A Cake From My Heart to Yours

Baking a cake can cure almost any funk besides poorly controlled diabetes or gastroenteritis.  Batter is medicine for this doctor.  The oven in my house must cook out bad humors, leaving happy, sugary ones.  Licking the spoon has no age limit; in fact if I ever have kids, they’ll have to share with me. 

This is an easy Valentine’s Day cake.  Just like my mom used to make them.  Take a square pan and a round one, bake the cakes and cut the circle in half.  Attach each semicircle to the top like a diamond and frost the whole thing.  

This cake is made of champagne, Andre in fact.  Andre, which is really more like bottom of the barrel sparkling wine as many college girls could tell you, makes a very moist cake with a subtle boozy flavor. The cake and frosting are spiked with raspberry liquor.

So cuddle up with your cat, your down comforter, your iPad or whatever you love (I guess you could share with your boyfriend) and enjoy a piece of heart shaped cake.  Your mouth will thank you, although your thighs might disagree.

Champagne Raspberry Heart Cake with Cream Cheese Brown Sugar Frosting

1 8 inch square pan, greased and floured

1 8 inch round cake pan, greased and floured

For the cake

2 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

½ cup buttermilk

3 eggs

¾ cup champagne

2 tbsp raspberry liquor

1 tsp vanilla

For the frosting

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

½ cup sour cream

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp raspberry liquor

2 drops red food coloring

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and oil until well blended.  Whisk in the buttermilk, then add the eggs one at a time.  Whisk in the champagne, liquor and vanilla, then slowly whisk in the dry ingredients, do not overwhisk, lumps are ok.  Divide batter so both cakes are at the same level and bake until golden brown or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add vanilla and liquor.  Slowly add confectioner’s sugar until well combined, then add the food coloring and beat on high speed for another minute for a very light frosting.

To assemble the cake, using either a piece of cardboard covered with foil or a very large baking pan, release both cakes from the pan.  Cut the circle in half, placing one half on consecutive sides of the square.  Use a small amount of frosting to make a crumb layer, then generously frost the entire cake.  Allow to chill and serve.

Cake loosely adopted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan.

Almond Ricotta Cake with Grilled Peaches

Nothing is more lovely than the first signs of summer.  For us in Texas, that started in March, but the true signs of summer, like fresh local tiny peaches at the Whole Foods are sure signals that barbeque season is here to stay.  This is the perfect dessert to finish off a grilled meal with friends, which is just how I enjoyed this cake.  Nothing is more wonderful than an evening outside with chickens pecking in the background eating home-grown greens, pasta made with fresh chicken eggs and pesto with basil from the garden.  

The cake is moist and light, fluffy and golden.  It has a nice bite to it from the almonds.  I prefer the taste and look of whole almonds compared to blanched--a little bit of brown almond peel enhances the color and texture of the cake.  

Peaches on the grill are incredibly wonderful.  My friends thought the idea was somewhat strange but when the peaches gave off their fruity aroma, they were instantly sold.  You have to try this cake!

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1 ¾ cup sugar divided

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

6 eggs separated

1 cup raw whole almonds

2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ cup milk

5 peaches

Fresh vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, pulse almonds until they are finely ground but before they become pasty.  Pulse flour, salt and baking powder until well combined.

With electric mixer on high, whip egg whites.  Slowly add ½ cup sugar while mixer is on.  Whip until soft peaks.  Set aside in medium bowl.

With electric mixer, beat butter, ricotta and 1 ¼ cup sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla, almond extract and egg yolks, mix to combine.  Slowly beat in flour/almond mixture and then add milk until well combined.  Fold in 1/3 egg white mixture with a rubber spatula, and then fold in the rest of the whites.

Grease 11x7 baking pan and add batter.  Bake approximately 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and knife comes out clean when cake is poked.  Allow to cool.

Split peaches in half.  Grill until golden brown and fragrant.

Contraceptive Confections—Happy Birthday Birth Control! I Made You a Cake

Disclaimer: This cake contains no contraceptive properties and does not prevent pregnancy

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s all give a big happy birthday to a very special someone today, THE PILL!  Today marks the birth control pill’s fiftieth birthday.  You’ve probably seen a lot of press coverage of this anniversary in important publications such as The New York Times and Time Magazine.  Well, I’d like to give oral contraceptives my own little commendation.

Birth control pills are certainly not perfect.  They are not 100% effective at preventing pregnancy and they require excellent compliance.  They put women at increased risk of blood clots, especially those who are older or who smoke.  They can cause high blood pressure.  They do not prevent sexually transmitted diseases or HIV. 

However, oral contraceptives are an incredible drug and we should celebrate them.  Not only have they revolutionized a woman’s ability to control her reproductive fate, but they also have peripheral benefits.  They are effective at resolving painful or heavy periods, they can help resolve acne, and they reduce a woman’s risk for ovarian cancer.  A recently released cohort study from the UK following 40,000 women over 40 years found that women who had ever taken the pill had lower mortality than those who had never taken the pill, controlling for age, smoking status, and socioeconomic status. [1]

When birth control pills were introduced on May 9, 1960, there was only one pill, called Enovid. Enovid contained very high levels of progestins which caused multiple undue side effects.  The dose was lowered fairly quickly as a lower amount of hormone was shown to be equally effective at suppressing ovulation.  Now there are over 30 different formulations of pills approved by the FDA, as well as shots, vaginal rings, patches and hormone laced intra-uterine devices which are all derivatives of the original birth control pills. 

It is impossible to dispute that the pill has had a tremendous impact on our society.  Analysis by political economists suggests that the Pill allowed women to pursue higher education and prolonged the average age of marriage [2].  Regardless of each woman’s individual contraceptive choices and intimate practices, I do think that we as women can at least indirectly thank birth control for our ability to realize our personal and professional dreams, whatever they might be, in this crazy, uncontrollable world. 

So, happy birthday The Pill.  I made you a birthday cake.  It was another baking disaster day, but the beauty about making cake with frosting is that frosting covers all scars.  I had to make the cake twice because I broke one half of it, and then when I re-baked it I took it out while it was still gooey so part of the cake is undercooked.  The white chocolate ganache, which I still can’t figure out for the life of me how to whip up right, got kind of grainy and then I put part of it on a hot cake so it melted everywhere.  But, the cake itself which I layered with kiwis and strawberries with a white chocolate filling, is delicious and I can only thank James Peterson’s Baking for his beautiful vanilla butter cake.  I made a simple buttercream frosting to coat the outside and cover the disaster, and I think it turned out beautifully.

Birth Control Cake (they're all sugar pills)

Vanilla Butter Cake from James Peterson’s Baking
2 9” by 1” round cake pans
Butter an flour for the cake pans
2 ½ cups cake flour (all purpose will work fine)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 ½ cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp softened butter, sliced

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter and flour cake pans.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Add 1 cup milk and butter.
In a second bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, ½ cup of the milk, and vanilla.
In bowl with flour, mix with wooden spoon or mixer for about 2 minutes, until well combined.  Add ¼ egg mixture, work until smooth, then work in half of remaining egg mixture.  Add last of egg mixture.  Transfer to cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool in cake pans for 5 minutes and then invert onto cake rack.

For white chocolate Ganache
From James Patterson’s Baking
8 oz white chocolate chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.  Bring cream to simmer and pour it over chocolate.  Let mixture sit for about 10 minutes.  To whip, put the bowl in a bowl of ice water to cool it and beat until fluffy and stiff, like beaten egg whites.

For buttercream frosting
From Betty Crocker Cookbook
2/3 cup butter softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk

With mixer, beat butter and sugar until a paste, add vanilla and milk slowly and whip until desired consistency. 

For cake assembly
1 kiwi thinly sliced
5 strawberries, thinly sliced
2 packs Giant Smarties for pills

Put first layer of cake down, cover with layer of ganache and fruit.  Add other layer of cake, if ganache remains put on top.  Coat with frosting and arrange smarties to look like pills.

Update: A special thanks to Dr. Charles of the blog The Examining Room of Dr. Charles.  He hosted Grand Rounds this week, a carnival of medical blog posts, and the birth control cake post was the editors choice.

1. Hannaford, PC., et al. “Mortality among contraceptive pill users: cohort evidence from Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study.” BMJ: British Medical Journal, v. 340, 2010, p. c927
2. Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz. The Power of the Pill: Oral Contraceptives and Women's Career and Marriage Decisions.  The Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 110, No. 4 (Aug., 2002), pp. 730-770.

Tastes Sweet to Me

Alas, the beautiful strawberry.  There it is, neatly packaged in a plastic carton atop a cardboard display in the market.  The dimpled berries aren’t even refrigerated because they will be quickly swept into every cart, basket and recyclable bag that walks by.  A spring strawberry, red, juicy and luscious is a glowing red omen that summer just may come.

Strawberries are quite nutritious and they have high amounts of antioxidant activity.  A study of 21 women showed that after eating frozen strawberries for three weeks, anti-oxidant levels in blood were significantly elevated and showed some positive biochemical effects including increased lipid peroxidation lag time [1].   Strawberries also have shown to have positive effects on neurons.  Rats fed extracts from strawberries, spinach and blueberries had slowed effects of aging on neurons and even improved some neurologic function such as increased motor abilities [2].

More importantly than being nutritious, however, is that strawberries are delicious.  The tart, juicy, tongue tickling bites make you slurp when you eat them and afterwards quietly pluck the seeds from between the teeth.   The sensory delight that encompasses consumption of the strawberry has actually been studied quite extensively in scientific literature. 

In the fascinating journal, Chemical Senses, scientists explore the chemistry and physiology behind taste and smell.  In an experiment of 20 students, with the goal to detect diluted sugar water versus plain water, scents of both strawberry and ham (while ham smells plenty good, I can’t really imagine ham scented body lotion or lip gloss) were sniffed while the participants tasted dilute sugar water or water.  Participants were also asked to imagine the odor of strawberry or ham while tasting sweetened or unsweetened water.  Interestingly, smelling or even imagining the scent of strawberries increased the detection of sugar water significantly over tasting sugar water alone, and the smell or imagined smell of ham decreased significantly the taste of the sugar.

Our brains tell us that strawberries are sweet.  Not only has it been shown, like in the experiment above, that smelling or even imagining a strawberry makes sugar taste sweeter, but simply seeing the color red can make a strawberry smell stronger [4].   Our sensory experience is so much more complex, richer, and more unknown than we could ever imagine.  The best thing we can do for our senses is fill them up with enticing stimuli, such as in my take on strawberry shortcake. 

This cake contains all of the elements of what I love about strawberries.  My mom always used to serve fresh berries with sour cream and brown sugar.  Instead, I make a pound-Bundt hybrid cake with brown sugar, lemon zest, sour cream and buttermilk to serve in small slices heaped with fresh berries.  If you want to go all out, you could add ice cream, sour cream with sugar or fresh whipped cream.

Sour cream/brown sugar pound/Bundt cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

¾ cup butter unsalted (softened)
1 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of lemon
3 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
5 eggs
¾ cup buttermilk

1 pint strawberries, sliced
¼ cup sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325.  Butter (or Pam) a Bundt pan or 2 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaves.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add sour cream, vanilla and zest and mix for another 2 minutes.  Add each egg individually and stir until just mixed.  Add buttermilk and flour mixture and stir until combine.  Add mixture to pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 1hour 15 minutes. 

Allow to cool, invert pan, slice, top with strawberries, and enjoy!

1. Henning, SM., et al. “Strawberry consumption is associated with increased antioxidant capacity in serum.” Journal of Medicinal Food*, v. 13 issue 1, 2010, p. 116-22.
2. Joseph, JA., et al. “Reversals of age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction, cognitive, and motor behavioral deficits with blueberry, spinach, or strawberry dietary supplementation.” Journal of Neuroscience, v. 19 issue 18, 1999, p. 8114-21.
3.  Djordjevic RJ, et al.  “Effects of Perceived and Imagined Odors on Tasted Detection.” Chemical Senses.  v 29 Issue 3. 2004 p199-208
4.  Dematte MS et al.  “Olfactory Discrimination: When Vision Matters?” Chemical Senses. V34 issue 2, 2009, p 103-109