From time to time, I am taken by what I've come to call "The Inner Fat Kid" syndrome. My little fat kid dwelling within me is none other than Puddin, my longtime friend and nemesis all rolled into one buttery, bubbly, raging little six-year-old inner child.
Did I happen to mention she weighs 600 pounds?
That being said, it came as no surprise when two days ago at approximately 10pm, in the midst of talking with my mom, I was seized with an inexplicable, uncontrollable, zombie-slobbering need to bake. And soon.
Puddin's demands were high and cryptic:
Cake. Or death. By lack of baked goodness.
Anyone who has or does suffer from "TIFK" syndrome will agree that this is no request. Topple mountains, draw blood if you have to, but get 'er done.
Unfortunately, Puddin didn't leave much instruction beyond the death part. I was stumped. Carrot cake? Chocolate cake?
Pie was out of the question. I had just made (twice) an apple crumble, both of them successes. I was lacking in the cake department lately, and it had been so long that I was at a loss.
Thankfully, Mom suffers from "TIFK", too, and had interpreted a little more out of the message.
"Something lemony," she said simply. "Yellow cake with something lemony."
So, I rolled up my baking sleeves and prepared for the lemony goodness.
Now, this ensuing cake came out of a frenzied daydream, drawing in scattered pieces of easy recipes as I worked in an uproarious contentment. Puddin watched eagerly from the sidelines, hardly saying a word, jiggling her rolls of fat at me like some metaphorical whip. It was an exhausted work of love as I toiled past midnight, keenly aware of how silly it was to begin baking after getting home from work, cooking my own dinner, and preparing the ingredients. But then again, better to face that frenzied exhaustion than Puddin's rage. However, in retrospect, I should've been more conscientious of the daunting aspect that a floured a-bomb had exploded in my mother's kitchen. And word to the wise: never, under any circumstances, let my mother come home to an explosion in the kitchen. Ever.
But the end result was actually good, and as I sat there, Puddin smiling happily, consuming my slice of well-earned deliciousness, poring over World War Z, the clock chiming midnight, I gave my inner fat kid a high-five. The kitchen was even clean at that point.
Did I happen to mention she weighs 600 pounds?
That being said, it came as no surprise when two days ago at approximately 10pm, in the midst of talking with my mom, I was seized with an inexplicable, uncontrollable, zombie-slobbering need to bake. And soon.
Puddin's demands were high and cryptic:
Cake. Or death. By lack of baked goodness.
Anyone who has or does suffer from "TIFK" syndrome will agree that this is no request. Topple mountains, draw blood if you have to, but get 'er done.
Unfortunately, Puddin didn't leave much instruction beyond the death part. I was stumped. Carrot cake? Chocolate cake?
Pie was out of the question. I had just made (twice) an apple crumble, both of them successes. I was lacking in the cake department lately, and it had been so long that I was at a loss.
Thankfully, Mom suffers from "TIFK", too, and had interpreted a little more out of the message.
"Something lemony," she said simply. "Yellow cake with something lemony."
So, I rolled up my baking sleeves and prepared for the lemony goodness.
Now, this ensuing cake came out of a frenzied daydream, drawing in scattered pieces of easy recipes as I worked in an uproarious contentment. Puddin watched eagerly from the sidelines, hardly saying a word, jiggling her rolls of fat at me like some metaphorical whip. It was an exhausted work of love as I toiled past midnight, keenly aware of how silly it was to begin baking after getting home from work, cooking my own dinner, and preparing the ingredients. But then again, better to face that frenzied exhaustion than Puddin's rage. However, in retrospect, I should've been more conscientious of the daunting aspect that a floured a-bomb had exploded in my mother's kitchen. And word to the wise: never, under any circumstances, let my mother come home to an explosion in the kitchen. Ever.
But the end result was actually good, and as I sat there, Puddin smiling happily, consuming my slice of well-earned deliciousness, poring over World War Z, the clock chiming midnight, I gave my inner fat kid a high-five. The kitchen was even clean at that point.
(Image from http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2009/05/15/a-cake-fit-for-brunch/)...No, I don't own a camera, sadly. Yet.
Here's how to make what I call my Citron beurre cake ("Lemon butter cake"). Begin first with the lemon curd to let it cool in the fridge (you can do it best a day in advance, but I did it all at once and it was fine):
Ingredients for the lemon curd:
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons COLD butter
1. Set lower boiler on medium simmer
2. In top broiler, add eggs and whisk vigorously.
3. Add the sugar and whisk until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until combined (mixing the ingredients at a time with each addition prevents clumping as it cooks)
5. Set over simmering water
6. Whisk vigorously and constantly (I mean it!) for 8-10 mins until mixture is bright yellow, with a consistency of lightly whipped cream; remove from heat
7. Cut cold butter into chunks
8. Add the butter in bits at a time to lemon mix and whisk until melted; continue with the rest.
9. Transfer the curd to a jar or small container, and place in the fridge to cool
Now, on to the yellow cake! I used Betty Crocker's (surprisingly, she's got some good stuff to give) recipe:
Ingredients for the yellow cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup milk
To begin:
Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans and set aside. In a medium to large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until evenly combined with a fork, and set aside.
Cream the butter, and then gradually add the sugar. While many baking recipes say to cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, put the mixer on high and let it beat for 12 minutes. This is my mother's genius at work. By creaming the sugar and butter for that long, you get a perfectly creamy concoction that adds a consistency and fluffiness to every cake, preventing them from collapsing in the center.
I love my mom.
Once the butter-sugar mixture has been thoroughly beaten (it should be a light cream color and rather smooth), add the 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Make sure that the bottom is getting mixed; use a spatula to scrape anything clinging to the bottom. Beat in the vanilla.
On to the flour and milk!
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, and beat until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides if you need to combat lingering flour bits. Now, add 1/2 of the milk and beat till combined. Add the next 1/3 of the flour mixture and repeat. Add the last 1/2 of the milk and repeat. Add the final 1/3 of the flour, beat till combined, and test for awesomeness.
Spread the mixture as evenly as is humanly possible amongst the two pans, and bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes. You'll know you're on your way to a good cake when the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pans, is a nice golden color, and a toothpick comes out clean.
Set the timer for 10 minutes, and let the little beauties cool. After 10 minutes, flip the cakes over onto wire racks, remove the pans, and let them cool completely.
And back to the "lemony" part of Puddin's demand: lemon frosting
Ingredients for the frosting:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 1lb boxes (4 cups) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
To make:
Cream the butter.
Gradually add 1 of the boxes of powdered sugar (or 2 cups), beating well and thoroughly.
Add the vanilla and beat well.
Add the lemon juice and the whipping cream and beat well.
Add the salt and beat well.
Gradually add the remaining sugar.
Thanks to the acidity of the lemon juice, the frosting may or may not need additional milk added. It should be spreadable and not too thick. Add milk to thin it, add more sugar to thicken.
Is it that easy? Yes. Yes, it is, Puddin.
To assemble the cake:
You can assemble the cake in 1 of two ways:
Way #1:
1. Spread the cooled lemon curd on top of one of the cakes, making sure not to get within an inch of the sides (this will prevent it from oozing out)
2. Place the second piece on top, and frost the cake (if cake moves about, put in toothpicks to hold it steady)
2a. Best way to frost the sides is to place a clump of frosting on the top edge and slowly spread down the sides.
Way #2:
1. If the cake is thick enough, divide with a serrated (and ONLY serrated for slicing) knife.
2. Spread lemon curd on bottom piece, cut side up
3. Place the second piece, cut side up, on top
4. Spread the lemon FROSTING
5. Place the third piece on top, cut side up
6. Spread lemon curd
7. Place final piece on top, cut side up
8. Frost the cake
And that's how you give in to the inner fat kid.
Ingredients for the lemon curd:
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
6 tablespoons COLD butter
1. Set lower boiler on medium simmer
2. In top broiler, add eggs and whisk vigorously.
3. Add the sugar and whisk until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until combined (mixing the ingredients at a time with each addition prevents clumping as it cooks)
5. Set over simmering water
6. Whisk vigorously and constantly (I mean it!) for 8-10 mins until mixture is bright yellow, with a consistency of lightly whipped cream; remove from heat
7. Cut cold butter into chunks
8. Add the butter in bits at a time to lemon mix and whisk until melted; continue with the rest.
9. Transfer the curd to a jar or small container, and place in the fridge to cool
Now, on to the yellow cake! I used Betty Crocker's (surprisingly, she's got some good stuff to give) recipe:
Ingredients for the yellow cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup milk
To begin:
Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans and set aside. In a medium to large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir until evenly combined with a fork, and set aside.
Cream the butter, and then gradually add the sugar. While many baking recipes say to cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, put the mixer on high and let it beat for 12 minutes. This is my mother's genius at work. By creaming the sugar and butter for that long, you get a perfectly creamy concoction that adds a consistency and fluffiness to every cake, preventing them from collapsing in the center.
I love my mom.
Once the butter-sugar mixture has been thoroughly beaten (it should be a light cream color and rather smooth), add the 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Make sure that the bottom is getting mixed; use a spatula to scrape anything clinging to the bottom. Beat in the vanilla.
On to the flour and milk!
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, and beat until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides if you need to combat lingering flour bits. Now, add 1/2 of the milk and beat till combined. Add the next 1/3 of the flour mixture and repeat. Add the last 1/2 of the milk and repeat. Add the final 1/3 of the flour, beat till combined, and test for awesomeness.
Spread the mixture as evenly as is humanly possible amongst the two pans, and bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes. You'll know you're on your way to a good cake when the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pans, is a nice golden color, and a toothpick comes out clean.
Set the timer for 10 minutes, and let the little beauties cool. After 10 minutes, flip the cakes over onto wire racks, remove the pans, and let them cool completely.
And back to the "lemony" part of Puddin's demand: lemon frosting
Ingredients for the frosting:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 1lb boxes (4 cups) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
To make:
Cream the butter.
Gradually add 1 of the boxes of powdered sugar (or 2 cups), beating well and thoroughly.
Add the vanilla and beat well.
Add the lemon juice and the whipping cream and beat well.
Add the salt and beat well.
Gradually add the remaining sugar.
Thanks to the acidity of the lemon juice, the frosting may or may not need additional milk added. It should be spreadable and not too thick. Add milk to thin it, add more sugar to thicken.
Is it that easy? Yes. Yes, it is, Puddin.
To assemble the cake:
You can assemble the cake in 1 of two ways:
Way #1:
1. Spread the cooled lemon curd on top of one of the cakes, making sure not to get within an inch of the sides (this will prevent it from oozing out)
2. Place the second piece on top, and frost the cake (if cake moves about, put in toothpicks to hold it steady)
2a. Best way to frost the sides is to place a clump of frosting on the top edge and slowly spread down the sides.
Way #2:
1. If the cake is thick enough, divide with a serrated (and ONLY serrated for slicing) knife.
2. Spread lemon curd on bottom piece, cut side up
3. Place the second piece, cut side up, on top
4. Spread the lemon FROSTING
5. Place the third piece on top, cut side up
6. Spread lemon curd
7. Place final piece on top, cut side up
8. Frost the cake
And that's how you give in to the inner fat kid.
that'll do puddin, that'll do
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