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Happy Birthday to somebody By Kady Guyton
Sometimes a birthday comes around that is so special, so noteworthy, that merely walking into the grocery store and placing an order with the bakery is not enough. My good friend Emeril Lagasse often refers to "food of love" - that is, anything that takes time and effort to make. For me, birthday cake falls squarely into that category. Making a cake of love does not involve a trip to the cake mix aisle. However, It does include a pass by the egg case. My favorite birthday cake is the classic vanilla chiffon cake - which incorporates 4 eggs and no butter at all. Don't let this cake scare you, it's basically a thin cake batter with meringue folded in for height and lightness. Chiffon cakes lack the richness of butter-based cakes, which makes them perfect for heavier frostings or ice cream. They also don't dry out as fast as other cakes, so it's a good one to make ahead and store in the refrigerator for a day or two. This cake can be baked in a tube pan or a regular cake pan. Also, because there's no butter, chiffon cakes are lower in saturated fats than other cakes. This is not to say it's healthy - it's still cake. There are a couple keys to successful chiffon cake. The first being that all the ingredients should be at room temperature - including the eggs. (This actually applies to most baked goods.) Either get the eggs out of the fridge a couple hours in advance or put them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. If everything is at the same mostly warm temperature, then the ingredients will incorporate smoothly, resulting in a batter that will bake up evenly with a soft crumb. The recipe below calls for cake flour. Use it. Accept no substitutes. Cake flour is both more finely milled than all purpose flour and is lower in protein - which produces less gluten. Gluten is what gives bread its chewiness; a lack of gluten is what makes cake so tender. Actually, in a pinch 3/4 cups all purpose flour with two tablespoons of cornstarch can replace one cup of cake flour. I haven't tested this myself, so proceed with caution or just pick up some cake flour. It's sold in the bakery aisle and one box will last quite awhile. When incorporating the egg whites into the batter, add them in thirds and fold - don't stir. Stirring will deflate the eggs that you just whipped up and will result in flat batter. Folding gently incorporates the eggs without killing them. Once the cake is out of the pan and cooled, frost with your favorite icing or whipped cream and serve with candles and a song. Happy birthday to somebody! Vanilla Chiffon Cake 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in small mixing bowl. Make a well in center; add egg yolks, oil and water and vanilla. Beat at high speed 5 minutes or until satin smooth. Combine egg whites (at room temperature) and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat about 4 minutes at medium speed until stiff peaks form. Peaks should stand straight up when beaters are lifted. Pour egg yolk mixture in a thin stream over entire surface of egg whites, gently folding mixture, into whites. Pour batter into ungreased 10" tube pan, spreading batter evenly with spatula. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until cake springs back when touched lightly. Remove from oven, invert cake in pan, and cool completely before removing from pan. |
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