Baking requires very precise
measurements, temperature control, and mixing methods; in other words, you have
to pay attention to detail and follow instructions carefully. I have never been
a great baker precisely because I don’t follow instructions. I improvise and
skip steps, substitute ingredients, or otherwise pretend that I know what I'm
doing when in fact I'm completely clueless. Thankfully, the end results usually
taste good, but hardly ever look like their photographed counterparts in the
recipe books. Still, when you live in a
tightly-controlled world where competition is a subtly cultivated art form and
you’re inundated with piles of reading and a general sense that, if you make
one mistake, your entire life will be over, it's important to take the pressure
off of your poor mind and focus on something physical. And that's why I love
baking. I step into the
kitchen, dip my hands into a gorgeous mound of sticky, gooey, stretchy dough,
and just let it all go.
So there I was, at 10:45pm on a school night, baking cake after a day of obsessing over my future. And perhaps
because the future seemed so precipitously uncertain at that moment, I followed the
instructions with more care than I normally would. Gradually, as I carefully
chopped, sprinkled, mixed, and poured, I felt myself relax. And lo and behold, when I took my cake out of the
oven - at precisely 12:00am - it actually looked fairly nice! And it tasted so good! The flavors are nicely
balanced, with a soft sweetness from the plums, a sharper sweet kick from the sugar, and
a heady yet not overpowering aroma of rosemary. The cake itself is moist, thick,
and a bit buttery, and there is a thin creamy layer just underneath the fruit,
while the outside crust is delightfully crunchy.
So here's the lesson I re-learned on Tuesday night: in law school
(and life), as in baking, it's important to work hard, pay attention, follow
instructions, and then just let it all go – because, in the end, it doesn’t
really matter how it all turns out. The important thing is to do what you love
and have fun while you’re at it.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 or 5 ripe sweet plums, halved, pitted, and cut into chunks
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake
pan with butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar and
rosemary evenly over the bottom of the pan and spread the plums in the pan in a
single layer. Set the pan aside. (Note: I didn’t
have brown sugar, so I substituted unbleached cane sugar and only used 1/8 cup
instead of ½, which gave the cake just the right amount of sweetness – I had a
feeling that a full ½ cup would be too sweet for my taste. The cane sugar
worked just fine, but I’m sure the brown sugar would give the cake a much
lovelier glow on top).
2. In one bowl, whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and sugar
together until foamy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and
salt. Then, slowly add the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until they are well
incorporated.
3. Spread the batter evenly over the plums. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown. Let the
cake cool for 5 minutes. (Note:
my oven seems to be hotter than average, so my cake cooked in 45 minutes. Just
keep an eye out.)
As a final note, I was
curious to see if anyone else had blogged about baking this cake, as so many
people love Mark Bittman’s recipes, and here is a fabulous rendition (far, far
better than mine!) from Nicola at Unhip Squirrel. Her blog is an amazing
collection of recipes, especially sweets, and I’m looking forward to learning
more about the art of baking from her.
Yours truly, one bite at a time,
Radina
Yours truly, one bite at a time,
Radina
4 comments:
Well done! Cake was delicious and the festival looks like a blast!
Thanks, Steph!
Hey!!! I just found your post because, embarrassingly enough, I googled myself (we all do it!). I'm so flattered by your comments about my blog! Your version of this cake looks wonderful. I can't wait to check out your other recipes. Keep in touch :)
Hi Nicola, thanks for stopping by to say hi! I really do enjoy your blog, your recipes are delicious and inventive but they seem easy enough for people (like me) who are somewhat new to cooking. Can't wait to try your buttermilk scones with crispy pancetta and bacon!
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