Family Birthday Cake

Baking with Family

I have learned how to cook and bake from quite a few different people. My mother and grandmother were likely the first ones to teach me. The family where I was a nanny taught me some of their recipes too. As an adult, my mother-in-law has also shared many recipes while we cooked and baked together. I'd like to share this recipe because the other day I couldn't find the recipe card at first. I was in a bit of a panic as I needed to back the cake for a celebration later in the day. With the recipe posted here, anyone can find it when they need it - even me.

Family Birthday Cake

4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg

1 1/2 c butter

2 c sugar

4 c unbleached flour

Heat over to 350 degrees. Sift flour into large bowl. Make a well in the flour. Pour in sugar. Mix yolks and whole egg with the sugar in the center. Cut butter into chunks over sugar mixture. Cover with flour from the sides and mix in with your hands. Kneed until smooth. Divide dough into six portions. Form into 9" cookies (use a rolling pin or hands and to make them uniform, I usually lay a plate on top and trim the edges, but my mother-in-law bakes it before trimming). Prick with a fork before baking so they do not bubble up. Bake each cookie for 7-9 minutes (lightly brown - watch that the edges don't get too crunchy). Let cool on cookie sheet for one minute before removing to cooling rack. When cookies are completely cooled, decorate with whipped cream mixture below.

Whipped cream:

1 pint whipping cream

1 cup chopped almonds or hazelnuts

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c sugar

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla. Reserve 3/4 c of the whipped cream. Fold nuts into remaining whipped cream. Make a layered cake alternating cookies and whipped cream mixture. Use cream without nuts as the topping. Decorate as you wish or not at all. My mother-in-law would trim the edges off the cookies after baking and use those pieces of cookie to decorate. You may also use sliced nuts. 

Cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to eat. Refrigerate leftovers. I suggest you serve smaller than normal potions and let people get seconds if desired. It is very rich and a small  portion is plenty.

If you hadn't noticed, this is basically giant sugar cookies sandwiched together with whipping cream. As you can imagine it is pretty yummy. Let me know if you try to make it. I'm going to go have a slice.

Tea Cakes for Tosh

After reading Tea Cakes for Tosh, I knew I wanted to taste them. Fortunately, the author provides a recipe on her website. 

With all of my ingredients together -- including my audio book -- I was ready to begin.

And then, YUM, they were finished. Give them a try sometime.

Lime Pound Cake from A Tangle of Knots

image from IndieBound

This week I had the pleasure of reading the middle grade novel A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff. It is a book with many layers (didn't truly mean to drop in a cake pun). It is certainly about family and is a mystery, but has a thread of fantasy too. In addition, it has RECIPES! I love it when a book comes complete with a mini-cookbook. Another great excuse to bake. The first one that tempted me was the Miss Mallory's Peach Cake -- see video instructions below.

But then I saw the Lime Pound Cake and that was so different, that I would have to try it as soon as possible. The recipe is in the book, but is also here. I had everything but limes since it has a fairly short list of ingredients. So after I ran out to the store for those, I was in business.

To get ready, I set up the audio book I have been listening to and made a pot of tea. Then I gathered the seven ingredients.

What took the longest was the zest. I really need to get a little gizmo for doing that. I just have a grater, but it is a tricky and slightly messy process. You know what I love though, using my little juicer. The smell of the limes when they are juiced is fantastic.

And, I got to whisk. I love whisking. I feel all official when I get to use a whisk. 

Lotsa butter!

Ready for the oven. Smells yummy!

And finally, my afternoon snack.

This isn't the first time a book has led me to cooking or baking. We moved back to Ohio when I was 11 or 12. Since we finally had snow (after living in southern CA for years), I made the maple syrup candy that Laura told about in Little House in the Big Woods. Later when I taught third grade, we made homemade butter and bread after reading that book too. I have tried several recipes in The Little House cookbook. One I remember was truly wonderful, but oh, so bad. It recommended frying up your chicken in bacon fat. I made that for my husband years ago. Not on the healthy menu. I've also made strawberry jam and honey butter from Winnie-the-Pooh's Teatime Cookbook. Excellent with a nice cup of tea. I made a lemon chess pie when I read Sarah Weeks' book Pie last year too.

Do you have any favorite cooking/baking associated with a book or know of any other book related cookbooks that you would recommend?