You know me, I don't (and can't) play the guitar to save my life. I mean, if my life were literally depending on it, I would at least have the wherewithal to grab the damn thing by the neck and use it as a beating tool to find myself either space, time, or both. I just can't expect my fingers or thumbs to do the things that some people can do with their eyes closed; making the most amazing sounds that God has ever created. It is what it is, but there is something I can do, and I don't know that I've ever tried to do it with my eyes closed, but if push came to shove and there was no other way, I could if I needed to, make and bake an Italian cream cake! I'm really very good at it!
There are times, and today was one of them, that I'll just be sitting at my computer thinking about remodeling a home I don't own, and the strong and urgent sensation that I need to bake just creeps right over me and through me. I have a few go-to recipes that seem to stave off anything too serious, but today it was one of the ultimate comfort foods; Italian cream cake. I think I put my first one together when I was in grade school. I didn't actually enter the State Fair with it, but I lied and told people that I did. I never said I won any ribbons, I just said I entered it into the competition. God only knows why my mom let me get away with such nonsense. She couldn't bake, that's probably it right there! LOL...sorry Mom. She's a great artist though! She makes her recipes out of oils, pastels, pencils, and watercolors.
The Italian cream cake is one of those over-the-top eggy types and you have to blend it using a hand mixer to get it fluffy and smooth. You add the coconut to stiffen it up a bit, and of course for flavor and texture. The recipe calls for buttermilk, and at room temperature. I didn't have buttermilk. I have not been able to find it either, thank you very much. I can make it, but I didn't take the time to do that today. I used whipping cream and regular milk, let it set out for an hour, and added a bit of vanilla. It's all good. No, really, it is ALL very very good.
I don't need or want to bake a round cake here at my house since it's just Laura and I living here. We don't need to be fancy. I cut the recipe back enough to fill up a 9x9 Pyrex and since I had a bit left over I formed a couple of good-sized cupcakes as well. I just took them out of the oven and put them straight into the freezer so I can ice them and drop a few pecans on top. That's gonna be really nice - - I don't really have to have a reason to celebrate when I bake. I just bake. It's the same thing that some people do when they walk into a room and pick up their Gibson or their Fender. I have a Yamaha guitar that I call Wally. I do actually pick him up and play chords so he's not lonely. I offered him a bite of my cupcake - - he declined.
For me, baking is not just a thing to do. I consider it a release of stress, pressure, happiness, joy, sorrow, and even mental anguish if I had any, but I don't really have anything like that - - maybe it's because I bake. I am quite sure there must be a solid connection between anxiety and blending eggs into Stevia. I don't use sugar when I bake. I haven't used granulated sugar for more than 2 years. I get the same results and no one knows the difference. I don't have to freak over the calories, which means I can have two pieces of Italian cream cake if I want to! (I mean, let's get real, I could eat the whole thing if Laura wasn't here to help). I think I'll grab a friend or two to share it. If you're gonna sing a song you wrote, or recite a poem you wrote, you'll want someone else to like it too; right? Yeah! I'm the same when it comes to food. I have to share. (I have a few good friends you know, I keep them happy)
Here's the recipe I used. I don't know that I found it anywhere, it's just the one I use. (Remember, this is for a 9x9 glass dish, not a 3-tier round)
Preheat the oven to 350. You don't want the top browning before the middle.
Cream together in a mixing bowl (I use a hand mixer)
4 eggs
1 cup of Stevia
3/4 cup of butter
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of buttermilk (I used whipping cream and Lactaid)
Add the following:
1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup of flaked coconut
BLEND with a hand mixer until really smooth.
Pour it into a 9x9 (sprayed with oil) glass dish. Bake for about 35 minutes, but check it a few times. You'll know it's ready when the sides and top are a golden brown, you can lightly touch the top and it doesn't give, and you can check it with a toothpick in the middle. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done.
The icing: (ONLY apply when the cake is cool)
2-1/2 cups of powdered sugar (I don't use Stevia for this)
8 oz of cream cheese
1/4 cup of butter
1 tsp of vanilla
BLEND IT AND MAKE IT CREAMY. (add coconut if you want)
When the cake is done you can wait to cool it or stick it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Add pecans to the icing if you want, or just spread the icing and then add the pecans. If you do make a round cake this recipe will make a two-tier only and the pans need to be sprayed and use a little flour on them to help get the cake out before icing it.
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