Julia's Kitchen Wisdom (27 page)

The Genoa Almond Cake—
Pain de Gênes

A special almond cake. For a 9-by-1½-inch 6-cup round cake pan. Preheat oven to 350°F, and
prepare the cake pan
. Measure out ⅓ cup all-purpose flour and return to sifter. Prepare ¾ cup
pulverized blanched almonds
, and cream 1 stick unsalted butter in a mixing bowl until soft and fluffy. Meanwhile, beat 3 “large” eggs
“to the ribbon”
with ¾ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon almond extract. Fold 3 spoonfuls of the egg-sugar mixture into the creamed butter. Then fold sprinklings of flour alternating with spoonfuls of pulverized almonds into the mixture and, when almost absorbed, fold in the butter by scoopfuls. Turn into the prepared pan, bang lightly on work surface, and bake in the middle level of the oven about 30 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before unmolding on a rack. When cold, either serve as is, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, or split in two horizontally and fill with something like the
brandy-butter
, and top with
glace royale
.

FOLDING.
Folding egg whites or flour or whipped cream or anything else into anything like a cake batter is an essential part of soufflé and cake making. You have to incorporate the one into the other without deflating the puff of the one or the other. To do so, plunge a large rubber spatula like a knife down into the center of the mixture, and draw it to the side of the bowl and up to the surface in a rapid scoop, bringing some of the bottom up over the top. Rotate the bowl slightly, and continue rapidly and gently for several scoops, until the elements are blended—but do not overdo it and deflate the puff.

VARIATION

• ALMOND CUP CAKES.
  For 10 cup cakes baked in muffin tins of ⅓-cup capacity. For easy unmolding, grease the tins with a paste of 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons clarified melted butter. Divide the cake batter among the tins and bake about 15 minutes at 350°F, or until puffed and lightly browned. Let cool 15 minutes before unmolding. When cool, top with confectioners’
  sugar or white icing
  .
  

Le Brantôme
—a Walnut Layer Cake

Another cake with nuts. For two 9-inch cakes layered together, serving 10 to 14. Preheat oven to 350°F, prepare cake pans, and pulverize 1 cup walnut meats. Sift 1½ cups all-purpose flour with 2 teaspoons double-action
baking powder
and return to sifter. Whip 1½ cups chilled heavy cream into soft mounds and add 2 teaspoons vanilla and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Finally, beat three large eggs and 1½ cups sugar, gradually fold in two-thirds of the flour, scoop the whipped cream on top, and fold it in along with sprinklings of the walnuts and the remaining flour. Turn the batter into the pans, and bake about 25 minutes in the middle level of the oven. Let cool 10 minutes before unmolding on racks. When thoroughly cool, fill and ice as described below.

Filled and Frosted Walnut Layer Cake.
Set one of the walnut cakes on a circular rack over a tray and spread on top a good ¼-inch layer of filling, such as the
brandy-butter
. Turn the second cake upside down over the first and paint the top and sides of the structure with warm
apricot glaze
. While the glaze is still warm, brush chopped walnuts around the walls of the cake and transfer to a serving platter. Spread a thin layer of
glace-royale frosting
over the top of the cake and decorate, if you wish, with walnut halves.

La Reine de Saba
—the Queen of Sheba Chocolate Almond Cake

My favorite chocolate cake. For an 8-by-1½-inch cake, serving 6 to 8. Preheat oven to 350°F, set rack in lower-middle level, and prepare the cake pan. Measure out ½ cup sifted plain
bleached cake flour
and ⅓ cup
blanched pulverized almonds
. Using an electric mixer, cream 1 stick unsalted butter with ½ cup sugar; when fluffy, one at a time beat in 3 egg yolks. Meanwhile, melt 3 ounces semisweet chocolate and 1 ounce bitter chocolate with 2 tablespoons dark rum or
strong coffee
, and stir the warm chocolate into the yolks. Beat 3 egg whites into stiff,
shining peaks
, and stir a quarter of them into the yolks. Rapidly and delicately fold in the rest, alternating with sprinklings of almonds and siftings of flour. Turn at
once into the prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes, until it has puffed to the top of the pan but the center moves slightly when gently shaken.

Let cool 15 minutes before unmolding. This type of chocolate cake is always at its best at room temperature. Serve with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or with the
soft chocolate icing
.

PERFECTLY BEATEN EGG WHITES.

The Electric Mixer.
Whether you are using a mixer on a stand or a hand-held mixer, use a round-bottomed glass, stainless-steel, or unlined copper bowl just wide enough to hold the mixer blade or blades, so that the entire mass is in continuous motion as you beat. This is essential for beating egg whites—as well as for beating whole eggs and sugar. (If you do any serious cooking, you’ll never regret investing in a professionally designed heavy-duty electric mixer. It costs money but it really does the work, and it will last you a lifetime.)

Preparing Beater and Bowl.
To make sure the beating bowl and beater are absolutely grease-free, pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt into the bowl and rub clean with a paper towel, then rub the beater with the towel. Do not rinse, since the trace of vinegar will help stabilize the egg whites. Be sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the whites.

Beating.
If the eggs are chilled, set bottom of bowl in hot water for a minute or so to warm briefly to room temperature. Whip them fast for 2 or 3 seconds, just to break them up, then start slow and gradually increase speed to fast, watching very carefully not to overbeat if you have a powerful mixer. They are done when a bit is lifted up in the wires of the beater and it forms a stiff, shining peak, bending down slightly at the tip.

Beating Whole Eggs and Sugar “to the Ribbon.”
The same general principles apply—the beater/bowl relationship, grease-free equipment, and warming the eggs over hot water if chilled. Beat 4 to 5 minutes or more, until they are thick and pale and a bit dropped from the beater forms a fat, slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface.

Meringue-Nut Layer Cakes—Dacquoise

Easier to make than conventional cakes, these are always immensely popular with guests. For 3 layers, 4 by 16 inches and ⅜ inch thick. Preheat oven to 250°F, and place racks in upper- and lower-third levels. Butter the surfaces of 2 baking sheets, dust with flour, and shake off excess, then mark on them three 4-by-16-inch rectangles. Pulverize 1½ cups toasted almonds or hazelnuts (be sure they are fresh!) with 1½ cups sugar and reserve. Beat ¾ cup (5 to 6) egg whites with a big pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to soft peaks (see box above), and continue beating as you add 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon almond extract and sprinkle in 3 tablespoons sugar. Beat to stiff, shining peaks. (This is now a Swiss
meringue, which you could also turn into individual baked meringues.). By big sprinkles, rapidly fold in the pulverized nuts and sugar. Using a pastry bag, fill the 3 rectangles on the baking sheets. Immediately set in the oven and bake about an hour, switching levels every 20 minutes. They should barely color, and are done when you can push them loose. If not used within a few hours, wrap airtight and store in the freezer.

SERVING SUGGESTION

• CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT DACQUOISE.
  Trim and even the edges of the layers with a serrated knife, and paint tops of each with
  apricot glaze
  . Layer with
  chocolate-ganache
  or
  chocolate-meringue filling
  , bringing it up and around the cake. Brush chopped nuts around the sides of the cake, and strew a decorative layer of shaved or grated chocolate on top. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, to soften the meringue and set the filling, but bring back almost to room temperature before serving.
  

  TO WHIP CREAM.
  For about 2 cups of softly whipped cream
  —crème Chantilly.
  Pour 1 cup of chilled heavy cream into a metal bowl set over a larger bowl of ice and water. To incorporate as much air as possible, either sweep a large balloon whip down and around and up and into the bowl with rapid strokes, or circulate a hand-held electric mixer with vigorous movements. The cream will not begin to thicken for several minutes. It is done when the beater leaves light traces on the surface and the cream holds softly when lifted.
  

  IMBIBING SYRUP—FLAVORING AND MOISTENING FOR LAYER CAKES.
  Makes about 1 cup, enough for 3 cake layers. Stir ⅓ cup hot water into ¼ cup sugar; when dissolved, stir in ½ cup cold water and 3 to 4 tablespoons white rum, orange liqueur, or cognac or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract. Sprinkle over each cake layer before spreading on the filling.
  

  SUGAR BOILING FOR SYRUPS AND CARAMEL.
  Proportions are always ⅓ cup water for every 1 cup of sugar.
  

  Simple Syrup.
  For imbibing cake layers, for instance. Stir over heat until sugar has completely dissolved.
  

  The Thread Stage.
  Used for butter creams and Italian meringue. When the sugar has dissolved completely, cover the pan tightly and boil over high heat—never stirring—until when you rapidly take up a little in a metal spoon the last drops to fall from its tip into a cup of cold water form threads.
  

  Caramel.
  Continue boiling until bubbles are thick, then uncover the pan, swirl it slowly by its handle, and boil until the syrup has darkened into caramel. Pour at once into a separate pan to stop the cooking.
  

  To Clean Pans and Spoons.
  Fill pan with water, add tools, and simmer a few minutes to melt the syrup.
  

FILLINGS AND FROSTINGS

Here is another vast subject; I am only touching on the essentials. The glorious but tricky butter cream, with its egg-yolk base, was the standard frosting and filling of classic pastry, but in modern times the equally delicious but far simpler ganache, consisting only of melted chocolate and heavy cream, has largely taken its place when chocolate is called for. Again, you will find recipes for all of the classics in other cookbooks, including some of mine.

Italian Meringue

To be used as a frosting and filling and as an accompaniment. Enough to frost a 9-inch cake. Beat ⅔ cup (4 to 5) egg whites with ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to
soft peaks
and turn machine to slow. Meanwhile, boil 1½ cups sugar and ½ cup water to the
thread stage
. Beating the eggs at moderate speed, slowly dribble in the hot syrup. Increase speed to moderately fast and continue beating until the meringue is cool and forms stiff, shining peaks.

VARIATIONS

• MERINGUE BUTTER CREAM FILLING.
  For a 9-inch cake. Cream 1 stick of unsalted butter until light and fluffy, then fold in 1 to 1½ cups of Italian meringue. Season with 1 teaspoon of white rum or orange liqueur, or 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
  

• CHOCOLATE MERINGUE FILLING.
  For a 9-inch cake. Fold 4 ounces of tepid, smoothly melted semisweet chocolate into the preceding meringue butter cream, and flavor with 2 tablespoons dark rum.
  

  LEFTOVERS.
  May be refrigerated for several days, or frozen for several months.
  

• MERINGUE CREAM FILLING.
  To fill a 9-inch cake. Combine 1 cup of Italian meringue with 1 cup of softly
  whipped cream
  , and flavor as suggested for the butter cream.