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We were invited to a birthday party and were asked to bring a cake. I knew just the recipe I wanted and I looked for it on this blog.

Strange. Not there. I know I blogged it.

I went to my directory of recipes I have scanned in from books. No recipe. In fact, no directory for Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. What the hell? And then I checked the publication date: 2006. I can’t believe this important book is that old or that I have never reviewed it or posted any recipes from it.

This week, I will fix all that. First, here’s a recipe. There are actually two recipes in this book, one vanilla-lemon and one chocolate, that we turn to almost monthly. Here’s the vanilla-lemon cake that is dazzling. We’ve made it just as you see in the picture: frosted with buttercream with layers of jam and topped with coconut. Just a fabulous cake.

Our friend was turning 79 and was quite happy. Wait until he turns 80. Then he gets the chocolate cake!

Perfect Party Cake

Yield: serves 8

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 ¼ cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 ¼ whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)

4 large egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the buttercream:

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For finishing:

⅓ cup seedless raspberry preserves, stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable

About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preparation:

GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-x-2-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch-a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. (The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.)

TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM: Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or other large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6 to 10 minutes. During this time, the buttercream may curdle or separate-just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny, smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream left over). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.

 

Source: Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan [Houghton Mifflin, 2006]