THE birthday cake
Friday we celebrated Theo's 9th birthday. Today I became the mother of a teenager, as we celebrated Walter's turning 13.
John and I were also involved in a friend's wedding yesterday (he as the officiant, I as the wedding coordinator), so it's definitely been a weekend full of CAKE!
While I do have things to share from the weekend, I thought I would post one of our family's very favorite birthday cakes. Walter asks for it every year, and has loved it since he was just a baby. I found this recipe in Real Simple, back when it was a fledgling magazine, maybe 10 years ago.
This cake looks impressive, and is really not that hard to make (as long as you read the directions, just like they taught you to do in school!). It's light and sweet, filled with lots of fresh fruit and whipped cream. What's not to love?!
Strawberry Long-Cake Roll
from Real Simple
3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 c. sugar, granulated
2 t. vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar
1 pint heavy cream
2 pints strawberries, cut in half or sliced
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with wax paper. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl (sorry, you will dirty several bowls with this one!), beat eggs yolks and another 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and thick. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour and beaten yolks in the whites until just blended. Spread in the pan. Bake for 15 minutes (keep and eye on it so the edges don't get too brown), or until it springs back when lightly touched.
While it bakes, place a clean dish towel on your work surface and dust the towel with confectioners' sugar. When the cake comes out of the over, invert the cake onto the towel (if the edges stick, loosen with a knife). Carefully peel off the wax paper. Now, roll the cake and towel up lengthwise and set aside to cool. You can make this up to a day ahead.
Whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until soft peaks form. Unroll the cake and spread with whipped cream (any left over whipped cream can be used for topping). Top with strawberries and re-roll the cake (without the towel!).
Serve with any remaining whipped cream and sliced strawberries.
A couple of things:
1. I've found you can never have too much whipped cream. That's well nigh impossible in my family. I like to make extra.
2. You can easily add blueberries to this cake. Or any kind of berry, for that matter. The better the fruit, the better the cake will turn out over all.
If you want to amaze your friends and impress your neighbors, you should try this cake!
John and I were also involved in a friend's wedding yesterday (he as the officiant, I as the wedding coordinator), so it's definitely been a weekend full of CAKE!
While I do have things to share from the weekend, I thought I would post one of our family's very favorite birthday cakes. Walter asks for it every year, and has loved it since he was just a baby. I found this recipe in Real Simple, back when it was a fledgling magazine, maybe 10 years ago.
This cake looks impressive, and is really not that hard to make (as long as you read the directions, just like they taught you to do in school!). It's light and sweet, filled with lots of fresh fruit and whipped cream. What's not to love?!
 | |
| It's just a wee bit too long for that platter...hope you get the idea. Oh, and the cake in the background is left over from Theo's day. |
from Real Simple
3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
4 eggs, separated
1 1/4 c. sugar, granulated
2 t. vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar
1 pint heavy cream
2 pints strawberries, cut in half or sliced
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with wax paper. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
In another bowl (sorry, you will dirty several bowls with this one!), beat eggs yolks and another 1/2 cup granulated sugar until pale and thick. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour and beaten yolks in the whites until just blended. Spread in the pan. Bake for 15 minutes (keep and eye on it so the edges don't get too brown), or until it springs back when lightly touched.
While it bakes, place a clean dish towel on your work surface and dust the towel with confectioners' sugar. When the cake comes out of the over, invert the cake onto the towel (if the edges stick, loosen with a knife). Carefully peel off the wax paper. Now, roll the cake and towel up lengthwise and set aside to cool. You can make this up to a day ahead.
Whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until soft peaks form. Unroll the cake and spread with whipped cream (any left over whipped cream can be used for topping). Top with strawberries and re-roll the cake (without the towel!).
Serve with any remaining whipped cream and sliced strawberries.
A couple of things:
1. I've found you can never have too much whipped cream. That's well nigh impossible in my family. I like to make extra.
2. You can easily add blueberries to this cake. Or any kind of berry, for that matter. The better the fruit, the better the cake will turn out over all.
If you want to amaze your friends and impress your neighbors, you should try this cake!
Oh Walter got a Red Sox jersey!!!!Yea!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove the cake. I will make it.