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What's for Dinner? v17.49: Birthday cake! [1]

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Date: 2023-06-10

Recipe from the original 1951 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook

One of the wonderful things about celebrating your birthday without any of your immediate family nearby (usually) is that you can make exactly what you like for birthday cake! For me, that means Spice Chiffon Cake from the original Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook topped with my great-grandmother Myrtle’s Penuche Frosting. Spice Chiffon Cake actually came from my long-ago ex-husband’s family; I don’t remember what they topped it with, but I think Penuche is the perfect match for it.

I like all the ingredients to be at room temperature for cake baking, so I set out the cake flour and eggs the night before. Also, the bowl for the egg whites (glass or metal) and the cake pan should be squeaky clean.

Stiffly beaten whites (L); dry ingredients, oil, yolks & cold water (R)

First thing I did was separate 7 eggs; I still use the “pass the yolk back & forth between the shell halves” method I learned from Mom, but I always do it into a small cup first in case I get a bit of yolk or shell into the white. (The two extra yolks I’ll save for this sheet cake.) Whites go into a large bowl that can accommodate the full batch of batter.

Batter with no (OK, few) streaks!

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients* and add the oil, yolks and cold water. Stir until combined and then stream that into the egg whites and fold GENTLY until combined. (I like a glass bowl for that so I can spot any streaks.) Pour into an ungreased tube pan; cakes that rely on beaten egg whites to rise need to ‘climb’ the sides of the pan, thus no greasing. Although with most cake batters, I scrape out every bit I can, this is a time when I work fast (and messy!) to get it in the pan without deflating the egg whites.

*Why make the well, instead of combining the wet ingredients and adding to the dry? I’ve read a variety of explanations online, and none of them have convinced me that it’s necessary for cakes. If you have a great explanation, please enlighten us in the comments!

Got a bit well done, but the inside is fine

Place on middle rack in 325F oven; bake for 55 minutes, then increase to 350F and bake 10 minutes more. After it comes out of the oven, invert onto a rack or funnel and let cool completely, at least 2 hours, before removing from pan. I made the mistake of not checking my oven with an internal thermometer and it was apparently running a bit hot.

Base mixture at full boil

While the cake is cooling, start on the frosting. Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large saucepan, then add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and ¼ cup milk. Bring to a full boil over medium heat; boil for exactly 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to keep skin from forming on top.

Finished frosting in front; bare cake in back

When mixture has cooled, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 cups sifted powdered sugar. Beat until powdered sugar is completely incorporated.

Remove cake from pan; my favorite tool for releasing the cake is a tomato slicing knife (in picture at top of story), since the blade is narrow enough to get around the cylinder in the middle. Place cake on plate and brush crumbs from top and sides. I like to put strips of parchment or waxed paper under each side to keep the plate clean while frosting.

If I were making this for someone else, I would level the bottom and do a smoother job with the frosting, but since it’s for me (and a few neighbors), I went for the rustic look.

What’s your favorite birthday dessert? And what’s for dinner in your neck of the woods?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2023/6/10/2173992/-What-s-for-Dinner-v17-49-Birthday-cake

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