Friday, June 1, 2007

Adam's Cakes: Week Three

This week, I decided to simplify things a bit, and focus on taste instead of decoration. Of course, the most beautifully decorated cake is a failure if it tastes like cardboard. Thus, I went for a single-layer cake, and tried to improve my buttercream (see week 1), which was a bit of a problem last time. I have to admit, this time was a rousing success.

The cake itself was called a "southern buttermilk cake." Basically, it is a slightly fluffier yellow cake than last time (although still pretty dense - I haven't quite gotten that down yet), flavored with vanilla and a cup of buttermilk, which in this case, was just a cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice.

The icing is delightful. It is a classic lemon buttercream, which is rich and light, sweet and tart all at the same time. If anybody has ever been to Buttercup Bakeshop at 52nd & 2nd ave in Manhattan, this is very similar to the icing on the lemon cupcake. Since it turned out so well, I'm including the recipe:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
six egg yolks
1 lb unsalted butter (four sticks), softened
2 tb lemon zest
Equipment: Small saucepan, instant read thermometer, greased 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, large mixing bowl, hand/stand mixer, whisk

1) Mix the lemon juice and water together.
2) Beat the yolks in the large mixing bowl until they turn a pale yellow color.
3) In a small saucepan, mix the lemon/water mixture and sugar together until they dissolve. Heat over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until an instant-read thermometer reaches 238 degrees (this is referred to as "soft-ball" stage).
3) Immediately remove the lemon sugar syrup from the heat and transfer it to the greased Pyrex glass.
4) Begin beating the egg yolks again with the mixer (a medium-high to high setting is best), pouring the syrup from the glass into the bowl gradually (careful - it will be very hot). Use a spatula to make sure that all of the syrup gets mixed in with the egg yolks.
5) Continue beating the mixture until it cools completely. I used the instant read thermometer to measure this, I considered it to have cooled when it reached the temperature of my apartment, about 90 degrees.
6) Once the mixture has cooled completely (this is very important - it was my pitfall last time), begin incorporating the butter with the mixture, one stick at a time.
7) Once the butter has been incorporated, using a whisk, incorporate the lemon zest.

This icing is very easy to use, but it must be brought to room temperature before spreading.

Lastly, before we get to the pictures of the final product, it is worth pointing out that I made this cake at approximately 11:30 p.m. At one point, I had to leave my apartment to get eggs and butter at the 24 hour supermarket. The apartment was about ninety degrees. I decided to take a picture of myself before I began icing the cake. I think it accurately reflects my mental state at the time:

Anyways, shortly after regaining sanity, I frosted the cake. Here's the final product:


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