graduation cake

amy scheim graduated from college today. the rest of her life supposedly begins now, and (like all good things) it begins with cake. this key lime cake is perfect for summer. it's tart and crumbly, buttery and light. (i know, you think "buttery" and "light" are two words that don't belong together...but opposites attract.) you should definitely make this.

key lime cake (adapted from All Cakes Considered)

ingredients:

1 stick of butter, unsalted and at room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup heavy whipping ream
5-6 key limes (for 1/2 cup of lime juice)
1 cup confectioners' sugar (plus more for dusting)

to make:

1. preheat oven to 350°. prep an 8" cake pan in advance (parchment paper or flour will do).
2. cream the butter, gradually adding in sugar (beat well!)
3. add the eggs, one at a time, and beat more.
4. slow down the beating. add half the flours, then 1/3 cup of the heavy whipping cream. beat well. then add the rest of the flour, and then the rest of the cream. (this is called alternating wet and dry ingredients!) beat the mixture for about two minutes. it will become thick and almost foamy.
5. grate the rind of one key lime, squeeze out about 1 tablespoon of juice. add to batter and beat for another two minutes.
6. pour the batter into your prepared ban and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
8. cover the pain with aluminum foil (to prevent the top from burning) and bake for another 20 minutes.
9. remove from oven, let cool thoroughly before transferring to plate.
10. whisk the key lime juice with the confectioners' sugar.
11. pour over the top of the cake, slowly. let the cake absorb the liquid!
12. dust the entire thing with leftover confectioners' sugar, and add thinly sliced limes around the rim (not required, but it's pretty).

in watermelon sugar ... cake

*photo credit, slang editorial

I've been out of town with some friends, but absence makes the heart grow fonder -- and I have missed my kitchen dearly.

A great person once told me that inspiration is born from desperation. Actually, that person might have been Bill Watterson, but I still think he's pretty great, right? Anyway, in consideration of the sentiment, I'd like to add that (on occasion) love can also serve as great source of inspiration. Not my own -- that's gross -- but that of my best pals Siri and Alex. These are the facts: Alex, being a member of previously linked band, has been gone. Siri has missed him. Alex loves watermelons. Siri wants to surprise Alex on his return home with something nice, delicious, and brightly colored.

Thus we have: "In Watermelon Sugar ... The Cake." TA-DA! Probably the most colorful piece of food that I've ever contributed to. Getting the right shade of red was a little tricky, so I'm including this excellent reference for making rainbow cakes -- it will help you maintain a good pigment to flavor ratio.



Funnily enough, the general internet consensus seems to be that recipes like this are best made from boxed ingredients. I feel slightly less bad now about posting something that calls for five out of five pre-packaged ingredients and calling it a "recipe."

In Watermelon Sugar Cake

You Will Need:
basic white cake (store-bought or made from scratch)
red and green decorating gel (betty crocker makes an excellent one)
1 jar of raspberry jam
1 bag chocolate chips
(it's that easy)
Dark green frosting (store-bought or make your own)

To Make:

Prepare the cake mix according to instructions, then stir in chocolate chips to preference. It's good to make sure there's enough that they show up in the batter, but not so many that they overwhelm the flavor and natural texture of the cake. Pour the batter into two, greased 9" round cake pans. Bake and set out to cool. Once the cakes are about room temperature, gently remove them from the cake pans. Slice the rounded top off one of the cakes and slather the surface with raspberry jam. Set the the other cake on top of the exposed/jam-covered surface, and place in fridge until raspberry jam sets (about 20 minutes).

Remove double-layered cake from fridge. Cover in one layer of dark green frosting, then return to fridge. This is known as the "crumb layer" -- and it doesn't matter if it looks messy. This exists just to "hold" the crumbs that will flake off the top of the cake while spreading frosting, allowing you to have an even and beautiful outermost layer. Once the crumb layer has set, spread another layer -- making sure to use even, steady strokes.

Slice open and serve. Oooh and aaah! You've just made Watermelon Cake!

Roofies

It was a perfect summer day, so Siri (of Ringo, Have A Banana) and I celebrated it on my roof by making salads and drinking an entire bottle of wine to ourselves. Afterward, we were determined to watch the Royal Tenenbaums for some reason...I can't really quite remember why, though. Either way, the dream remains unrealized and we've now retired to the couch to eat ice cream and watch Seinfield. Ain't nothing wrong with second-bests. It was a lovely evening.