1. It’s been almost a month since I posted. I wont
say it again, but you all know why. Luckily I only have one more week of
regular school and then it’s finals week. Unluckily enough, I have two exams
next week (Chemistry and Physics) and a Calculus quiz. Then I have my three hardest
finals back to back at the start of the week, a three-day break, and then my
two easiest finals.
2. I have been reading a lot lately. Reading has
now become my way of relaxation because I don’t have to wait for butter to
soften, or eggs to come to room temperature or wait for something to finish
baking. With baking there is too much down time where I could be doing
something productive but I’m not. In the past month and a half I have read (in
no particular order) Vampire Knight volume 16 (it’s a very addicting manga),
Zodiac (I love true crime… or any kind of crime stuff for that matter), The
Notebook (I have watched the movie over a dozen times so I figured I would see
how the book was. It was pretty good and a very quick read), The Perks of Being
a Wallflower (An amazing book which took me two days to read. The first day I
made it through 60 pages and the next day I sat on the couch for four hours
straight, not moving until I finished), and now I’m reading The Help (it’s
really good so far. I like the way the author formatted three points of view
into the book).
3. It’s been snowing like no other back home. And
even though I love looking at snow, I’m so happy that I’m not in Colorado. Here
it’s been at least 70 degrees every single day for the past few weeks.
4. It’s the 20th, which means I get to
share another marvelous cake from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson. The lemon
custard topping is sooooo tart (but in a very pleasant and refreshing way). Not
to mention the custard is this pretty bright yellow color that reminds me of
spring. So if you’re in one of the states that gets a second winter, make this
and it will feel like spring. You don’t even need the cake because I wanted to
eat the custard out of the bowl with a spoon all by itself. However, the cake
is also so moist and perfect along with the lemon custard. It’s so soft and
melt-in-your-mouthy. It’s not dense, but it’s definitely not airy.
5. I made some changes to this cake: I never use
all the frosting or custard called for in a recipe, so I halved the custard
recipe. I used homemade cake flour instead of regular store-bought cake flour
because I don’t want another container of flour lying around. I reduced the
amount of butter from 10 tbsp. to 8 tbsp. because I did that the last time, and
the cake still turned out beautifully.
Instead of using a round cake pan, I used an 8x8 inch square pan because
that’s how I roll. All these changes are reflected in the recipe below. To see
the real recipe check out here or visit the rest of the memembers’ cakes.
Lemon and Almond Streamliner Cake
Adapted from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson
Makes one 8x8 inch square cake
Ingredients
Custard
¼ cup + 2 tbsp. milk
¼ cup sugar (divided)
2 egg yolks, room temperature
¼ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
Cake
1 cup + 2 tbsp. unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. salt
6 oz. almond paste
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Directions
To make the custard: combine the milk and 2 tbsp. of sugar
in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until just hot. Meanwhile, in a
small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and salt until combined.
Whisk in cornstarch and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in about a third of the hot
milk into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook on
medium-low to medium heat, whisking until the custard thickens and starts to
bubble. (My mixture was kind of foamy, so it was hard to tell when it started
to thicken, but it eventually did.) Strain the mixture through a fine mesh
sieve into a clean bowl and mix in the butter until it has completely melted
into the custard. Place a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the
custard. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 F and line an 8x8 inch square pan with
foil. Grease foil with cooking spray.
To make the cake: sift together the flour and cornstarch a
few times. Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, combine the almond paste, butter, sugar, oil and vanilla and mix on
low speed. Increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the
sides of the bowl as necessary. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, adding the
next as soon as the previous egg has been incorporated. Scrape down the sides
of the bowl. Decrease the speed to low and gently add the flour in three parts,
alternating with the buttermilk in two parts, beginning and ending with the
flour. Stop the mixer and mix batter with a rubber spatula to ensure all the
ingredients are well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the
counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Place on the center rack and
bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean when inserted
in the middle of the cake.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30
minutes. Gently invert the cake onto the wire rack. Take off the tin foil and
flip cake over to cool completely to room temperature.
To finish the cake, cut the cake into squares (I cut mine
into 9 pieces). Dollop a spoonful of the chilled custard onto each piece of
cake. Allow the cake and custard to set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bring
cake to room temperature before serving. (it really is best eaten at room
temperature, so do some laundry or call a friend while you wait for the cake to
warm up)
