Marble Cake

This is yet another “stolen” recipe from my friend Phoebe. A few weeks ago, I was having a bad day. Phoebe invited me over to her apartment, located in a lovely oasis-like neighborhood in the 20th arrondissement. After climbing up some steep stairs, you encounter a few streets’ worth of cute little houses with plants and trees everywhere. Also, there are always cats running around, which is my favorite part.

Phoebe offered me some cake, still warm from the oven, and it totally hit the spot. For some reason, I have never made or craved marble cake, so I’m surprised I liked it so much. I don’t even remember why I was having a bad day anymore, so you know it’s good!

I got the recipe from her and made it a few weeks later for our end of the year choir party. I used the same substitutions as Phoebe: crème fraîche instead of cream, as well as granulated sugar sprinkled on top to form a bit of a crunchy crust. Try this! You might find a new favorite.

Marble Cake
slightly adapted from Marcy Goldman at Foodandwine.com

Ingredients

butter for greasing pan
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 sticks (6 oz or 170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp melted unsalted butter
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred)
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup crème fraîche
a tbsp or two of granulated sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Liberally butter an 8×4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the baking powder and salt.
3. In a different medium bowl, combine the melted butter and cocoa powder.
4. In a food processor, combine the butter with the 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar. You might have to scrape the bowl down a few times, depending on the size of your food processor.
5. Add the eggs and the vanilla, process until all is combined and smooth.

Doesn’t this vanilla bean tube remind you of Raven’s Revenge?

6. Add the dry ingredients to the food processor and process until just combined.
7. Add the crème fraîche and process until smooth.
8. Remove one cup of the batter from the food processor and add to the cocoa mixture. Stir until smooth and combined.
9. Spoon half of the light batter into the pan. Smooth out with a butter knife or spatula.

10. Plop the chocolate batter in large globs on top of the light batter. Spread carefully with a different butter knife or spatula.

11. Plop the remaining light batter on top of the chocolate batter using the same method.

12. Create 4 or 5 swirls with a knife (doesn’t matter which one since you are now mixing them!). It’s not rocket science, just create some sort of swirling, turning pattern with the knife. Just don’t do too many swirls or you won’t have a pretty inside later. But it REALLY won’t matter because it will taste so great!

13. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over the top of the cake.
13. Bake the cake for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F (160°C) and bake for 25 minutes more. At this point, check for doneness by using a toothpick inserted into cake, and looking at the top of the cake. If moist crumbs come out on toothpick and the crust is nicely golden, remove from oven. If it’s not done enough (the crumbs are liquidy and still resemble the batter from before baking) cover with foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer.
14. Remove from oven. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack and let cool almost all the way, then serve warm if possible.

sweetmaddy’s notes: I accidentally overbaked the cake and left it in the pan for too long, so mine was a bit dry. To remedy it, I made a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar that I heated in a saucepan until dissolved, along with a piece of vanilla bean that I discarded later. Then I brushed the bottom of the cake with the syrup and let it sit upside down in the pan for a few minutes. Moral of the story: FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Be sure to do the toothpick test and remove the cake from the pan after 10 minutes.

Traveling with a cake

I am a cake-pusher. It started in high school, when my bff Ottilia began making a cake for our friends’ birthdays. She would bring it to school, leave it in her trumpet locker in the band room (that’s right, we were both in jazz and marching band and loved it!), and at lunchtime all of our friends would all crowd around eating it together. It was a lovely addition to our normal lunch rotation of Cup O’ Noodles, cheesy chips (Skyline High special: Doritos bag with hot cheese poured in, eaten with a fork), and P.E. cookies (Otis Spunkmeyer cookies that were sold next to the gym changing rooms).

I butted in and copied her, and after awhile we were both bringing cakes for our friends. I soon began approaching people when I knew their birthday was coming up, and demanding what flavor of cake they wanted. I loved having an excuse to make a cake!

I still jump on any chance to make an extravagant dessert, and this weekend I got an opportunity! My friends Kelly and Bruno got pacsed (pacte civile de solidarité), the French equivalent of a civil union. It was also their 2 year anniversary! They had a party at Bruno’s parents house in Mons-en-Montois, a town about 100 km (62 mi) southeast of Paris.

I made this cake from smitten kitchen. The only substitution I made was using crème fraîche instead of buttermilk, so click over for the recipe. It worked just great! The cinnamon and coffee flavors were really lovely, and it was very chocolately. My only problem with the recipe is that it takes a LONG time to incorporate all the ingredients. I had to scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater several times. So, don’t panic, just keep scraping and mixing slowly, and eventually it will come together and you will be able to whip it and continue.

Baked and cooling

I also made this buttercream frosting from smitten kitchen. I used only 3 cups of powdered sugar and about 8 oz of butter because the food processor I was using was too small. It was still very sweet and buttery, and made the perfect amount to cover the cake.

Deb has great cake tips that I used for traveling. I baked the cake on Thursday, cooled them ALL the way, then wrapped them several times in plastic wrap and froze. On Friday night I moved them to my fridge to begin the defrosting process. On Saturday afternoon, I removed them from my fridge and placed them in my trusty Tesco bag. Thus began the long journey to Mons-en-Montois. The frosting kept just fine in my fridge from Thursday to Saturday.

Under those baguettes are the cakes and the frosting

OF COURSE the one random time I want to go to this tiny far away town, the train (ONLY to that station) was not operating. So, we (Phoebe and I) had to take the RER and then a bus that took forever. Then, we were still earlier than the other party guests, so we waited at the train station for an hour to be picked up. Luckily it was sunny so we worked on our tans.

Bruno’s parents house is magical. It was worth the journey! Check it out:

I immediately unwrapped the cakes (they had survived being dragged all over France and being crushed by 10 baguettes) and began to frost them. The French people at the party were so confused about the frosting, it was hilarious!

Then when I brought out the second layer of cake they were REALLY confused/excited! The second layer started to completely fall apart, so we had to break it into pieces and place them on the cake one by one.

Yeah, this happened

I would have been prescribed high blood pressure medication if I had been hooked up to a blood pressure cuff during this process! Having a group of people watch your cake almost fall apart is SCARY. But with the help of Phoebe and Bob, I was able to get all the pieces on there, then I simply glued everything together with frosting! That’s the beauty of frosted cakes.

Sorry, no picture of the finished product! But I can tell you this: It was a hit – I even got a round of applause at one point!

Cake and Truffles

Rome update on the way..meanwhile I will tantalize you by talking about cream and chocolate.

Last weekend I went to Edgar’s first communion.

Zoom pic of Edgar after his first communion

The church (Notre Dame in Boulogne – not THE Notre Dame) was beautiful and the service was good. I was proud that I understood all the French, although a little less so after I found out the pastor was from Australia so he’s not a native speaker. After the service, the family was generous enough to invite me to their house for lunch. Myrtille made me try tuna sauce (I didn’t hate it but I would never cook it for myself) and we drank Veuve Cliquot to celebrate!

But, the highlight for me was the cake, which was Le Saint-Honoré from La Pâtesserie des rêves, (the best bakery in Paris according to Myrtille). This cake – OMG. What an indulgence! A base of puff pastry is covered in pastry cream (SO thick, SO creamy, SO perfect) with little cream puffs hidden throughout; then you encounter MORE cream but this time it’s the whipped variety (again, perfectly executed); there are cream puffs lining the edges, and covering each cream puff is a thin, shiny, crunchy layer of caramelized sugar, which is a great contrast to the creamy, divine middle. I’ve had many a great cake in my life and hope to have many more, but this one I will remember for a LONG time. The pain of having to babysit Sunday night, the next day, was severely lessened by the fact that there was leftover cake and I got another slice!

Crappy picture of FABULOUS leftover cake

I was invited to a friend’s cousin’s house for dinner last night. I decided I wanted to make some truffles to bring as a host gift so I flipped through one of my birthday presents, Trish’s French Kitchen by Trish Deseine. I didn’t end up bringing the truffles because I had a texture problem – I didn’t chop the chocolate up small enough, so it didn’t melt all the way and they weren’t smooth. Also, I just realized I used 200g less chocolate than the recipe called for. Oops! They taste amazing which is why I am sharing this recipe, but I couldn’t bear to offer them to someone I just met for fear they would judge my cooking skills (wow, I don’t sound vain at all!). So, don’t be like me and read everything through and make sure you have the right amounts of everything and that you follow all my instructions!

Chocolate Truffles (Truffes au Chocolat)
slightly adapted from Trish’s French Kitchen

Notes: I used 2/3 normal chocolate from Monoprix and 1/3 of a 99% Lindt and the taste was great! Use what your budget can handle, except don’t use something like Hershey’s. Trish gives the options of using powdered sugar (icing sugar in Europe), powdered pistachios, and powdered piment d’Espelette as additional coating options. If you have them available, go for it, because they look pretty! If you use all four, you will only need 1 tbsp of each (including the cocoa powder).

Ingredients

-450g or 1lb good chocolate
-250ml or 1 cup heavy cream (crème legère in France)
-4 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Break the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a large, heatproof bowl. Very small means smaller than the squares that they will break into naturally – use a serrated knife and really chop it up.

THIS IS NOT SMALL ENOUGH. Don’t be lazy, use a knife!

2. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir together until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Cream + chocolate. Magic is about to happen (except not all the way in my case).

Deceiving glossy surface hiding clumps below

3. Cool until the chocolate is hardened significantly and will be scoopable. You might need to put it in the fridge or freezer to help it reach the right consistency. (Trish says to stay away from the fridge but I had to use it because I didn’t use the right amount of chocolate.)
4. Place the cocoa powder in a bowl. Sift it first, or use a fork to break up any clumps.
5. Use a small spoon or cookie scoop to grab little balls of chocolate. Roll them in between your palms to create a smooth ball. Place the ball in the cocoa powder, then use a fork or your fingers to coat the whole ball with the powder.

Scoop a spoonful, roll between palms to create a ball shape

Coat in powder, tap against side of bowl to remove excess powder

6. Repeat until all the chocolate is gone. Store in a tupperware in the fridge or in a cool place until ready to serve.

Ugly, chunky, but delicious!

Tech Death and A Visit Home

A few weeks ago, my precious portal to all forms of entertainment and my main connection to friends and family laptop would not start. It defiantly flashed a folder symbol with a question mark inside. If you are an Apple user, you know that this is a terrible sign, akin to Harry Potter seeing The Grim everywhere in book 3!

When I took it to the doctor Genius Bar here in Paris (next to the Palais Garnier!), I was told the harddrive, battery, and motherboard were toast. Both luckily and unluckily, I was headed back to the USA the week following this emergency event, so I decided to wait until I could buy a new computer with dollars instead of euros. It was lucky because I only had to wait a week to get back online, and it was unlucky because I had a week of vacation with only 2 hours of au pair work in the afternoon, no teaching, and NOTHING TO DO! Very little money either, so no all-night clubbing which would then allow me to sleep the days away and not need as much internet time.

It’s sad that people of my generation “can’t live” without the internet, so I set out to make us look better by trying (and failing) not to complain, reading lots of books and newspapers, exercising every day, and deep-cleaning my apartment. The week passed and I survived! Plus, when I got home and had my computer checked out again, it turned out only the harddrive was dead, so I only had to buy a new harddrive and not a whole new computer. Phew!

Long story short, that’s why I have not updated here since early February.

I haven’t written about the following topic here yet, but I’ve decided to share now: My dad has throat cancer. He gave me the news right before Christmas. I’ll be honest, it was a tough experience to go through so far from home. I was so scared and all I wanted to do was be with my family. All I could think was, WHY had I decided to stay in Paris over the holidays?

There was nothing to do but wait for him to start treatment, so I took a deep breath and kept living. One piece of advice given to me that I immediately embraced was that you are not a doctor (well, YOU may be, but I am not!), and since you can do nothing in terms of actually treating the cancer, you might as well do the only thing you can that will help: stay positive. I tried not to dwell on the fear of what was to come, and simply let my dad and family know that I would do what I could to help, even if it just meant providing distraction through emails and Skype conversations.

My dad started chemotherapy and radiation in early January. Soon after, it became clear that he and my mom would have to cancel their trip to come visit me. Instead, I went home for a week of my February vacation. I had seen my dad on Skype, so I knew that he would look different than I was used to, but it was still a bit of a shock to see him in person. Weight loss, hair loss, a feeding tube, bruises from the IV, burns from the radiation. Cancer treatment is brutal, but at least it works.

I had plenty of opportunities while I was at home to go out and do some shopping, see friends, eat, run and enjoy the California sunshine. But, I also spent time at home with my dad and took him to his appointments. Not surprisingly, he slept a lot, so I used the time to play on my mom’s iPad (addictive, people!) and bake! Even though he couldn’t eat, I thought maybe the smell of a baking cake might cheer him up. I made a recipe for Fresh Ginger Cake from David Lebovitz’s book, purely based on the fact that in the notes he mentions that it is one of his most-praised recipes. [And indeed, it was a winner! I am not posting the recipe here because I did not modify it at all, so you will have to look in the book if you want to make it.] When I finished and the cake was cooling on the counter, I don’t recall my dad saying anything about it. This was fine; I just wanted him to do what he needed to do to feel at least ok, which I think much of the time meant not talking and sleeping.

My dad had his last radiation treatment the day before I left. My mom and I went with him to his doctor’s appointment. His doctor spent much of the appointment lecturing him that he needs to eat and drink more so he can get nutrients. He looked sheepish, almost like a little boy being scolded, while she was talking. He spoke up to protest, “but I’ve been craving fruit, fresh fruit! I even tried to eat peaches but I just couldn’t.” Suddenly, his face lit up. “And my daughter made a ginger cake, my wife made a cherry pie, and I just wanted to eat them so bad.”

The doctor proceeded to spout a bunch of ridiculous ideas (something about blending up solid food, blegh) to help him get food down, but I was only half-listening. Seeing and hearing my dad speak longingly of baked goods and other food gave me hope that he will one day, soon, again be able to enjoy the pleasures of a healthy human life!

We think the tumor is gone, and in a few weeks his throat should be recovered enough to see for sure. Here’s to hoping!

Lemon Pound Cake with Extra Butter on Top

I have been unable to make a clear decision about whether I should purchase a mini-oven for my tiny studio. In some ways, having only one burner and a microwave to cook with has actually had a positive effect on me. I have come up with some new dishes and adapted to cooking with only one pan. However, not being able to bake makes me sad. Even though there are bakeries on every corner, sometimes I just want to stress-bake some cupcakes or roast some garlic!

Yes, that is a bowl of butter.

I have lasted this long because I can occasionally use the oven at my au pair family’s house, but it requires lots of planning and time, plus hefting my baking bag of flour, sugar, and other ingredients down and back up 7 flights of stairs. Those evil – I mean, ass-tightening, heart-rate-pumping, lovely – stairs also pop into my head every time I imagine walking out of the store carrying my new oven (or just the receipt, while one of my strong male friends carries it for me, let’s be honest) – how will I get it up here?? And do I really want to spend 30 euros on it, plus at least 30 more for baking pans and oven mitts?

Make sure you remember the word for "thick" in the language your dairy products will be labeled in so that you don't end up with reallllly thick cream that you then have to thin out with milk!

Luckily, my friend Phoebe generously invited me to her apartment in the 20ème to use her oven last weekend, so I bought some time on my decision. She only has a loaf pan, so loaf cake it was! We decided on a lemon recipe from the internet based on its simplicity, and we deemed it a success. I can’t promise that you will be able to replicate this cake (I’m not sure we could either!), as we had no measuring cups or spoons and made a few changes as we went. It just goes to show that baking doesn’t always have to be an exact science! An absence of cake flour led to adjusting the amount we used, a lack of lemon zest meant adding more lemon juice, and for good measure, Phoebe poured the extra butter left in the bowl on top of the pan of cake batter once in the pan! I knew there was a reason why I liked her!

Happy zesting

Lemon Loaf Cake
adapted from ouichefnetwork.com

Ingredients

-2 cups (240 grams) cake flour [we did approximately 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour]
-3/4 teaspoon baking powder [eyeballed]
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt [eyeballed]
-1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (1 3/8 sticks/156 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to slightly warm
-1/4 cup (60 grams) heavy cream, at room temperature [eyeballed; we used weird thick cream mixed with milk to thin it out]
-3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons) [we only had approx. 2 tbsp]
-1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon) [we used the juice of 2 lemons]
-3 tablespoons poppy seeds/28 grams [we omitted these]
-4 eggs/200 grams
-1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar [eyeballed]

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 ℉. [Or, heat your microwave oven to 180 degrees Celsius.]
Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. Set aside.
Using a handheld mixer, beat together the eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light and fluffy and lemon colored.

Whip it

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg-sugar mixture just until combined. Fold the egg-flour mixture into the butter-cream mixture just until thoroughly combined.

Fold

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Pour any extra butter from the butter bowl on top.

Can't wait to eat youuu

Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and springs back when you press it in the middle.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before devouring.

Bronzed, buttery, lemony. Yes, please!

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