Perfect White Cake

This has become my favorite white cake recipe – it always comes out moist and delicate with an incredibly fine crumb. One of the perks of this is that you don’t have to beat the egg whites separately, which makes this cake (and cleanup) a whole lot easier than a traditional white cake. The best thing about this cake is that it stays moist for days – I’ve made one too many white cakes that dry out after a day or two – which means that you can bake these cakes a few days in advance and they’ll still have the right texture when it comes time to assemble and serve the cake.

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Perfect White Cake
(makes three 9-inch cakes)

1 ½ cups whole milk
9 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vodka
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour, sifted, plus 3 tablespoons for the pans
2 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
18 tablespoons (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into teaspoon-sized chunks and at room temperature, + 1 tablespoon extra for greasing the pans

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Set two racks in the oven just above and below the middle. Heat the oven to 350 F. Spray the bottoms of three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray or lightly butter them. Line the pans with parchment paper rounds and butter or spray the parchment paper. Dust each pan with 1 tablespoon of flour. Invert the pans over the sink and bang out any excess flour.

Using a whisk, mix the milk, egg whites, vodka, and vanilla extract together in a bowl and set it aside.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl. Using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients together on the lowest speed for 5 seconds. (If using a handheld mixer, stir the dry ingredients with a large spoon.) Add the butter and increase the speed to 2 or mix on low speed of a handheld mixer. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add all but ¾ cup of the milk mixture and mix at medium speed (6 on a stand mixer) for 2 minutes. Add the remainder and mix for another 45 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans; spread the batter out to the walls and smooth out the tops. Bang the pans against the counter a few times to even out the batter.

Put two pans on the upper rack and one on the lower rack. Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the pans to ensure even baking. Bake for another 10-12 minutes; a toothpick should come out clean.

Cool the cakes for 5 minutes on a wire rack, then invert them onto a plate and back onto the rack. Let the cakes cool completely before assembling.

[Once the cakes are cool, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before assembling or frozen for 1-2 weeks – wrap each layer well in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil before refrigerating or freezing. Before assembling, let the cakes come to room temperature.]

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Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

This is my go-to frosting - it's silky, light, fluffy, and not too rich because of the slightly lower ratio of butter to meringue. Many people use 3/4 - 1 stick of butter per 1 egg white; I prefer using a little over 1/2 stick of butter per egg white, which keeps the frosting light but still able to hold its shape when piped.

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Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
(makes about 7 cups of frosting – enough for a 3-layer 9” cake)

7 egg whites
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
4 sticks (1 lb) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Put the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk the mixture until it reaches 140 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry – the mixture will turn thick and white and all the sugar should be dissolved – this should take about 5 minutes.

Transfer the bowl to the mixer and, with the whip attachment, mix on high speed (8) until the whites are fluffy and cool, 10-12 minutes.

Once the mixture is cool, add the butter a few pieces at a time, mixing well before adding more. The mixture will start to look curdled after you have added about 3 ½ sticks of butter. Don’t worry – just add the rest of the butter and keep mixing until it comes together and is smooth.

Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed (2) for 5-7 minutes – this gets rid of air bubbles, thereby making the frosting smoother and more even when you apply it to the cake.

[You can store the frosting in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 weeks. When you are ready to use the frosting, let it come to room temperature, then whip it on medium-high speed until it becomes light and fluffy and then beat with the paddle on low speed to remove air bubbles.]

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Lemon Curd

I’ve never made lemon curd before, and I’ve only eaten it once to date – and that was over 20 years ago. I might be making this up, but I’m pretty sure that my one and only encounter with it was when I was about 7 years old. A family friend who lived in Switzerland (and therefore frequently traveled all over Europe) always brought us Swiss chocolate and some other treat, and that one time, he brought us a jar of lemon curd from his travels to England. I thought it would be really sweet and creamy – perhaps like lemon pudding – and so I shoved a big spoonful of it into my little mouth, only to be shocked by its bracing tartness. I think I immediately spit it out.

Well, now that I’m older and my taste buds are a bit more mature, I can appreciate lemon curd's silky smooth texture and intense lemon flavor. It tastes wonderful on its own (I totally swiped a few spoonfuls of it right after I made it), but it’s also an excellent foil to baked goods, particularly to a silky meringue buttercream. It’s also really easy to make – it takes only about 15 minutes and requires no significant skills in the kitchen. So don’t get the kind that comes in the jar – although I can’t quite remember exactly how it tasted, I’m pretty sure that the fresh stuff tastes way better.

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Lemon Curd
(makes approximately 2 ½ cups)
6 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used 5 small lemons, 4 regular ones would probably yield the same amount)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small chunks and slightly chilled

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Add the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest to a small saucepan and whisk well. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon, about 6-7 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. While stirring continuously, add the butter a few pieces at a time, adding more butter when the previous addition has been fully incorporated.

After all the butter has been added, cover the lemon curd with a large piece of plastic wrap, making sure to press the plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd so as to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to thicken.

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I’m back!

The last few weeks have been really hectic. Between moving back to NY, unpacking everything at home, and starting a new job, I haven’t had all that much time to do much else. But things are mostly settled now, which means I can resume my life as I formerly lived it…sort of.

My new job is far more demanding than my previous one – and I love it! – but it means that I am regularly at work until 6, sometimes later. The commute home takes a little over an hour, so I’m not home until about 7:15 after having left the house at 7:45 in the morning. Luckily for me, dinner is always waiting for me (courtesy of my mom) when I get home, which is both good (because she’s an awesome cook and I am spared of having to make dinner after a long day) and bad (I barely cook anymore!).

I knew that I wouldn’t be doing much (if any) cooking during the week, but I had planned on cooking on the weekends to make up for that. Well, that hasn’t happened yet because I’ve been away from home both weekends I’ve been back, and I already have plans for the next two weekends and two weekends in August (which means that I will yet again be out of the kitchen).

That being said, I’m going to do my best to post at least twice a week for the next two months. I really do miss writing and documenting and sharing my culinary exploits, so I’m going to make a concerted effort to make time for something to which I’ve devoted so much of my time over the past year.

And yes, this counts as one post for this week :)

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