with families everywhere, the many orchards swim with visitors. In every direction, people grab at the trees with tall pokers, trying to reach the highest, just out of reach apples. The village stores consolle apple appitites  with heavy barrels and bags of Spartan, Gala, and Rome Beauties. Hay rides bound through the orchards, carrying laughing children, while mothers by apple butter and cider from the orchard store.

At Riley’s Apple Farm(12261 S. Oak Glen Road), families pick through large wooden crates stacked with apples, choosing those perfect for cider. Children wash the apples and turn the large wooden crank that pushes the apples through an old fashioned cider press. The cider is strained and poured into jugs and cups, a refreshing drink and souvenir of the day.

When the sun begins to set, visitors travel further down the winding mountainside to Oak Tree Village(38480 Oak Glen Road.) Here shops offer homemade fudge and treats, traditional Native American and Southwestern leather and turquoise ware, and apple collectibles. Children snack on apple doughnuts as they run around the animal park and go on train rides.  At the Parish Pioneer Apple Ranch(38651 Oak Glen Road), hungry families, tired from a trek through the orchards, enjoy smoked barbecue, apple pie and live music at the village eateries. Although the cold winds of winter bring an end to the apple picking season, the picturesque mountains of the area are enough to bring visitors back for a visit, with some Christmas shopping to be done in the country stores. And fall will come again next year, when apple picking at Oak Glen can bring a little East Coast autumn to sunny California once more.

Apples are abundant as the chilly weather takes over and this Apple Cake is a great way to turn fresh fruit into a warm treat. Served warm, with a scoop of cream cheese ice cream, this moist cake is certain to please.

 Apple Cake

3 apples, pink ladies, or any preferred variety
3 oz butter, room temperature

8 oz brown sugar

2 oz granulated sugar

2 eggs

9 oz All Purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 

1 C sour cream

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and sugar the sides and bottom of a 9″ pie pan(a spring form pan with help for easy removal)

2. Peel two apples. Cut the apples into small dice and place them in a heavy bottomed small saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and place over medium low heat. Cook until apples are soft( you may have to add a little more water if the water boils off, in order to avoid burning the bottom of the apples.) In a food processor, or with a hand held blender, puree apples into a smooth paste.

3. Cream together the butter and sugars in the bowl of a standing mixer until well combined and slightly fluffy, around 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated and scraping down the bowl as needed.

4. Sift the dry ingredients together. Add one third of the dries to the mixing bowl, mix togther, and scrape the bowl to incorporate. Add the apple puree, mix in completely, and add another third of the dry ingredients. Add the sour cream, scrape the bowl down, and add the rest of the dry ingredients, just mixing until the batter is completely combined.

 5. Peel the last apple. Cut the apple into quarters, and using a mandolin, carefully slice the quarters. In the center of the pie pan, fan out the apples in a decorative circle pattern. Carefully pour the batter on top of the apples. Using an offset spatula, spread the cake batter evenly.

6. Bake the cake until the cake does not jiggle when moved and a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center, around 45-50 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack and carefully un-mold the cake. Re-warm to serve.