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Cake Lady helps wounded soldiers heal, one treat at a time Longview News-Journal
The turkey may get all of the attention on Thanksgiving, but if you were to ask everyone at the dinner table about their favorite Thanksgiving food, we’re willing to bet they’d say they really get excited about the sides. I mean is there anything more comforting and delicious than a big serving of masked potatoes loaded with butter and cheese?! While we all have our go-to Thanksgiving side dish recipes, sometimes it’s nice to mix things up and try something new. When we’re looking for new recipe inspo, we turn to the food queen herself, Martha Stewart.
From new spins on old classics like mashed potatoes to dishes you probably haven’t tried before, Martha Stewart has all of the Thanksgiving recipes you’ll need this year. Here are our top picks for her most delicious Thanksgiving side dishes.
Sweet potatoes are usually topped with mounds of marshmallows but this salt and vinegar version will have you saying goodbye to those store-bought marshmallows for good.
Get the recipe from Martha Stewart
If you want potatoes that aren’t mashed this year, Martha’s ultra-creamy golden potatoes gratin is your answer.
Get the recipe from Martha Stewart
Every Thanksgiving table needs some kind of salad to balance out the heaviness of the other dishes. We love this one because it features one of our favorite fall fruits — apples.
Get the recipe from Martha Stewart
As delicious as potatoes and stuffing are, they’re definitely lacking in the color department. These gorgeous roasted rainbow carrots will add some much-needed brightness (and tons of flavor) to your table.
Get the recipe from Martha Stewart
Don’t put your stuffing inside the turkey — seriously, it’s gross. Instead, try this delicious (and totally safe!) new take on stuffing.
Get the recipe from Martha Stewart
We saved the best for last. The real star of any Thanksgiving meal is the mashed potatoes and Martha Stewart’s are the creamiest, most decadent mashed potatoes you’ll ever have. The secret ingredient? Lots of cream cheese.
Get the recipe from Martha Stewart
For more Thanksgiving recipes from Martha Stewart, check out the November issue of Martha Stewart Living.
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Before you go, check out Martha Stewart’s best dinner recipes in the gallery below:
While paging through the first known cookbook written in the United States, Amelia Simmons’s 1796 American Cookery, you’ll find quite a few recipes that seem familiar. There’s the pumpkin pie, the roast turkey, and even the “cookey.” But one recipe stands out, both due to its name and its gargantuan proportions: the Election Cake.
American Cookery’s recipe calls for 14 pounds of sugar, 12 pounds of raisins, and oodles of spices, along with both wine and brandy for flavor. These rich ingredients, expensive and rare when the book was published, speak to how Election Day used to be celebrated. Early Americans, flocking to town from their rural homesteads to cast their ballots, treated the occasion like a party, with the alcohol and food to match. Women, who at the time were denied the vote, provided refreshments to voters in the form of a dense, buttery cake, flexing political power in the only way allowed to them.
There are a few elements that defined Election Cakes. Studded with dried fruits and flavored with booze, they evoked fruitcake, as they were based off of the “great cakes” that were once served in England for special occasions. These cakes were usually naturally leavened with yeast that the baker would have made herself—essentially, a sourdough starter. But the texture was definitely more dense and cakey, due to the addition of eggs, sugar, and lots of butter. The only way to bake such gargantuan cakes was in large communal ovens, the only ones that could accommodate their girth.
That’s all according to Maia Surdam, a historian who brought Election Cake back into the limelight during the presidential election in 2016. Surdam, whose research has focused on agriculture, labor, and women’s history, is the co-owner of OWL Bakery in Asheville, North Carolina. Four years ago, she and bakery founder Susannah Gebhart started baking their version of the old-school civic sweet, based on a recipe developed by bread expert Richard Miscovich.
They had been inspired, Surdam explains, by the cake’s history as a woman’s way of participating in the electoral process. Dense and rich, the cake provided fuel for weary voters, many of whom had traveled long distances to cast their ballot. Both the large numbers of people flooding into town and the special food and drink laid out for the occasion turned Election Day into a thrilling holiday.
Surdam also notes that, in 2016, it seemed poignant to revive the cake at a moment when the United States could have very well had its first female president. After all, explains Surdam, the Election Cake was an artifact from a time when women couldn’t vote at all, much less run for office. Nevertheless, “there were these informal channels and through which they influenced the culture around voting and democracy.”
The unexpected popularity of OWL Bakery’s Election Cake made for an exciting, if tiring year for the business. Interviewed by the BBC and All Things Considered, the bakery owners found themselves shipping cakes across the nation to eaters eager to try them, donating part of the profits to the League of Women Voters, while providing a free recipe for curious bakers to try at home. It was an Election Cake frenzy. “We pulled it off,” says Surdam. “But it was really difficult!” Even so, the bakery has since made Election Cake for every local and national election. Surdam sees it as a sort of mission, “in the spirit of promoting democracy, and trying to encourage people to bring back a sense of revelry and excitement around the voting process.”
But in 2020, Surdam found herself facing some doubts on whether to make Election Cake or not. It’s been a fantastically difficult year in the United States on all fronts, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and a national reckoning on racial justice. She hesitated to celebrate an election that, for many, feels like an extremely serious matter.
While yeast-raised cakes largely disappeared after the advent of artificial leavening, Surdam also notes that election-day rituals may have faded from the American consciousness for an ugly reason. “As more Americans have gained the right to vote, there has also been this decline of sorts of our celebration and our excitement around voting,” she says. “Early on, when the Election Cake was first made, it was during the time when it was mostly propertied white men who could vote.” But things changed, and that change was an affront to many who saw new voters as a threat.
“When we look at the history of women’s suffrage, and we look at the history of Black Americans and other racial minorities trying to get the right to vote, their voting was not met with revelry and excitement,” she says, with women jailed and Black Americans “beaten and killed” for attempting to cast a ballot. “It was a hard fight. And it’s still an ongoing fight,” she says. Such tension doesn’t exactly lend itself to celebration.
Similarly, under the cloud of 2020, it was hard for Surdam to think about making Election Cake. “This is a very stressful election for me, personally, and I think for a lot of people,” she says. However, she recently had a change of heart. “It became clear to me recently, again, that the point of the election is not to honor a specific candidate or to hope for a specific outcome of an election, but to honor the tradition of using food to celebrate democracy,” she says.
“And so,” she concludes, “we will make cake. We made it last weekend. I took it to the tailgate market and had such a great time talking to people about the history. And we raised money for the League of Women Voters and it felt so good. Now, I’m going back to the bakery today to make more.”
Recipe courtesy of OWL Bakery. Adapted by Susannah Gebhart for OWL Bakery from Richard Miscovich’s formula.
Day 1
Prepare Preferment
If using a sourdough starter:
240 milliliters whole milk ~70º F (280 grams)
¼ cup active starter, 100% hydrated (75 grams)
2 ¼ cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour (280 grams)
If using instant yeast:
275 milliliters milk ~70º F (320 grams)
¼ teaspoon instant yeast (1 gram)
2 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour (320 grams)
Combine the milk and sourdough starter or yeast and mix thoroughly until the starter or yeast is well dispersed in the milk mixture. Add the flour and mix vigorously until the starter is consistent and smooth. Scrape the sides of your bowl and cover it with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow your starter to ferment for 8-12 hours at room temperature. When your preferment has bubbles covering the surface, it’s ready to use.
Soak Dried Fruits
If you plan to use dried fruits in your cake, first soak them overnight or for several hours beforehand. Measure out around a cup and a half of dried fruit (think raisins, chopped dried apricots, or cranberries) and cover with liquor (such as brandy or sherry) or a nonalcoholic liquid of choice (try apple cider, juice, or steeped tea) in a small sauce pot. Warm the pan over a low heat for a few minutes, then remove it from the heat and allow the fruit to soak, covered, overnight or at least for several hours.
Before incorporating the fruit into your cake, strain the liquid off. You can use this liquid to make a simple glaze after the cake is baked.
Day 2
Prepare Final Dough, Proof, and Bake
1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams)
¾ cup unrefined sugar (155 grams)
2 eggs (100 grams)
1/3 cup whole-milk yogurt (85 grams)
¼ cup sorghum or honey (60 grams)
Preferment (560 / 635 grams)
2 ¼ cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour (280 grams)
2 tablespoons spice blend of warm spices such as ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, star anise, or mace (12 grams)
¼ teaspoon ground coriander (1 gram)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (1 gram)
2 teaspoons salt (12 grams)
2 tablespoons sherry or another fortified wine, optional (30 grams)
2 cups rehydrated fruit (300 grams)
With a paddle attachment in a stand mixer, cream the butter very well, then add the sugar, mixing until it’s very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time on medium speed. Mix in the sorghum or honey and yogurt.
Exchange the paddle with a dough hook. Add the preferment (starter or sponge) and mix until just incorporated. Combine all of the dry ingredients before adding them to the liquid ingredients and mix until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Gently fold in the sherry (optional) and rehydrated fruit.
Divide evenly into a bundt pan or cake rounds that have been buttered and lightly floured. OWL Bakery uses mini bundt pans, which yield 8–10 cakes. Proof for 2-4 hours, until the cake has risen by about ⅓ of its volume.
Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F (177° C) and continue baking for about 25–30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting and eating. You may enjoy this cake plain or topped with a simple glaze.
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’Tis the season to panic in the kitchen, fa la la la… oy. Even the merriest of Santa’s little helpers (you know who you are) can get stressed while cooking a festive feast. But don’t worry. We have you and your table covered.
We gathered the 76 best Christmas side dish recipes to give your dinner plate a joyful glow-up.
Seasonal dishes that can be whipped up in advance? Yes, please!
Level up your potato salad with this mayo-free alternative. You can also opt for premade pesto, but we highly recommend giving this arugula version a shot. It’s super yummy, and the nuttiness gives it a nice wintry feel.
Even the simplest of salads can jazz up a holiday spread. This zesty option is all about the dressing. Bonus: You only need five ingredients!
Orzo is the tiny pasta that could, and this avocado curry orzo salad definitely can. With a creamy texture and hint of spice, it’s a fresh and filling take on traditional pasta salad.
You can’t go wrong with avocado, the healthy-fat-filled fruit with endless possibilities. The avo chunks in this creamy potato salad give it an extra sumthin’ sumthin’ that’s sure to make mouths water.
Give those ordinary sweet potatoes some Mediterranean flair! The salty taste of feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes balances out the sweet potatoes’ sweetness. All in all, it’s a hunger-satisfying side dish.
This unique spin on a party staple is sure to be a new holiday favorite! These deviled eggs are gorgeously ’gram-worthy. Plus, they’re packed with the nutritious power of beets and avocado.
Butternut squash is the perfect cold-weather food, especially when paired with the texture of orzo and the savory flavors of feta and sage. Squash is also high in vitamin C, making this dish merry, bright, AND healthy!
Pro tip: You can use rice if orzo’s not your thing.
This zucchini side will totes float your holiday boat! The flavorful and filling combo of zucchini, tomato sauce, and cheese is sure to delight while also leaving plenty of room for the main course… and dessert.
Pro tip: You can use ground turkey, ground beef, or your favorite meat substitute instead of chicken.
This wintry take on stuffed potatoes may seem a bit daunting to make, but we promise it’s worth the effort! The variety of spices balances out the notes of brown sugar while accenting the buttery squash taste we all love.
Cinnamon makes any dish feel warm and inviting. But when it’s paired with cloves, nutmeg, sweet potatoes, and carrots, you get a soup that tastes like dessert with every bite! Mmm.
You get the best of both worlds with this two-in-one side: delicious cornbread and satisfying stuffing! These little delights are perfectly proportioned and packed with flavor.
Up the holiday ante by adding the festive tang of cranberry to traditional meatballs! This recipe is super easy to make in your slow cooker.
Take your edamame from bland to fab with this snacky side. With hella flavor from garlic and Parm, it’ll make you the host with the most.
Why mash or bake your potatoes when you can SMASH them instead? This crispy alternative to traditional taters packs a pesto-y punch. Yum!
A cool-weather take on a springtime favorite, these vegetarian rolls will add a bit of spice to the typical holiday fare. While they may seem complicated to make, even the most culinarily challenged can conquer these little autumn rolls.
This satisfying pasta salad is as delicious as it is beautiful. It almost looks too pretty to eat. You won’t want to miss the flavor explosion of figs, fresh herbs, and goat cheese.
You can’t go wrong with a fig and goat cheese pairing. Add a little mint and you’ve got a simple, delicious side salad. It legit tastes like the best crisp winter day (trust us — it’s a thing).
Ahh, bread — the ultimate comfort food. This crostini takes things to the next level with creamy goat cheese, savory sun-dried tomatoes, and a balsamic glaze. It’s a side you’ll want on your table time and time again.
A healthier take on the traditional deviled eggs, this recipe swaps mayo for comforting, nutritious Greek yogurt. Opa!
Give your rice a bit of oomph with this easy side. Just toss three simple ingredients into the Instant Pot and you’ve got rice that will rival Chipotle’s finest.
Another Instant Pot rice recipe, this one packs the rice with flavor and cheesy goodness. Plus, it’s vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free, so it’ll satisfy a variety of eaters.
This tuna-y twist on a classic Mediterranean orzo salad will look lovely on your dinner table… and taste great too! While this pasta salad may seem heavy, it’s actually pretty light. It’ll be a refreshing addition to the heavier holiday fare you may be serving.
Pro tip: You can sub shredded chicken for the tuna or leave out the tuna entirely.
This ceviche is a vegan take on a fishy classic. The flavors are *chef’s kiss* perfection. It’s also lovely to look at.
This protein-packed salad is healthy, light, and full of flavor. Because it can be served hot or cold, you can make it a day or two in advance to save time on the holiday.
This hearty side is perfect for the winter months. It’s also super healthy! Filled with vitamins, minerals, and lean protein, it’s a great choice to balance out the table.
Sweet potatoes get a little sweeter in this unique alternative to twice-baked potatoes. You mix the sweet potato flesh with maple syrup, quinoa, cheese, bacon, and chicken to create a tasty filling.
Veg it up: Ditch the bacon and chicken for a vegetarian side that’s just as yummy.
Make your mashed potatoes a little bit extra with this spicy side. Simply swap out butter for coconut milk and add some red curry paste. It’ll def be a crowd favorite!
These stuffed sweet potatoes are perfect for the holidays and beyond. They’re dripping with seasonal colors and packed with the best of fall flavors, all in one tasty potato skin!
Mac and cheese is a childhood classic. Bring it into adulthood with this upgraded version. Cauliflower and quinoa up the healthy vibes without sacrificing the comforting flavor you know and love.
Stuffed mushrooms are a great finger-food side. This particular recipe is heartier than your average stuffed ’shrooms. Serve these as a side or an appetizer.
Classic meatballs are always a great side option, and this slow cooker version is perfection! You can also swap out the beef for ground turkey or your fave meat substitute. You’ll still get the same delicious flavor.
This savory dinner tart filled with sweet potatoes, garlic, Swiss chard, and feta is just as beautiful as anything you’ll find on the dessert table.
Pro tip: Not a chard bard? Swap it for spinach.
This Southern delight, a base of corn pudding covered with cheese and topped with optional roasted chiles, will have you sighing with happiness with every bite.
Can these sweet potatoes BE any healthier? These crispy potato cubes are seasoned with cinnamon, turmeric, and thyme. This extra boost of essential vitamins and nutrients makes them a great alternative to fries.
Turnip for what? For this recipe, of course! The addition of cumin gives the turnips’ sweetness a little edge in this juicy side. There are several variations to this one. Feel free to get creative and make it your own.
Soup is always best served during the cooler seasons. Using orzo instead of egg noodles makes this soup lighter on carbs for those keeping track.
Switch things up with this upgraded take on Caesar salad. Using iron-packed kale instead of romaine and getting its creamy cues from tahini, this salad is sure to be your new go-to. Plus, the roasted chickpeas add a more interesting flavor and crunch than your average croutons.
These little puff pastries, made with four simple ingredients, are tasty and seriously cute to boot! You’ll have everyone thinking you’ve channeled your inner Julia Child as they praise these bite-size treats.
This fall-inspired take on the traditional risotto, made with a base of brown rice and butternut squash, is a hearty and tasty side to add to your table. If you want to make it vegetarian-friendly, you can leave out the Parmesan cheese.
If you prefer to stick to the classics and need some veg to balance out all those starchy foods and sweets, this list is for you.
You can’t go wrong with a tried-and-true green bean casserole. Combining all the elements of the classic GBC with some special extras (oh hey, water chestnuts and almond slices!), this holiday staple is sure to disappear in no time.
Yes, artichokes and fava beans are spring veggies, but they also make great additions to the Christmas table. Fava beans’ slight nuttiness paired with the tang of sautéed artichokes make this side a perfect complement to the savory flavors of your holiday turkey (or Tofurky!).
Everyone will be saying “ooh la la” over this delicious French sauce. Gribiche will give your basic asparagus that little je ne sais quoi. And don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone how easy it is to make.
Fries are the ultimate side dish. But rather than load up on the greasy deep-fried kind, opt for this healthier take. Dip them in tzatziki sauce or add a little variety with other dipping options like marinara or ranch.
Broccoli and kale might be on your naughty list, but with this recipe, even picky eaters will be stoked to eat their veggies. It’s seriously delicious and ultra nutritious.
This simple recipe is a fun twist on the typical bruschetta and bread party staple we all love. It’s healthy and flavorful, and since you won’t be filling up on bread, you’ll have more room to load your plate with other yummy dishes.
Greenify your latke game with this veggie-loaded flavor bomb. You’ll get the traditional latke vibe you know and love but with the added nutritional benefits of brussels sprouts.
Charred carrots, fresh greens, and warm, melty goat cheese… we can already feel our mouths watering. This side is so yummy you may forget that it’s also super healthy. Getting the carrots just right may require a little practice, but don’t worry. We promise it’ll be worth it!
Roasted cauliflower is a wintry treat. But we admit that it can be a little bland. With the simple additions of lime, cilantro, cumin, and roasted pepper, this dish turns plain cauliflower into a fun side everyone will love.
This side is the perfect balance of sweet and savory that’ll warm you inside and out. Each ingredient gives off that home-for-the-holidays taste. Another perk: It’s super easy to make.
Think of these broccoli buddies as Tater Tots’ healthier, more adult cousins. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they’re the perfect dippers. They’ll be a fan favorite for elves of all ages.
Just add cheese! Low in carbs and high in fiber, this take on cauliflower is a great way to punch up the flavor. Simply top your cauliflower with Parm and a few extra herbs and spices before putting it in the oven and voila! You’ve got a tasty and nutritious side.
This dish is rich, decadent, and oh-so-yummy. A unique spin on the typical gratin, it combines eggplant with a special white sauce, marinara, herbs, spices, and the surprisingly delicious combo of feta and Gruyere cheeses. This dish won’t likely last very long at the dinner table!
This hearty side is healthy and cozy, so it’s a great option for any winter meal. By combining the fresh flavors of sautéed eggplant, tomato, and onion with the warmth of rice, cheese, and spices, you get a side worth celebrating.
Pro tip: You can use your favorite goat cheese in place of the mizithra cheese.
What’s red and green and feels like home? This green bean and cauliflower side! What makes this one special is the tomato sauce, which gives the veggies a hearty taste, making it a perfect addition to your holiday plate.
You can’t go wrong with a classic carrot dish, and this side is no exception. It uses all parts of the carrot, so nothing goes to waste. The leafy tops are turned into a light pesto sauce, which you’ll drizzle on top of the carrots to create a tasty and beautiful side.
Bonus: You can use the pesto for other dishes once the carrots are gone!
The possibilities with cauliflower are truly endless, as evidenced by these vegan-friendly “steaks.” A spin on their beefy cousins, these steaks are smothered in a zesty salsa for a healthy addition to your holiday meal.
Mashed potatoes. Amazing? Yes. Healthy? Eh. Enjoy the same creamy texture and taste with this cauliflower alternative.
“Presto change-o!” good ol’ broccoli into something magical with this simple recipe. The combo of lemon, garlic, and Parmesan will mesmerize your taste buds.
Infuse your fave seasonal veggies with the fresh goodness of lemongrass and ginger. This recipe will satisfy every dietary need at the table. It’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, low fat, and delicious!
Minty flavors are always a welcome winter treat, and this dish is no exception. Adding mint to simple snap peas elevates the flavors and creates a tour de force of seasonal flavor.
Sometimes you just need a simple go-to dish. Enter roasted asparagus. With only three ingredients, you can have a delicious and nutritious side on the table in no time.
Brussels sprouts: You either love ’em or hate ’em. But even the haters can’t deny that this dish is delish. The flavor of brussels sprouts is complemented by the spicy honey sauce, taking this divisive vegetable from “yuck” to “yum.”
Roasting is all the rage for cooking veggies. It’s a no-frills (yet tasty) way to serve a superfood combo. Simply roast, serve, and enjoy!
Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, but in a healthier way? Look no further than this sweet-yet-savory side. A wintry blend of root veggies and pears gets drizzled with maple-vanilla butter. It’s a hearty dish worthy of any holiday feast.
Rice is the best bet for any holiday side. There are so many ways to jazz it up. This recipe’s addition of saffron gives the rice a warm feel. Asparagus and a hint of lemon give it an extra boost of nutritional goodness.
A vegan alternative to green beans and bacon, this side is sure to please. Just sauté green beans and top them with smoky friend shallots. It’s a light and fresh take on heavier green bean dishes. (Sorry, green bean casserole — we still love you!)
Here’s another way to take your brussels sprouts to new, flavorful heights. This salad-like side combines the superfood power of these tiny cabbages with the crunch of pistachios, the sweet-tartness of cranberries, and the cheesy goodness of Parm for a colorful and crave-worthy dish.
You don’t have to be Dwight Schrute to appreciate all that beets have to offer. This refreshing dip will add a sweet kick to the other foods on your plate. Plus, its vibrant color can’t be beet.
Ah, the green bean casserole, a holiday season staple. Save yourself time and oven space with this slow cooker version that will please any palate.
Satisfy those sweet AND spicy cravings with this tasty take on oven-roasted carrots. The sweetness of maple syrup balances out the hot-hot-hotness of cayenne to create this healthy and flavor-packed side.
Eating your veggies just got a bit sweeter with these easy orangey brussels sprouts. You can make this dish on the stovetop or save some time by letting your slow cooker do the heavy lifting.
This Christmas-colored side is a perfect pairing with any main dish. The zucchini adds a crisp texture to the soft eggplant. Meanwhile, tomato and herbs give it just the right amount of savory goodness.
Fried foods are a cold-weather comfort. Thankfully, this recipe is much healthier than other fried fare. It’s a unique take on traditional broccoli, with a spicy sauce that packs a pleasant punch. If frying isn’t your thing, you can also bake it.
A vegan spin on the traditional creamed spinach, this comforting dish is a healthier addition to your winter plate.
Black-eyed peas are more than just a popular early ’00s band. These healthy and hearty beans make a cheap, easy, and delicious side. It’ll please the whole table, from your meat-loving uncle to your vegan sister.
This zucchini dish is delish and looks fancy AF. While everyone oohs and aahs over your culinary superpowers, you can nod along even though you know how easy it was to make. Simply layer the zucchini and goat cheese; top with mint, nuts, and prosciutto; and voilà!
No matter what you’re celebrating this holiday season — or who you’re celebrating with — there’s one thing that can unite the masses: FOOD. From sweet to savory, healthy to not-so-much, there’s something for everyone.
Lee White
According to Walter Woodward, PhD, Connecticut’s Historian, years ago there was a Connecticut Election Cake Recipe.
The newer recipe I found, “A Modern Election Cake Recipe,” looks like a half birthday cake, half fruit cake. It calls for yeast, some butter and buttermilk (the latter of my favorite add-ins for all cakes) vanilla, eggs, and so on. Like a fruit cake, you add golden raisins and a quarter cup of dried fruit. And, like a yeast bread, the batter must be allowed to rise for 1 ½ hours in a Bundt cake.
I kept thinking how difficult it would be for that yeast to do its job, rising with all that heavy fruit pushing it down. Also, like a fruit cake, it is topped with a glaze.
I am not terribly fond of fruit cake. I think about that joke about fruit cake: you know, there is only one fruit cake and it just gets re-sent every year.
I do love the idea of an election cake these days, what with a wild election, a pandemic and more time spent in the kitchen. Also, Adam Young, of Mystic’s Sift Bakery, will be judging a non-partisan cake contest. We will find out who won on Nov. 2, but I will guess that it won’t be the election cake Amelia Simmons wrote about it in 1796, in Hartford.
In any case, for your Nov. 3 election get-together (social distancing and masks, please), why not make any cake you like, glaze it or frost it with five-minute or chocolate icing or perhaps a decadent buttercream?
I like the recipe below, from Southern Living. I would drizzle it with dark chocolate. You could make it as cupcakes. If you frost it, you might use a pure extract in the frosting, like almond or pecan.
Or, what the heck, it’s your house … paint the frosting blue or red!
Decorate your Election Cake red or blue … or both!
Yield: serves 10 to 12
1 pound butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour (White Lily if you have it)
¾ cups milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy and lighter in color, 1 to 7 minutes depending on the power of your mixer. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow yolk disappears.
Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Bear at low speed until mixture blends after each addition. (The batter should be smooth and bits of flour should be well incorporated to rid batter of lumps. Stir gently with a rubber spatula. Stir in extracts.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch pad. (I use Pam cooking spray with flour; it is in the blue can at the supermarket.)
Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a long wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes Nibbles and a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and the Shore Publishing and the Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day.
CAKE has two new race-oriented versions of its electric dirt bikes, and the company is ready to put them to use on the track.
CAKE’s main two models have been their CAKE Kalk OR and CAKE Kalk INK.
The former uses nicer suspension and thus carries a bit of a premium price compared to the latter, but both use essentially the same drivetrains.
The bikes are powered by 11 kW (14.75 hp) motors that put out 280 Nm of torque at the rear wheel and have been known to send riders soaring through the air, helped no doubt by the bikes’ lightweight design. At just 75 kg (165 lb), the power-to-weight ratio of CAKE’s electric dirt bikes is quite impressive.
And now CAKE is getting even more competitive with the introduction of the CAKE Kalk OR and INK RACE models. The RACE models are designed for motocross racing, as you may have guessed, and have several race-specific upgrades.
The bikes get new fenders, fork guards, CAKE-specific MX wheels and hubs, and more extreme tires.
The company is also planning to offer a RACE upgrade kit so that current Kalk OR and Kalk INK owners can take advantage of the new RACE setup and covert their own bikes into proper motocross-ready models. The add-on kit will be available this December and will cost US$2,100.
For those that want to buy the RACE bikes ready-to-go, the Kalk OR RACE will retail for US$13,000, while the Kalk INK RACE will retail for US$10,500. Both models will be available starting in March 2021.
CAKE is also developing a new electric motocross racing league known as the International CAKE One Design Race series format. It was designed similar to the FIA Formula E World Championships, with the goal of spreading the racing series across many cities around the world and receive FIM approval.
The first race already occurred this September in St. Tropez, France.
Lastly, CAKE has announced several small changes and updates to its existing line of electric motorcycles.
The street legal CAKE Kalk INK SL is being renamed the INK&, fitting the naming format of the CAKE Kalk&, which was CAKE’s first street legal electric motorcycle.
The bikes will receive a few other updates as well, as the company explained:
The INK& and its sibling, the Kalk& will feature new DOT certified 19” ‘Town and Trail’ tires developed in partnership with Kenda and will also feature an updated polypropylene fender, new cable sleeves, improved motor sensors as well as a new 4” high-resolution display with improved button interface. The Kalk INK& will also come standard with a new 80T rear sprocket while the Kalk& will come standard with the Gates belt drive system for near silent operation.
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While going through boxes of old client files, a Reddit user found a gooey treasure.
Redditor u/mrpeabodyscoaltrain, who works as an attorney in Tennessee and preferred to remain anonymous, shared a photo of an old recipe he found while destroying closed files in his office, and the Reddit baking community went crazy for it.
Written in cursive handwriting on a yellowing piece of lined paper, the recipe for "Gory Cake" includes a stick of margarine, chopped pecans and an interesting topping of cream cheese, eggs and an entire 16-ounce box of powdered sugar.
But u/mrpeabodyscoaltrain says after doing some research, he thinks the name of the recipe may be written incorrectly.
"I did a little bit of research, and apparently this is 'Gooey Cake,'" he told TODAY Food. "It is a Missouri recipe based on everything I've read. I'm not sure who wrote down the recipe, it was just stuffed in a box."
According to Grandbaby Cakes founder Jocelyn Delk Adams, who has a recipe for "Ooey Gooey Butter Cake" on this very site, this cake was invented decades ago, in St. Louis — not the South, as many have come to believe.
Courtesy Jocelyn Delk Adams
While he hasn't made the cake yet himself, u/mrpeabodyscoaltrain says what stood out to him most was the cream cheese topping.
"What initially caught my eye about this recipe was baking the cream cheese on top of the cake," he said. "I thought that was a little odd."
I, too, was intrigued by the baked layer of cream cheese, not to mention using a quarter cup of margarine and no actual liquids in the recipe. So, I tried the recipe out for myself.
The cake, which the recipe says should be baked in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, has two layers. The first, made of yellow cake mix, margarine, an egg and chopped pecans, was incredibly sticky. It was a challenge to follow the recipe's instructions to "pat into bottom of pan," but thanks to some cooking spray and a silicone spatula, I got it taken care of.
"This must be why it's called 'gooey cake,'" I thought to myself.
Then came the second layer: cream cheese, eggs and powered sugar. The recipe says to mix the ingredients and layer them on top of the batter, but again, the mixture was so sticky, it required a lot of concentration.
"This must be why it's called 'gooey cake,'" I thought to myself, again.
After cleaning my sticky hands, it was time to pop my Gory Cake into the oven. I followed the recipe, baking it for 50 minutes at 350 F.
When the cake came out of the oven, the first thing I noticed was the golden brown crispness of the cream cheese topping. It was beautiful and I couldn't wait to cut into my creation.
The bottom layer of margarine, cake and pecans was soft, warm, buttery heaven. It tasted like the smell my home was filled with while baking it: like warm caramel popcorn or warm toffee.
And yes, the inside of the cake is gooey.
And yes, again, I thought, "This must be why it's called 'gooey cake.'"
Gory or gooey, the cake was delicious. It's a unique way to make use of a boxed cake mix, and, while I'm not sure it would be a part of my go-to dessert recipe repertoire — like Nana's Devils Food cake — it was a fun, nostalgic thing to bake.
It's that nostalgia that u/mrpeabodyscoaltrain says led him to share the old recipe in the first place.
"Older recipes in general are fascinating because they let us see into how people of the past ate," he said. "Old family recipes are especially fascinating because they show the traditions of different families."
LONDON -- David Wiseman heard Kath Ryan before he met her.
He was at the far end of Ward S-4 at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham when shouts of "Cake Lady's here! Cake Lady's here!" began rolling through the room full of wounded soldiers, bed by bed.
Who was this Cake Lady, he wondered, until he saw a middle-aged woman in a "strange dress" pushing a trolley and handing out cake.
"When all you've seen is doctors and nurses and the odd relative, it was just a bit of an assault on the senses," Wiseman remembered. "And she was doling out hugs and, you know, cakes. ... She just brought joy into that place."
That was 2009, a bloody time in the war in Afghanistan, when a steady stream of wounded soldiers flowed through Selly Oak needing love as much as medicine. Since then, retired nurse Ryan, 59, has made some 1,260 visits to British hospitals, bonding with the patients as she fed them an estimated 1 million slices of cake.
"I saw them at their worst," Ryan said. "They could barely breathe, they were in so much pain. They were like skeletons with cling film on them."
But she kept coming.
"There are times in life you're meant to be somewhere, aren't you?" she said.
It all started when Ryan took a cake to her ill sister, who shared it with the troops. The wounded soldiers demanded their own treats, and Ryan returned with cake for 35.
But Ryan brought more than treats. She brought herself -- bubbly, irreverent and fearless.
As she could see that most of the injured were in a terrible state, she never asked, "How are you?"
"I would go in with the trolley and apron and stand at the end of the bed, and say, 'Can I lead you into temptation this evening?'" Ryan recalled. "Straight away, they would scream laughing."
One soldier got into the spirit and asked, "What's on offer, love?"
"Anything you want," Ryan replied. "As long as it's legal, moral and on the cake trolley."
Her weekly bake typically included six dozen Butterfly cakes -- cupcakes with frosting sculpted in the shape of butterfly wings -- together with 48 custard slices, Bakewell tarts, coconut cake, carrot cake, chocolate muffins, and more.
And if someone's favorite wasn't on offer, Ryan took requests: mince pies, fruit cake, Pavlova. When Estonian soldiers ended up on the ward, she tracked down a recipe for Estonian honey cake. For a group of South Africans, she learned to make brandy tart.
The cost of supplies grew so large she set up a charity, Cakes 4 Casualties, to help pay for all that butter and flour.
But it was never just about cake.
Over the past 11 years, the soldiers have become an extended family for Cake Lady, who isn't married and never had children. They call her for hugs. They visit to help in the garden. They invite her to weddings, baptisms and anniversaries. They crowd-funded so she could join them at the Invictus Games, the sporting event for injured service people.
And the family keeps growing. Until covid-19 restrictions stopped her visits, Ryan continued to take cake to every sick soldier at her local hospital. Now she's baking for her local firefighters -- just to stay in practice.
Recently, she faced a new test. A group of veterans asked her to bake a cake for Nora Jeffreys, a World War II veteran who was turning 100.
Ryan was terrified.
Feeding ravenous young people is one thing. But you only get one shot at someone's 100th birthday.
Ryan ended up making vanilla sponge with icing in the colors of the British flag and decorated with the insignia of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, Jeffreys' wartime unit.
But Ryan couldn't have a slice, as she is gluten-free for health reasons. So how, then, does she know if her cakes tastes good?
"I know," she chuckled, "by the look on your face when you eat it."
Exclusive
"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is getting back to work just over a month after impaling his hand in a gnarly freak accident ... but he won't be getting his hands dirty.
So here's the deal, Buddy's very first event since the horrific bowling injury is scheduled to go down Friday with Goldbelly CEO Joe Ariel. They're teaming up for an event dubbed Halloween Goldbelly Live! ... where they'll teach, via Zoom, how to make "Frankencakes."
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
But, sources connected to the event tell TMZ ... the "Cake Boss" will ONLY be instructing and not actually doing any of the decorating or whatever else goes with making the Frankenstein cake kits. We're told someone from Buddy's team will be doing the actual decorating while Buddy mostly oversees the production.
BTW, Buddy's still got a long recovery process. Buddy's returning to the air on November 22 when the Food network airs "Buddy vs. Christmas." If you're wondering ... this special was filmed before his accident. And, speaking of the accident ... TLC will air a 2-hour special on December 23 about the accident with footage captured immediately after the accident.
Just days after the accident, Buddy gave his account of the freak bowling accident. He said his long road to recovery's largely because of severe tendon, nerve and muscle damage to his right hand, which just recently had its third surgery.
As you probably know by now ... Buddy suffered the accident at home when there was a malfunction with the bowling pinsetter. He had tried to release a pin from the cage mechanism but his right hand got lodged and compressed inside the unit. Unable to move his hand, all Buddy could see was a 1 1/2" metal rod slowly impale his right hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger.
Sandy Springs native Nadia Deljou graduated from The Weber School, Georgia State University, the International Culinary Center in New York, and then her real training ground in Manhattan, where she worked at renown Michelin- starred top shelf restaurants. Operating in Atlanta as Delle Dining, she has shifted during COVID-19 to include a virtual focus and community events.
Delle is now offering private dinners on its patio space in Sandy Springs. Deljou books dinners for up to 10 guests and takes them through a multi-course menu paired with wine and music. This outdoor venue is reminiscent of a sukkah in far off Marrakech, Morocco, or Tuscany, Italy.
The rose water cardamom cake delights tables year-round, though the Deljous served it for the high holidays.
She is also doing corporate online cooking classes, one recently on Moroccan cuisine for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, NextGen, and then OneTable a few weeks ago. She has also been doing a pastry pop-up on weekends and special-order cakes, most recently a fantastical wedding cake in Alpharetta. Otherwise, she has shifted her community online, allowing access to cooking tips, live video demos, original recipes and music reviews. It’s a membership-based online resource center called The Delle Community that elevates members’ relationship to cuisine music and culture, https://thedellecommunity.mn.co/.
Here Deljou shares an irresistible and decorative gateaux Persian Roulette recipe.
“This is a traditional dessert from Iran that’s very nostalgic. The cardamom and rose water flavors make it what it is and ties it into Persian cuisine,” Deljou said. “For our family, we like to serve it for special occasions because it’s decadent and feeds 10 to 12. We just served it at Rosh Hashanah. It takes 12 minutes to bake, and all together, I’d say, takes an hour start to finish. There are multiple steps. You need either a hand mixer or stand mixer.”
Persian Cardamom Roulette
Servings: 8 to 10
Rose water cardamom cake
Nonstick cooking spray or butter, for greasing the pan
7 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 teaspoons vanilla, divided
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 ½ pints (6 cups) heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ cup pistachios, ground or finely chopped, for topping
1 ½ cups strawberries, thinly sliced, for topping
Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly spray or butter a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment. Set aside. Prepare a second sheet of parchment (or kitchen towel) about the same size as the one in the baking sheet and set aside.
You will need a stand mixer. If using a handheld mixer, you will need a large mixing bowl and a chilled large metal or glass mixing bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, and beat on the highest speed for 4 more minutes, until it has thickened and the color is a light yellow. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour and ground cardamom until just mixed.
Pour the batter into the baking sheet, making sure to spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
Bake until the cake springs back when touched in the middle and it has started to pull away from the sides, about 14 minutes.
Let cool for 2 minutes. Evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over the remaining piece of parchment or towel, then invert the cake onto it. Gently peel off the top parchment and roll the cake, starting at the long end. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. This helps to train the cake into the roulade form.
While the cake cools, prepare the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment add the heavy cream and mix on high until it has reached soft peak stage, about 2 ½ minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and the powdered sugar and mix until it has reached stiff peaks, 30 seconds more. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Filling
On a clean work surface or large cutting board, unroll the cake, and use an offset spatula to evenly cover with 2 to 3 cups of whipped cream. Re-roll the cake and refrigerate for 4 hours. Keep the remaining whipped cream tightly covered in the refrigerator for the decoration.
Decoration
Once completely cooled, take the cake out of the refrigerator and transfer to a cutting board. Completely cover the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Next, sprinkle with ground pistachio and top with a line of sliced strawberries along the top.
Slice into 1 ½ pieces and serve, with a few extra sprinkles of pistachio if you like.
For more information about Nadia Deljou, visit www.delledining.com.
LONDON -- David Wiseman heard Kath Ryan before he met her.
He was at the far end of Ward S-4 at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham when shouts of "Cake Lady's here! Cake Lady's here!" began rolling through the room full of wounded soldiers, bed by bed.
Who was this Cake Lady, he wondered, until he saw a middle-aged woman in a "strange dress" pushing a trolley and handing out cake.
"When all you've seen is doctors and nurses and the odd relative, it was just a bit of an assault on the senses," Wiseman remembered. "And she was doling out hugs and, you know, cakes. ... She just brought joy into that place."
That was 2009, a bloody time in the war in Afghanistan, when a steady stream of wounded soldiers flowed through Selly Oak needing love as much as medicine. Since then, retired nurse Ryan, 59, has made some 1,260 visits to British hospitals, bonding with the patients as she fed them an estimated 1 million slices of cake.
"I saw them at their worst," Ryan said. "They could barely breathe, they were in so much pain. They were like skeletons with cling film on them."
But she kept coming.
"There are times in life you're meant to be somewhere, aren't you?" she said.
It all started when Ryan took a cake to her ill sister, who shared it with the troops. The wounded soldiers demanded their own treats, and Ryan returned with cake for 35.
But Ryan brought more than treats. She brought herself -- bubbly, irreverent and fearless.
As she could see that most of the injured were in a terrible state, she never asked, "How are you?"
"I would go in with the trolley and apron and stand at the end of the bed, and say, 'Can I lead you into temptation this evening?'" Ryan recalled. "Straight away, they would scream laughing."
One soldier got into the spirit and asked, "What's on offer, love?"
"Anything you want," Ryan replied. "As long as it's legal, moral and on the cake trolley."
Her weekly bake typically included six dozen Butterfly cakes -- cupcakes with frosting sculpted in the shape of butterfly wings -- together with 48 custard slices, Bakewell tarts, coconut cake, carrot cake, chocolate muffins, and more.
And if someone's favorite wasn't on offer, Ryan took requests: mince pies, fruit cake, Pavlova. When Estonian soldiers ended up on the ward, she tracked down a recipe for Estonian honey cake. For a group of South Africans, she learned to make brandy tart.
The cost of supplies grew so large she set up a charity, Cakes 4 Casualties, to help pay for all that butter and flour.
But it was never just about cake.
Over the past 11 years, the soldiers have become an extended family for Cake Lady, who isn't married and never had children. They call her for hugs. They visit to help in the garden. They invite her to weddings, baptisms and anniversaries. They crowd-funded so she could join them at the Invictus Games, the sporting event for injured service people.
And the family keeps growing. Until covid-19 restrictions stopped her visits, Ryan continued to take cake to every sick soldier at her local hospital. Now she's baking for her local firefighters -- just to stay in practice.
Recently, she faced a new test. A group of veterans asked her to bake a cake for Nora Jeffreys, a World War II veteran who was turning 100.
Ryan was terrified.
Feeding ravenous young people is one thing. But you only get one shot at someone's 100th birthday.
Ryan ended up making vanilla sponge with icing in the colors of the British flag and decorated with the insignia of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, Jeffreys' wartime unit.
But Ryan couldn't have a slice, as she is gluten-free for health reasons. So how, then, does she know if her cakes tastes good?
"I know," she chuckled, "by the look on your face when you eat it."
foody.indah.link With more ways to stream online video than ever before, protecting video continues to be a key issue for copyright holder...
