Memories of childhood cakes run the gamut: from Betty Crocker box cake mixes to cakes shaped like Mickey Mouse or Barbie, from marble sheet cakes to rich, buttery pound cakes, and pineapple upside down cakes. But three cakes hold a special place in my heart, all made from scratch by Mom.
There was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which I often requested as a teenager after outgrowing cakes shaped like Disney characters. Also on the list was Mom’s Red Christmas Cake. It wasn’t until adulthood that I learned that the rest of the world called it a red velvet cake. Thankfully, there is no cream cheese in sight for this decadent vintage recipe. Instead, it calls for Ermine Icing (also known as old-fashioned icing or boiled milk frosting, which starts with boiling milk with flour). Third on the list is a California walnut cake with a wonderfully fluffy white frosting that Mom sometimes made for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
A few years ago, I volunteered to make the desserts for our family’s Christmas Eve dinner. My youngest sister had sent me a photocopy of one of our mom’s most well-loved — and, sadly, falling apart — cookbooks. This vintage cookbook, “Holiday Recipes,” was written by June Crosby. She was married to Bob, the younger brother of singer and actor Bing Crosby. Bing had helped fund the building of the original Del Mar Race Track.
Black bookbinding tape secures the stapled pages between thick red cardstock. Mom received the book as a wedding gift when my parents married in the mid-1960s. We know it was purchased at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. As it has no publishing info, we believe it was self-published sometime earlier that decade.
Mom’s handwriting is scattered throughout the cookbook, indicating her personal touches over the years. When I told Mom that I was making her version of the red Christmas and walnut cakes, she was super excited — especially for the walnut cake, because she hadn’t made it since we were all living under the same roof.
The cookbook calls this cake a California Walnut Cake. The cake itself isn’t overly sweet, containing ¾ cup of white sugar. The frosting ingredients, however, were initially a little perplexing. It calls for “1 envelope whipped topping mix,” which I had to Google because I had no clue what whipped topping mix is. After some sleuthing, I discovered it’s a product called Dream Whip. Once I saw the box, images of seeing it as a child in our pantry came back to me. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Dream Whip is a dry whipped topping mix that apparently produces a more stable whipped topping.
The original frosting recipe also uses a pound of confectioner’s sugar. Not too surprising, since buttercream recipes typically call for at least that much, if not more. When I made this for our Christmas Eve dinner, it was before my medical wake-up call, so I made it exactly as written, having tracked down the Dream Whip at my local Walmart. It was a hit. One of my brothers-in-law even asked if there were leftovers on Christmas Day.
Making it my own
Since that first go, I’ve added my own notes next to Mom’s, substituting Swerve brand sugar replacement for the sugar, making this version an even healthier one.
This cake is super simple, starting with processing walnut meats to the consistency of couscous. The original recipe was written pre-food processor days and said to use a meat grinder or a blender to pulverize the nutmeats. Then the directions indicate the need to sieve the resulting flour, removing the coarser bits for decorating. I employed my food processor, which gave me a uniform grind that didn’t need sieving. As with any nut, caution must be exercised while processing to not go too far, or you’ll wind up with walnut butter. Of course, if you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender to break down the nutmeats a little at a time and you will need to sieve the resulting flour.
As for added flavorings, the recipe only called for vanilla extract. So my next deviation was to give the cake a distinctly holiday flavor profile. First, to brighten the cake, I swapped out the vanilla for orange extract. I added cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger to add warmth — the same spices used to produce pumpkin pie spice. I tend not to buy seasoning or spice mixes since I usually have all the individual components in my pantry. In my DIY versions, I can control how much of each herb or spice to add. However, if you have a pumpkin pie spice blend in your pantry, you can easily replace my suggested spices with 1½ teaspoons of that instead.
Mixing the spices into the walnut and sugar mixture made the kitchen smell just like the holidays. To sweeten the cake, I used Swerve, a granulated, cup-for-cup sugar replacement. It has no calories and boasts a glycemic index of less than one, so it’s diabetic- and low carb-diet friendly.
This cake has no leavening, meaning it contains no baking powder or baking soda, receiving its structure and lift from whipped eggs.
I separated the eggs, then whisked the yolks with the extract until frothy. I stirred the yolks into the walnut mixture, making the batter thick and sticky.
Next, I whipped the whites to stiff peaks. Bit by bit, the whites need to be folded into the walnut mixture. To start this process, I fold in one cup of the whipped egg whites. I call this the “sacrificial” fold as the purpose of this step is to loosen up the mixture, making an easier task of more gently incorporating the rest of the egg whites.
After the addition of the first cup of egg whites, the trick to successful folding is not to rush it. Drop the new addition of egg whites directly in the center. Using a rubber spatula, run the spatula along the bowl’s bottom and edges starting at the 9 o’clock position. When you reach the 6 o’clock position, lift the batter from below up and over the center, covering the egg whites. Give the bowl a quarter turn toward you and repeat this procedure, incorporating most of the egg whites between additions. Avoid folding too roughly (don’t stir or beat), as doing so will deflate the egg whites.
Using a parchment-lined 9-inch cake pan, I baked the cake in a 325-degree oven until the cake sprang back when gently pressed (about 40-50 minutes). After five minutes of cooling in the pan, the cake will pull away from the sides. At this point, it’s safe to turn out the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools, make the frosting
I’ve completely changed up the frosting from the original recipe and am happy I did. But first, I admit: I am not generally a fan of cream cheese frosting. Wait — rewind. … I’m not generally fond of frosting. Except for Mom’s Old Fashioned Frosting and the occasional meringue-style ones (French, Italian, Swiss), I find most frostings to be cloyingly sweet. I inevitably wind up scraping off most — if not all — of it.
However, this cream cheese frosting was born out of my love of cream cheese itself and wanting to use it as a frosting without getting bogged down by sweetness. Again, I’ve used a stable sugar replacement for the confectioner’s sugar, made by the same manufacturer of the granulated sugar replacement I used in the cake. It’s also zero calories, doesn’t affect blood sugar and, like the granulated variety, has no aftertaste. For a punch of brightness, I added orange zest. The zest also helps balance the sugar’s sweetness with the cream cheese’s tang. Plus, seeing the little orange flecks in the frosting makes me happy. This frosting recipe makes just enough to cover the top of the cake (double it for use with your favorite 8-inch, two-layer cake recipe).
Decorating the top of the cake with orange segments is optional but makes for a pretty presentation. Because of the cream cheese, be sure to store the cake in the refrigerator.
California Walnut Cake with Orange-Scented Cream Cheese Frosting
If sugar isn’t an issue for you, use granulated sugar in the cake and regular powdered sugar for the frosting. If you have pumpkin pie spice, use 1½ teaspoons of it instead of the individual spices listed. Due to the inaccuracy of measuring nut pieces by the cup, I highly suggest using a kitchen scale instead of measuring cups for this recipe. Cup measurements are approximate.
Makes 8 to 12 servings
FOR THE CAKE:
265 g walnut pieces (about 2¼ cups)
140 g Swerve granular (about ¾ cup) or other cup-for-cup granular sugar replacement, or use regular white sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
7 large eggs, room temperature, separated
1 tablespoon orange extract (or orange zest from one medium orange)
Cooking spray
TO GARNISH:
Orange-Scented Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Peeled orange segments (optional)
Grind walnut pieces in a food processor with the S-blade attachment until walnuts resemble couscous in texture, about 3-5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. Alternately, working in batches, pulse in a blender to finely grind. Remove flour to a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the sugar, salt and spices.
Separate the eggs, placing yolks into a small bowl and whites into a large bowl. Set aside the whites. Beat the yolks with the orange extract (or zest, if using) until light and frothy, then stir them into the walnut mixture; set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Trace around the outline of a 9-inch cake pan onto kitchen parchment. Cut out the circle. Lightly coat the pan’s bottom with cooking spray, then add the paper circle to the pan. Evenly coat the paper and sides of the pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Whip the egg whites with electric hand beaters or a stand mixer on low until egg whites are light and frothy. Increase speed to high and whip to firm peaks. Scoop out about 1 cup of egg whites and gently fold into the walnut mixture, turning the bowl a quarter turn after every fold. Working in thirds, continue folding in the remaining egg whites, being careful not to overmix to avoid deflating them.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until the cake springs back when gently touched, about 40-50 minutes. Remove cake and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack, removing and discarding the parchment paper. Cool completely before frosting.
To finish, place the cake on a serving pedestal or plate and frost just the top of the cake. Decorate with orange segments.
Store cake covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve, allowing the cake to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing.
Orange-Scented Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting is more savory than sweet, retaining the tartness of the cream cheese as the focal point. If you want a sweeter frosting, add more sweetener of choice to taste.
4 ounces whipped cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce tub)
90 g Swerve confectioner’s sugar or regular powdered sugar (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons orange zest (from 1 medium orange)
¼ cup heavy whipping cream, plus 2-3 tablespoons more if needed (can substitute regular whole milk)
Beat cream cheese on high until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add sugar substitute and beat on low speed to incorporate, then beat on high for 2 minutes. Toss in the zest and ¼ cup of the whipping cream, beating on medium until smooth. Add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Recipe is copyrighted by Anita L. Arambula from Confessions of a Foodie. Reprinted by permission.
Arambula is the food section art director and designer. She blogs at www.confessionsofafoodie.me, where this article originally published. Follow her on Instagram: @afotogirl. She can be reached at anita.arambula@sduniontribune.com.
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