The Everything Cake | Baking with Dorie

This is not exactly the fancy blood orange cake my family adores which we bake only on special occasions. Then there is this candied orange cake a guest brought for the Moroccan dinner night. It kept popping up in my headspace, unsolicited. Well, it’s a long way to arrive at the everyday cake which uses one bowl and simple to make. Dorie’s “everything” cake has loads of merits. It stands on its own; it’s sturdy. In addition, the “everyday” has versatilities and legs to boot — because it goes places and travels well. Be it potlucks, picnics or weekends with family and friends.

It’s earned a place to be part of my baking repertoire.

What I mean by versatilities is that the everyday cake can easily turn into a number of cakes, like the orange cake pictured here. See the cheat sheet below for the varieties of cake on the left-hand column using the same methodogy. The summary of steps proceeds from left to right starting with the first step mixing together sugar and eggs.

The sponge cake batter can be readily put together in a stand-mixer, food processor or by hand. It follows roughly the ingredients ratio of an old-fashioned pound cake (equal part of sugar, eggs, flour and butter) and in that specific order. Best of all, most of the add-ins are everyday essential ingredients we have around in the pantry.

I can see myself baking a similar apple cake or tea cake when inspiration strikes. All I have to do is to review the cheat sheet and get organize. The aroma of a cake baking is comforting and satisfying. I welcome the question: what’s baking as someone walks into the house.

Print Recipe

The Everything Go-Every-Where Cake

By Dorie Greenspan – Serves: 6-8

What separates an everyday cake from all other cakes is its sturdiness — it’s built to be wrapped, packed and bundled, to travel and to retain its goodness for at least the span of a long weekend. The everything essential has been pulled from the zest of a lemon, so the sugar mixture can flavor and scent the batter.

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• Butter and flour for the pan
• 1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ¼ cups/250 grams sugar
• 1 large (or 2 small) lemons
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup/120 milliliters heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 ½ tablespoons/75 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ⅓ cup marmalade, for glaze (optional)
• ½ teaspoon water, for glaze (optional)

Instructions

1

Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 350. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan (Pyrex works well), dust with flour and tap out the excess. (For this cake, bakers’ spray isn’t as good as butter and flour.) Place on a baking sheet.

2

Whisk the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt together.

3

Put the sugar in a large bowl, and grate the zest of the lemon(s) over the sugar. Squeeze the lemon(s) to produce 3 tablespoons juice, and set this aside. Using your fingers, rub the sugar and zest together until the mixture is moist and aromatic. One at a time, add the eggs, whisking well after each. Whisk in the juice, followed by the heavy cream. Still using the whisk, gently stir the dry ingredients into the batter in two additions. Stir the vanilla into the melted butter, and then gradually blend the butter into the batter. The batter will be thick and have a beautiful sheen. Scrape it into the loaf pan.

4

Bake for 70 to 75 minutes (if the cake looks as if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it loosely with foil) or until a tester inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack, let rest for 5 minutes and then carefully run a blunt knife between the sides of the cake and the pan. Invert onto the rack, and turn over. Glaze now, or cool to room temperature.

Notes

https://doriegreenspan.com/recipe/a-cake-you-can-take-with-you-anywhere/