As is usually the case when I find myself scrambling for something to make, I turned to the baking sections of my favorite cookbooks. I needed ideas!
It was too late in the day to make bread.
There would surely be several main dishes, rice dishes, stews, and appetizers on offer from our other guests.
Dessert is a no-fail crowd pleaser, so all I had to do was figure something that would feed everybody!
I opted for a basic 4-3-2-1 Cake (4-3-2-1 is the ratio of eggs to flour to sugar to butter), embellished and modified to fit what I had on hand. This recipe makes two 9-inch round cakes, so in addition to this cake, I also made a simple frosting (1 1/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and one teaspoon almond extract, beaten until lights and fluffy) with which to frost the second cake. I sprinkled the top of the cake with toasted, unsweetened coconut shavings.
Both cakes were a hit, and the AmeriCorps kids, who've spent the last few cold and rainy weeks camping and laboring outdoors, were pretty much in heaven. Food. Cake. A warm fire. They made for an easy crowd to please, not to mention great company.
My favorite of the two cakes is the one presented here, but the frosted cake was none too shabby, and would make a lovely birthday or holiday cake. The cake is dee-light-fully delicate, moist, and springy. A really good go-to recipe.
4-3-2-1 Apple Cake with Walnut Pecan Streusel
Inspired by The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
To make the topping:
2 large tart apples, such as Braeburn
1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/3 cup oil (grape seed, safflower, canola, coconut...)
4 Tbs. cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnut pieces
1 cup chopped pecans
Peel and core the apples, then slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Set aside.
Combine the flour, oil, sugar, cinnamon and nuts in a bolw and mix thoroughly with a pastry blender or fork. Set aside.
To make the cake:
3 cups flour, sifted then measured
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (reduce or omit the salt if using salted butter)
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk
All of your ingredients should be at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line the bottom of two round 9-inch cake pans with parchment. Liberally butter the parchment paper and sides of the pan, then dust with flour to lightly coat. Set aside.
Sift roughly 3+ cups of flour into a bowl. Measure out three cups of flour by using a spoon to fill the measuring cup and level with the edge of a knife. Pour each cup into a small bowl. Add the salt (if using) and baking powder to the flour.
Separate the eggs into two bowls. Set aside.
In another large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add slowly add the sugar and continue mixing until it is light in texture and very pale in color. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
Next, add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring to combine after each one. Continue mixing until all the egg yolks are combined and the mixture is fluffy.
Add one-third of the flour mixture and combine, then alternate 1/2 cup of milk, followed by another third of the flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, and the final third of the flour mixture. Mixing just until combined.
Now, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks (this may be easiest with an electric mixer or hand beater).
Add one third of the egg whites to the cake batter and stir to combine. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
Pour equal amounts of batter into each pan. Top the cakes with apple slices to evenly cover the top. Then sprinkle the nut streusel topping evenly over each cake.
Bake on the center rack of the over for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of cake.
Let cool 20 minutes, then run a knife dipped in very hot water around the outside edge of each cake. Let cool nearly completely before serving.
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