The Secret Lives of Baked Goods

by Jessie Oleson Moore

  Copyright ©2013 by Jessie Oleson Moore

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Sasquatch Books

  Editor: Susan Roxborough

  Project editor: Michelle Hope Anderson

  Design: Anna Goldstein

  Illustrations: Jessie Oleson Moore

  Photographs: Clare Barboza

  Food styling: Laurie Pfalzer

  Copy editor: Lisa Gordanier

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-57061-854-3

  Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-57061-853-6

  Sasquatch Books

  1904 Third Avenue, Suite 710

  Seattle, WA 98101

  (206) 467-4300

  www.sasquatchbooks.com

  custserv@sasquatchbooks.com

  v3.1

  To Mom, Dad, Kelly, Bridget, and

  Porkchop for making life sweet

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  CLASSIC CAKES

  Birthday Cake

  Boston Cream Pie

  Carrot Cake

  Cupcakes

  German Chocolate Cake

  New York Cheesecake

  Doughnuts

  Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

  Red Velvet Cake

  Smith Island Cake

  TIMELESS COOKIES & BARS

  Blondies & Brownies

  Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Peanut Butter Cookies

  Puffed Rice Treats

  Whoopie Pies

  TRADITIONAL PIES

  Apple Pie

  Nutty Chocolate Pie

  Lemon Meringue Pie

  Pecan Pie

  Pumpkin Pie

  LOST & FOUND

  Baked Alaska

  Hermits

  Joe Froggers

  Jumbles

  Tunnel of Fudge Cake

  Wellesley Fudge Cake

  FOREIGN AFFAIRS

  ANZAC Biscuits

  Cherries Jubilee

  Croissants

  Gingerbread Men

  Opera Cake

  Princess Torte

  COMMERCIAL FAVORITES

  Animal Crackers

  Girl Scout Cookies

  Chocolate Creme-Filled Cookies

  Pink Frosted Cookies

  Toaster-Style Pastries

  CURIOUS CONFECTIONS

  Alice B. Toklas Brownies

  Better than Sex Cake

  Katharine Hepburn Brownies

  Urban Legend Cookies

  Sources

  Index

  About the Author

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  JUST AS MANY INGREDIENTS contribute to a recipe’s deliciousness, many people contribute to baking up a book’s successful completion! In the course of this project, I have many people to thank. Way too many for just one page, but I’ll do the best I can.

  Thank you to Sasquatch Books for believing in me enough to give me a second book deal. In particular, Susan Roxborough, Michelle Hope Anderson, and Anna Goldstein. For editing, photographing, and food styling, respectively: Lisa Gordanier, Clare Barboza, and Laurie Pfalzer. You all make me look (and sound) good!

  Thanks to the ace group of testers and fact checkers for the recipes and stories in this book: Betsy Eves, Clara Nguyen Osborn, Jennifer Comfort, Jenny Williams, Tania Stenzel, Michelle Wall, Kristin Ausk, Nicole Vasquez, Porche Lovely, Compton Brodhead, Philip Longo. An extra-special thanks to Nancie and David Brodhead for the use of their kitchen for testing recipes!

  Thanks to the companies and bakers whose recipes and stories inspired me. This book is my love letter to what you do and create!

  For always supporting me, my family: Margie, Kenny, Kelly, Bridget, Dylan, and Porkchop. For always being my best friend: Danny Oleson. For always believing in me and always being willing to visit one more bakery: Becca Todd, Philip Longo, and James Papadopoulos.

  And of course, all of the CakeSpy.com readers and enthusiasts. I love you to sugar-filled pieces.

  And if you’re just someone who thought the cover looked cool and picked up the book, well, thank you too for sharing a love of sweets. You’re in for a real treat!

  INTRODUCTION

  “Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.”

  —BARRY LOPEZ, CROW AND WEASEL

  HOW DO YOU INCREASE THE LURE OF DESSERT? With a little lore. I firmly believe that everything tastes better with a backstory; sweets, in particular, become far more pleasurable when served with a fascinating tale. Did you know, for instance, that chocolate chips were invented after the cookie? Chew on that: it will certainly make you taste your next cookie more mindfully.

  Pausing to consider the stories of the treats we love gives us a chance to reflect on them and to appreciate the journeys they’ve taken to become part of our cookbook repertoire. It’s also a chance to appreciate them anew.

  One of the major lessons I’ve learned while writing this book is that recipes are not necessarily invented—they evolve. Much like playing the game Telephone, the stories of how they came to be can get a bit muddled with the passage of time. The recipes themselves, reflecting the tweaks that occur with repeated preparation, can change too—sometimes to the point where the dessert eventually bears little resemblance to the “original” version. While I’ve taken pains to find the true stories behind the sweets we love, sometimes determining the exact truth is not as much fun as examining the gossip surrounding them—so there’s a bit of both here. I’ve researched, tested, and explored many versions of each recipe, both old and new (and had so much fun along the way!). I’ve striven to provide recipes that are respectful to the original, but updated, when appropriate, to make them more accessible to the home baker. In some cases, the recipes can be considered a starting place, an invitation for you, the baker, to add your own riffs and to weave your own stories into the results.

  This book isn’t intended as a textbook or a historical volume, but instead serves to tell stories and to celebrate sweets. Within these pages you’ll find romantic musings on how confections got their names; stories of intrigue and even a bit of scandal; unusual facts and figures; and of course, many mouthwatering recipes and photos. Delightful and delicious, these tales are guaranteed to offer food for thought, and the recipes are bound to tantalize your sweet tooth.

  CLASSIC CAKES

  CAKES MAKE THE OCCASION. They’re always the guest of honor, the prettiest food on the table, and (in my opinion) the most memorable part of a meal. They’re a delicious symbol of celebration, and one of the sweetest food memories we hold onto. Here’s a collection of classics, each served with a sweet story.

  WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, birthday cake is kind of a funny thing: what other dessert do you put candles on, sing to, spit at as you try to blow out the candles, and then watch as your friends and family clamor for a piece? And yet, birthday cake is one of the most popular desserts in America. Everyone can picture the classic two-layer round cake, filled and covered with a thick layer of fluffy frosting, topped (if you’re lucky) with bright decorations, and finished with a blaze of candles on top. But how on earth did this dessert become the symbol of celebrating another year of life?

  In days past, special-occasion cakes probably resembled fruitcakes more than the fluffy layer cakes we know and love today.

  The idea of punctuating special occasions with cake is nothing ne
w. Putting together all of the richest and best ingredients for celebrations was common even in ancient times. In days past, however, special-occasion cakes probably resembled fruitcakes more than the fluffy layer cakes we know and love today.

  What happened to take us from eating leaden fruitcakes to blowing out candles atop sprinkle-festooned cakes? That would have been a little something called the Industrial Revolution, which resulted in better transportation, improved production methods, and unbelievable innovation. The pleasant side effects for the world of commercial and home baking were the dropping costs of sugar, butter, spices, and flour; the invention of baking powder; and the development of better ovens. Baking suddenly became a piece of … well, you know. Due to a more convenient lifestyle, “regular people” had more time to entertain—and that meant baking up something special for dessert. Suddenly, there was a new generation of frequent cake eaters who expected to be wowed on their birthdays.

  But without candles, it’s just cake, right? Some say the ancient Greeks placed lit candles on cakes to make them glow “like the moon,” so the smoke would carry their prayers to the gods. The art of the birthday candle was further developed in Germany, where candles corresponding to age were placed on cakes, along with one in the center “to grow on.” Today, the custom involves making a silent wish when the candles are blown out; the belief is that blowing out all the candles in one breath means the wish will come true and the person will enjoy good luck in the coming year.

  Even after this sweet backstory, you may still find yourself wondering, “What flavor is a birthday cake, exactly?” The answer: Whatever you want it to be. In the past, all celebration cakes might have had the same basic ingredients—the expensive stuff, like nuts and fruits—but today we bake birthday cakes to reflect the wishes or the personality of the birthday boy or girl. For older celebrants, it’s often a nostalgic treat reminiscent of what they enjoyed when they were kids.

  So whether it’s a banana cake with cream cheese frosting, a chocolate torte, or even a fanciful cake decorated to look like a dragon, it’s all right. I’ve chosen to celebrate the iconic American birthday cake with a recipe that will never go out of style: buttery yellow cake with fudgy chocolate frosting and hopefully some sprinkles—a perfect way to celebrate your special day.

  Yellow Birthday Cake

  THIS DELICIOUS CAKE IS RICH WITH egg yolks, sour cream, and butter (it’s OK—you deserve it). If you want to make the cake layers ahead so you have time to concentrate on blowing up balloons, go ahead and bake them, wrap them well, and freeze them for up to a week in advance. Thaw the cakes (still wrapped) before assembling with an abundance of chocolate frosting.

  Makes one 8- or 9-inch layer cake (10 to 12 servings)

  2¼ cups sifted cake flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

  1½ cup granulated sugar

  ¼ cup packed light brown sugar

  4 large eggs, separated

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 cup sour cream

  ¼ cup whole or 2% milk

  3½ cups Rich Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

  Decorating icing, sprinkles, or other decorations (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round baking pans, then line them with circles of parchment paper.

  2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the sugars and continue to mix until light and fluffy, another 2 to 3 minutes.

  4. Add the egg yolks one at a time, ensuring that each is incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.

  5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream, in 2 to 3 additions each, ensuring that each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

  6. In a separate bowl, making sure that the bowl and beaters are very clean (so that the egg whites will whip properly), beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter, using a rubber spatula.

  7. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smooth with an offset or rubber spatula. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

  8. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes; run a paring knife around the perimeter of the cakes to release any sticky parts, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Let the cakes cool completely. If the cakes are domed on top, use a serrated knife to make them level.

  9. To assemble, place one cake layer, bottom side up, on a serving platter, and spread ½ to ¾ cup frosting on top. Leave a ½-inch margin all around, as the weight of the second cake layer will push the frosting to the edges. Place the second cake layer, flat side up, on top of the frosted layer. Frost the sides and top, and garnish with decorating icing, sprinkles, or whatever festive treats you’d like. Store, well covered, at cool room temperature for up to 2 days (although, who has leftover birthday cake?).

  RICH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

  Makes about 3½ cups frosting

  1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

  ½ teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

  ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  ¼ cup heavy cream

  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the salt and vanilla.

  2. In a separate bowl, sift together 3 cups of the sugar with the cocoa.

  3. Add the sugar mixture to the butter mixture in 2 to 3 additions, beating on low speed. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

  4. Add the cream; increase the speed to medium, and beat until the mixture is very fluffy. Add the remaining sugar incrementally until it has reached your desired spreading consistency.

  HERE’S A PIE THAT IS LIVING A LIE: It’s actually a cake. Certainly it has no reason to hide its true identity: it’s a respectable cake indeed—sort of an expanded version of an éclair, comprised of light-yet-buttery spongy layers and an amazingly addictive cream filling that makes you wonder how quickly you could eat your weight in it. But wait, there’s more: it’s topped with a rich chocolate glaze.

  In 1996, it became the official state dessert of Massachusetts, thanks to the lobbying work of a dedicated high school civics class.

  When it comes to its pedigree, this cake is the result of beautiful fusion: it was inspired by English cakes, and invented by an Armenian-French pastry chef who lived in America. His name was M. Sanzian (nobody even knows what his first name was), and it all went down at the Parker House Hotel in the 1850s. The Parker House PR department says that the hotel’s concept of providing its clientele with extremely elegant lodgings stretched to its cuisine. During a time when a good cook could be hired for $416 a year, the Parker House hired M. Sanzian for an unheard-of salary of $5,000 per year. That’s a lot of dough.

  Dedicating such a lavish salary wasn’t out of character for this hotel, which prided itself on being a groundbreaker. Among other things, it was the first hotel in Boston to have hot and cold running water, and the first to have an elevator. It was known to attract famous guests, including Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and actress Sarah Bernhard (who also has a cake named after her). Lemon meringue pie is also cited as a sweet that was perfected and popularized in the Parker House kitchens. And certainly having the mystery French chef invent Boston cream pie, the now iconic American dessert, is another feather in their already well-adorned cap.

  While this may explain how the influential hotel popularized the dessert, it doesn’t
quite explain the sticky subject of why it was called a pie. Happily, there are some respectable theories. At the time it was invented, pie tins were much more common in American households than cake pans as we know them now—so perhaps cakes and pies were interchangeable in that way. A look at a cookbook of the era shows that while Washington pie and Boston cream pie were both labeled as “pies,” the instructions reference “the cake.” Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that a French pastry chef living in America invented it; this new invention was certainly different from the multi-layered gateaux and fancy pastries he was accustomed to, perhaps confusing the classification of this cake.

  But what really made Boston cream pie revolutionary, claims the book You Know You’re in Massachusetts When …, is the use of a chocolate topping “in an era when chocolate was primarily used at home, and then for beverages and puddings, not as an ingredient in restaurant pastries.” It goes on to say that “with the increasing popularity of chocolate in the 20th century, the Boston cream pie became a staple of American kitchens. Betty Crocker even offered it as a mix from 1958 into the 1990s.”

  In 1996, it became the official state dessert of Massachusetts, thanks to the lobbying work of a dedicated high school civics class. The pie beat out some other pretty powerhouse candidates, including the Toll House Cookie and Indian Pudding. But all rivalries are put aside and everyone is a Bostonian on October 23rd, which is—as I’m sure you know—National Boston Cream Pie Day!

  The following recipe uses a chocolate ganache glaze instead of the original chocolate fondant—trust me, unless you happen to own a marble slab and enjoy the hours-long production of creating the original, you’re really better off this way. If you want to explore another flavor variation on this treat, omit the chocolate and insert a layer of raspberry jam between the cake layers—it’s then called Washington pie, another recipe that enjoyed popularity in the 1800s.