Saturday, March 20, 2010

Yellow Layer Cake


I baked both of those cakes. Only one was edible. Sometimes that is how the game goes. There are no boxed cakes here. Well--If I want I could buy one from the American pazar. Smuggled Betty Crocker Cake mix costs about 25 Lira a box. However, it offends my sense of frugality. So I was looking for a good yellow/birthday cake, and I found it. I used this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen, (this is an awesome blog.)

To achieve the mess on the left only use 2 cups of flour because maybe you were drinking wine while baking—not recommended. To achieve the height on the right, use the right amount of flour. In Turkey they do not sell buttermilk, so instead of adding vinegar to milk (my normal substitute) I used Kefir, and the cake turned out great)


Yellow Layer Cake
4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken (or kefir)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (Smitten Kitchen recommended this and I found it to work like a charm. No weird bubbles. Bake until gold and a tooth pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Turn upside down onto rack cool complete.
Makes two 9 inch layers

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Sweet, savory, simple: Lunch!

Next time you visit Wellesley, stop by Harvard Square and recharge at cozy Crema Café. It'll change your perception of sliced bread! I was so taken by their sweet potato and goat cheese sandwich that I created my own version. It satisfies my craving for a simple, filling yet refreshing lunch. Plus, the tart apple, onion, and goat cheese complement the maple syrup and sweet potato very nicely.

Ingredients:
Bread (toasted -- grainier types work well)
1 sweet potato or yam, peeled
A few slices of Granny Smith apple
Goat cheese
Maple syrup
Butter
Onion (Red onion is best)

1. Preheat your oven to about 315 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking dish with aluminum foil.

2. Slice the sweet potato into circles about 1/8-1/4" thick. Butter both sides of the slices and arrange in the dish. Bake for about 15 mins, then turn over and bake for another 15 adding more butter if they seem dry. They should be pumpkin colored and feel soft when poked through with a fork. The baking time will depend on the thickness of your slices, so bake longer if you need.

When done, remove dish and drizzle a bit of maple syrup on the slices. Let them cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the apple and onion. The amount used is to your taste. I prefer my sandwich with one layer of apples with a few small circles of onion sprinkled on top.

4. Spread goat cheese on the bread. Arrange sweet potato slices, apples, and onion on top. Drizzle a bit more syrup on, if you like.