April 6, 2010

Thank you, man-friend no. 1

After work, the next best resource on which for me to pawn off baked goods is man-friends. They don’t tend to refuse spontaneous offers of baked goods, but I usually dole out cakes and cookies in return for favors. As a rather wimpy girl living alone, sometime I borrow their power tools and muscles … and sometimes their statistics books. On a recent rainy evening, I was particularly productive, baking three cakes (okay, two cakes and one quick bread), two of which were tokens of appreciation. Here is the first:

About a month ago, I purchased a large wooden credenza — off Craigslist, like nearly every other piece of furniture I own. New York’s Craigslist is fantastic; you can find anything you’d ever desire, and usually at a reasonable price point. For the most part, however, pieces are “cash and carry,” for which the latter often puts you in strange situations, usually involving awkward, large objects and public transportation. My dresser was carted home in a hand truck borrowed from the corner bodega, and several chairs have been taken home via bus, subway, and taxi cab. Most memorable was a bus ride when, while paying my fare, the bus driver asked, “What? My chairs aren’t good enough for you? You need to bring your own?”

For this most recent furniture acquisition, I was lucky that the seller was willing to deliver — if I could help. I was more than willing, but am relatively small and wimpy. So, while bumping along in the truck back to my place (all the while praying the police stationed at the bridges and tunnels wouldn’t think we were terrorists with bombs in our Danish modern credenza strapped in the bed of our little pick-up truck), I called around to some of my man-friends for a hand. To my great fortune, the first one who answered offered to bike over immediately and help with the heavy lifting. With his help, what could have been a highly unpleasant move, turned out to be relatively painless. The seller, who was grateful for the third person, was impressed by the speed at which I was able to round up some extra help and noted, “You have good friends.” And it’s true. I’m very lucky to have good friends, especially good man-friends with muscles and fix-it skills. What I lack in muscles and fix-it skills, however, I can make up in baking skill. As such, in appreciation for his help, I offered cake. This is what he got:

Ina Garten’s lemon loaf cake
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties! via Leite’s Culinaria

The original recipe calls makes 2 loaves, which was more than I needed, and I present the halved recipe here. Also, her recipe calls for buttermilk, which I did not have on hand. Since I did not want to buy a full quart for only a 1/4 cup’s worth, I just used regular whole milk, which worked fine. The milk curdled a bit when I added the lemon juice to it, but this was more unattractive than a problem. Finally, my loaf collapsed a bit (see ugly dimple pit above), but this is because I didn’t want to turn on the big oven, so used my trusty toaster oven. The heat source is relatively low, which can cause burning, and to prevent this, I covered my pan in foil for a bit, and I think this is why my loaf did not rise probably. (On the upside, it cradled the glaze beautifully.) I don’t anticipate this to be a problem for folks who bake this in a regular oven.

For the cake

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 stick (4 oz. or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon zest

For the syrup

  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the glaze

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • Scant 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter an 8- or 9-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, milk, and vanilla.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add zest and mix to incorporate. Add half the flour mixture, and stir; add milk mixture, stir; and add remaining flour mixture. Mix well. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup. In a small, microwaveable bowl (I used a mug), combine lemon juice and sugar. Stir briefly to mix, and then heat in microwave 1 minute. Stir again until sugar is dissolved. (Alternately, this can be done in a small saucepan.)

When the cake is done, remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack set over a pan. Spoon syrup over the cake and let cool completely.

Make the glaze: in a medium bowl, combine sugar and lemon juice, and stir until smooth. Pour over cooled cake, letting excess run over the sides.