So, I'm in a book group. I never really thought I'd be in a book group, but I am and I love it. Being in a book group forces me to read more and to socialize with people I like. Good things. This month, it was my turn to host, and our meeting was last night. Our assignment was to read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I had already read the book. Twice. I'm sure I even blogged about it. It's a pretty good book. There is a certain amount of obviousness and fluff, but it's good for people like me who need to be reminded that going on quiet log cabin-y vacations or eating lots of chocolate foods are not the only paths to happiness. Being in a book group definitely makes me happy.
The book in the above photo is not a book group book, but a Christmas gift from Kev, who knows just exactly the kinds of things I like. You should see all the photos in this book. Total eye candy (or eye cake, I guess you could say) for people like me. Very Anthropologie. Since Christmas, I have been wanting to make one of the cakes from the book, and hosting the book group gave me the perfect excuse to do it.
There was great internal debate in the morning. There were about a million other things I should have been doing. Plus, it was laundry day, grocery shopping day, and I had an eye doctor appointment at 2:10. Plus, the back part of the house really needed a good tidy-up, especially since guests were coming over. But then I decided that this was the Happiness Project meeting, and baking a cake was a much happier endeavor than cleaning the back rooms, and that if I was organized and stopped sitting around fretting about the grocery store and just WENT to the grocery store, I could still have plenty of time for the cake and the laundry, and besides, the people in my book group aren't the kind of people who look down their noses at a messy playroom and would probably prefer that I bake them a cake anyway! Decision made!
I got home from Wegmans, put on the Mumford and Sons Pandora station (there is almost never a thumbs down song on that station), and got to work on the custard. Making custard seems scary, but it isn't. It's actually really kind of fun. Then, I figured I had JUST enough time to bake the cake before my eye doctor appointment. And I did. I pulled the cake out of the oven to cool, and ran out the door. I made it with 5 minutes to spare.
When I got back, it was time to remove the cake from the pan to cool a little more, so I did that just in time to get outside and meet Daphne's bus. Once I got her going on homework, I frosted the cake with the custard. So pretty!!!
Then, I put it in the fridge to set up. Daphne and I might have eaten the extra custard.
An hour before book group, I took the cake out of the fridge to come to room temperature. I put it on a cake stand, which made me happy; served it on my grandma's plates, which made me happy; and we used the nice crystal glasses that my parents gave us for our wedding, which also made me happy.
The cake itself was really good. Especially the cake part. Really super moist and a nice flavor from the almond paste. The custard was good too, but Kev and I both thought maybe the cake and custard were better separately than together. They didn't seem to match. Personally, I think this cake would have been better with a nice chocolate ganache, or maybe even just some vanilla whipped cream. But Kev, who doesn't like cake, said the CAKE part was probably the best cake he's ever had. And the book group seemed to enjoy it...their plates were clean.
The cake took all day to make, but I was happy that I decided to do it. Looking forward to the next one. I think I'll make the Goober Cake for my dad's birthday, so stay tuned for that!
Lemon and Almond Streamliner Cake
From Vintage Cakes, by Julie Richardson
Ingredients
Custard:
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (from approximately 3 lemons)
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) sifted cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 3/4 cup (6 ounces) almond paste, ' 'at room temperature
- 10 Tbsp. (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) sugar
- 3 Tbsp. canola oil
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
Directions
To make the lemon custard, combine the lemon zest, milk, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just hot. Meanwhile, in a bowl, thoroughly whisk together the egg yolks, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the salt until well combined, then whisk in the cornstarch, then the lemon juice. Slowly whisk a third of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk and cook over medium-low heat, whisking steadily, until the custard begins to thicken and bubble for 1 minute (you will need to stop whisking for a moment to check if it is bubbling). Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter until it has melted. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly upon the surface of the custard and place in the refrigerator to cool for about 2 hours. The custard is easiest to work with once it has set.
Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F; grease a 9- x 2-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle.
To make the cake, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the almond paste, butter, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla on low speed until blended; gradually increase the speed to high and cream until very light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes, stopping the mixer frequently to scrape the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Blend in the eggs one at a time, adding the next one as soon as the previous one has disappeared into the batter. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Rap the pan firmly on the counter to release any air bubbles. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the cake is a deep golden color and a wooden skewer poked in the middle comes out just barely clean, 42 to 45 minutes. The cake might crack on the surface as it bakes; don't worry, this simply provides a way for the cake to soak up more of the lemon custard. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Gently invert the cake onto the rack, leaving on the parchment paper until you assemble the cake. Flip the cake right side up and continue to cool the cake on the rack until it reaches room temperature.
To finish the cake, remove the parchment paper and place the cake right side up on a flat plate. Using a metal spatula, spread a thin layer of the lemon custard on the sides of the cake to seal the cake and give it a light shine. Put the rest of the lemon custard on top of the cake, spreading it just barely out to the edge. Use your spatula to make a swirly design in the custard on the top of the cake. Allow the assembled cake (or really, the lemon custard) to set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Bring the cake to room temperature before serving (this will take about an hour). Any leftover cake keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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