Sunday, August 28, 2011

Trust

This week's Cake Day was kind of a big deal. I have much to celebrate: my first paper was accepted! And Thursday marked the end of what has been a very stressful few months at work that included an international conference, a committee meeting, and 4 publications. Thursday night, in fact, I slept through the night (9 hours!) and did not dream about science for the first time since May. It was glorious. So my running buddy and a couple other friends came over for Mexican and Cake Night!

This week's recipe was for Fresh Tomato Cake. I should preface this with the fact that I was nervous about this recipe all week. The Robinson family apparently loves tomatoes, and actually I do too. Not the cardboard ones you often get from the grocery store, but the home grown or fresh from the Farmer's Market tomatoes that are red and juicy and beautiful, and as I recently learned, in peak season in August. Just sliced right up with a little salt, cut into big chucks in a salad, or chopped into fresh, chunky, spicy, homemade salsa. But tomato cake? I'd never heard of such a thing, and it definitely raised some eyebrows. All week, the conversations with the numerous people who are quickly finding out about my cake project went something like this:

"So what cake are you making this week?"
"Fresh Tomato Cake."
"TOMATO CAKE?!?!?"
"I know, I know. I'm nervous about it. But I trust Dr. Robinson."

My trust wavered a little, however, as Maureen and I prepared the cake while the boys made salsa and guacamole. I regarded the mixed batter, the baked cakes, and all I kept saying was, "I don't know about this cake, guys."

The frosting eased my nerves a little. It was the most delicious cream cheese frosting ever! So at the very least, we could gather around the table with a bowl of frosting and spoons and just go for it. But with Maureen's encouragement, we frosted, layered, and frosted some more. The result was quite pretty, actually.

The moment of taste truth was quite dramatic. We all sat around with our plates and forks glancing nervously at each other. Finally, someone said, "Ok, ready?" and we all took a bite. Silence. And then a somewhat collective sigh of relief. It was actually really good! Different than any other cake I've had before; somewhat like carrot cake but with a fresher taste attributed to the tomatoes. I never should have doubted. Tim and Maureen took a big piece home, and the rest will go into work tomorrow... if I don't eat it all today, that is.

It was a perfect celebration: tacos, salsa, guacamole, margaritas, and tomato cake, which actually complemented all the tomatoes used in our Mexican feast quite well. Needless to say, we were all incredibly full. But it was definitely worth it. And worth the extra work out I'll do today to burn off all those calories...

Monday, August 15, 2011

Easy as... cheesecake?

Why did I not know before this that cheesecake was so easy to make?!

Oh yeah, because then I'd be 400 pounds.

Guess I'll have to run marathons forever now...

This week's recipe is North Coast Cheesecake, a family recipe for Dr. R, and a cake she calls comfort food. Her husband baked this cake to ease the sadness the week their oldest daughter left to go back to school.

I don't know why I decided I needed to bake yesterday, but I had time, and what better way to fill it than with something as productive and delicious as the making of a cake? The recipe is incredibly easy, and crushing up graham crackers for the crust is excellent stress relief. In addition to the actual cheesecake layer, there is a sweetened sour cream topping, which adds a unique and incredibly tasty twist to an otherwise simple, classic cheesecake. Extra bonuses: you can make it in a 9x13 pan (no fancy sprinforms in this girl's apartment...), and you can use reduced fat cream cheese and sour cream and it still tastes incredible (although probably not as good as if you use the full fat stuff, right?).

The timing of this call to cake-baking was actually appropriate, as my sister started graduate school today. She's all moved off and away from home in her own apartment like a real adult. I don't live close to the rest of my family, so it's not her leaving that makes me a little sad. It's more that it's the end of an era. We're both adults now, trying to figure out how exactly to make it on our own in the real world. From my own experience thus far with graduate school and life in general, I know that in both areas there will be some struggling, and some failure. But that's part of the learning process, and ultimately makes us stronger. I'm also confident that she will be successful; she'd never let herself be anything but. She called me this weekend full of questions before her orientation; having just gone through this process a few years ago, I know exactly the overwhelming mix of emotions she's feeling, and am happy to offer suggestions and advice based on my own limited experiences. If she lived closer, I would have also offered her some of this cake.

As it was, I took half this cheesecake and the leftover lemon poppy seed cake from Friday to lab meeting today. Science seems extra interesting when discussed over cake. And it's such a gratifying feeling to see your boss smile and have your coworker come in and say "Oh good, there's still cake!" It's an instant little confidence boost and a dose of the kind of happiness that can only be achieved through service to others. Knowing that I've brightened their day a little brightens my day. Add that to the simple fact that I'm eating cheesecake... how could it possibly get better?

Friday, August 12, 2011

When life hands you lemons...

Make lemon poppyseed cake!

A friend and coworker joined me for this week's Cake Day. We decided to add our own little twist and make it Cake and Wine Day, both of which were needed after this week. We enjoyed a good giggle over the fact that the author comments in this chapter on how frustrating laboratory research can be. I think we were both feeling that this week. As Dr. Robinson states, "Apparently I need a new club to wrest inspiration from the titanium jaws of unyielding frustration." Yes, yes indeed.

But we don't have clubs. We have spoons and bowls and honey and eggs and red wine and... lemons. Everything we need for cake and girl talk over a glass of wine. As far as cakes go, this was the perfect cake to put an end to this week: delightfully simple, and simply delicious. (No KitchenAid required)

If I were to make a cake for my mom, this would be the one. She's not a sweets person, preferring salty over sugary. This cake uses honey instead of sugar and calls for wheat flower (conveniently my current obsession), which adds a nuttier, earthier flavor than the all-purpose variety. Additionally (a word only scientists use in regular conversation...), the powdered sugar glaze contains lemon juice and zest, which cuts the pure sugar sweetness with a pleasantly surprising tart zip. The result is a technically simple but flavorfully complex cake, sweet enough to make you smile, but not so sweet you can feel the cavities forming.

The left overs will be shared at lab meeting on Monday, to remind us of the good an occasional lemon can do for us.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Raspberry Cake for the Scientist's Soul

Today needed to be Cake Day. The atmosphere in the office yesterday afternoon was bleak--everyone was frustrated with their projects, worn out by the heat, and suffering from the general mid-week blues. And after receiving last week's left overs, everyone was hungry for cake anyway... I'd been asked multiple times when the next Cake Day would be. It's impressive how quickly people jump in to support a project when the outcome will be a sweet treat in which they can partake.

So last night I attempted the Raspberries and Cream Cloud Cake.

Which turned out to be an event that reminded me why I don't usually bake cakes: when it comes to baking, I lack certain "things." Mainly, an electric mixer. No one in my family has ever used one. We're stubborn, I suppose, so the only way to bake is the old fashioned way: a spoon and elbow grease. It seems that nowadays, however, most recipes assume you have a giant, shiny (expensive) KitchenAid. The graduate student salary doesn't allow one to purchase such niceties for oneself, and since I haven't had the fortune of a wedding registry yet, I usually make do by MacGyvering a combination of ordinary kitchen tools, an electric hand mixer, and sheer manpower and get through just fine. Apparently, though, not for this cake. While the instructions were exquisitely detailed and clear, and I followed them exactly minus the mixer part, my cake didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped.

I also apparently lack math skills, as I had only 3/4 the raspberries I needed. If only we used the metric system... so much easier than this pints/quarts/ounces nonsense.

All was not lost, however, as what the cake lacked in beauty, it generally made up for in taste. Naturally I sampled some before taking it in this morning, to avoid subjecting my coworkers to further disappointment. But Cake Day the Second was a success, bringing to the office a little cheer and several extra visitors. Good news travels fast. And the sweet fruit and light frosting were perfect in the sweltering weather we're experiencing.

My cat was also quite interested in the cake. I wonder if there are kitty cake recipes...

Next time I attempt this cake, I'll be armed and ready with the correct calculations and, hopefully, a KitchenAid.