Cover Your Bases 14
9/13/2020 Let us eat cake, because what else can we do?
This week: A reflection on something personal and reflective, like baking cakes so you don’t lose your mind. We’re at the point now, with everything that has happened, where if you’re not feeling depressed, unhappy, terrified, or all of the above you’re in a very different reality than the rest of us. There are so many things I could complain about, but instead, I am going to focus on the pure comfort of making a cake.
During the pandemic, I’ve baked a cake almost weekly, often for the young person we have in-residence part-time, but also for myself, my partner, or to gift to the wonderful people I work with. I’m also making pickles, making jam, and cooking meals, because, well, cooking food relaxes me--but this post is about baking.
Baking is a very calming activity for me. I enjoy it because:
A cake is a structured craft project. You plan it out, execute, and complete the work in an assigned amount of time;
You get results pretty quickly;
Completed cakes are edible, and hopefully, delicious, which gives you and others you share with some pleasure;
Repetition and mastery of particular recipes are fun skills to build;
Not everyone bakes, so sharing treats brings joy.
I’ve baked my whole life, my mom baked, my Hungarian great-grandma baked, my son and his wife bake, my sister bakes--baking is part of what we do in my family.
Cake makes people smile, and we need that, right now, and always.
Some of my principles for choosing cakes to make are recipes that produce cakes that are not too sweet, last 24 hours without much refrigeration, and don’t have to be made with butter. Butter is way too rich for anything but a special occasion cake. I also prefer cakes that can be complemented with fresh fruit or a unique topping, and/or made with items already on hand. And cakes with fruit, nuts, and/or spices are especial faves.
And vanilla, always vanilla.
During the pandemic, I’ve found a set of cakes I keep making over and over. I try new things, like Cardamon Cake, or Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Brownies, Apple Crisp, Peach Cobbler, and a very 1970’s Tassajara Bread Book Carrot Cake (that was a giant dried-out cake fail that was a ton of work), but these are the go-to’s right now:
Banana Bread: The best use for over-ripe bananas is banana bread. For a while, I was into making very rich banana bread, with lots of butter and chocolate chips (so decadent), but my favorite recipe has become something way more simple and healthy that everyone loves--a butter-free bread that uses whole wheat flour. Easy-peasy and very comforting.
Clotilde’s Yogurt Cake: I’ve been making this classic French cake since 2009, but it’s become a go-to with a cake-loving young person in the house. With lots of greek yogurt, and low sugar, it’s a good breakfast cake as well as a dinner treat--and it is lovely with home-made lemon curd, some berries, or creme fraiche. This is one it feels easy to whip up spontaneously after dinner, and have before bed.
Made in the pan vegan chocolate cake: Another super fast and easy cake. I love this cake because I can use my super-process dark Dutch cocoa powder, which has so much flavor, and because there is no butter involved. And it tastes great! This is another one where it feels easy to whip a batch up after dinner, then snack on when it comes out of the oven.
Copycat Starbuck’s Gingerbread loaf: I made the first one of these as a thank you for a neighbor whose kids missed it during the lockdown and just kept baking it. The ginger flavor and the spiciness are so enticing, I’ve made it several times.
Jerrelle Guy’s Peach Poundcake: OMFG! This recipe is a giant win! I’ve grown up eating and making pound cake, but this peach-infused version--which calls for making a giant pureed peach slurry to incorporate in both the batter and the sugar-glaze icing-- is one of the loveliest cakes I have ever prepared. Each time I made it (three times so far), it’s been devoured. It is one of the best cakes ever, no question.
Jerrelle Guy’s Strawberry Spoon Cake: Another great recipe and a superb cake. This pudding-like cake is a yummy platform for sliced berries and a good amount of butter and vanilla. I’ve made it four times and it has been such a hit.
Apple Sharlotka, aka Russian Apple Cake: This is one of those cakes I imagine my Jewish ancestors in Russia making when they had some extra money for eggs and apples on hand. I never had it as a child (we leaned into the Hungarian side of the family for food inspiration), but when I made it the first time, I was like “This is it!” Like the spoon cake, it has a pleasing pudding or pancake-like consistency, but it’s a cake. Good warm, and also good room temperature the next day (if you get that far).
If you want more food talk, let me know; this is one of the threads of what is keeping me sane, along with Pilates, reading, writing, work, and family and friends.
Quick reads: The theme here is food as well, but more in the food equity tip; I just can’t read any more Opinion pieces about what if Trump refuses to leave The White House, etc without losing my mind., So. Here you go:
HuffPo, Respect for the Plate Economy, by Robin Caldwell: This book review of Psyche A. Williams-Forson’s Building Houses Out of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food & Power (UNC Press, 2006), is also a smart essay about Black women and food entrepreneurship, the kind of small, local food sales that are so essential to both seller and buyer.
Mayukh Sen is a terrific writer. This piece from Heated: How This LA Institution of Oaxacan Cooking Is Surviving the Pandemic, about Guelaguetza, which has offered Oaxacan cooking in Koreatown in LA for more than 25 years, is sensitive and insightful.
This Eater profile of my Oakland, CA colleague Keba Konte made me smile so hard. The founder of Red Bay Coffee, Keba is a focused entrepreneur who deserves--and has worked hard--for every success. A good read.
You made it this far, here is one more thing: Tales from the Loop. This enticing and lovely series from Amazon is one of those shows that feels so unique you wonder if other people will like it, but everyone does. Set in an otherworldly small town in Ohio, these hour-long vignettes contain worlds. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Okay, that was #14 and we hit #15 next week. What would you like to see more of right now?
And if you’re a friend and you’re stressed (aren’t we all?), reach out, please!
Best, Susan
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