The Darling Starling

Recipes

Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
- Monday July 26, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com.
  
  Difficulty rating: 2 out of 10. There's nothing difficult about these at all. The only part that requires some patience and finesse is prepping the peaches.
  
  Makes 24 to 28 cupcakes
  - 3 C. cake flour
  - 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  - 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  - 1 tsp. salt
  - Pinch of nutmeg
  - 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  - 3/4 C. granulated sugar
  - 3/4 C. dark or light brown sugar, packed
  - 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  - 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  - 1 1/2 C. (12 ounces) buttermilk, sour cream or full-fat yogurt
  - 3 large peaches, peeled, cored and chopped smallish (1/3-inch dice)
  Making the cupcakes:
  
  Liz: Take out your butter ahead of time to let it start softening. (And don't forget that the frosting requires room temperature butter and cream cheese as well, so take those out at least 30-60 minutes before you start that part of the recipe.)
  
  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 muffin cups with paper liners.
  
  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg and set aside.
  
  Cream the butter and sugars together, beating until fluffy.
  
  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl between each addition, and then the vanilla.
  
  Gently mix in the buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt.
  
  Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the peach chunks.
  
  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. (Liz: This seemed very vague to me. My main problem being that, at the moment, I only have one muffin pan, so how would I possibly know how to make all 27 ... which is what I ended up with ... look the same when I could only measure out 12 at a time? So, for your benefit, I will let you know that you should basically fill each cupcake liner up to just a little below the top. Don't be afraid of them billowing out too high. I filled them all to just under the top of the liner and they came out perfectly.)
  
  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (Liz: 20 was perfect for me.), or until a tester inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for five minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  
  Making the Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:
  - 1 1/4 C. light brown sugar
  - 1/4 C. cornstarch
  - 1/2 C. powdered sugar
  - 2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
  - 1/2 C. (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  Liz: If you haven't done it yet, take out the cream cheese and butter to soften.
  
  In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch and powdered sugar.
  
  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
  
  Add the sugar-cornstarch mixture along with the vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth and light, a minute or two.
  
  Chill the bowl in the refrigerator until it thickens back up a bit, at least 30 minutes, then spread or dollop onto cooled cupcakes.
  
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New York Cheesecake with Cherry Topping
- Monday July 19, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from Gourmet Magazine, with improvements from me.
  
  Difficulty Rating: 5 out of 10. This rating was earned because of the required temperature adjustments, the necessity to watch the cake bake for at least the first 10 minutes and having to make sure all of the thick cream cheese mixed thoroughly with the other filling ingredients.
  
  Crumb crust:
  - 8 oz. (15 standard sheets) of graham cracker
  - 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  - 1/2 C. sugar
  - 1/4 tsp. salt
  Filling:
  - 5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (Philadelphia is recommended)
  - 1 3/4 C. sugar
  - 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  - 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  - 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
  - 5 large eggs
  - 2 large egg yolks
  - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  Cherry topping:
  - 10 oz. sweet or sour cherries, pitted (frozen works)
  - 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  - 1/4 C. sugar
  - 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  - 1/2 C. water
  Prep:
  Take cream cheese out of fridge to begin softening.
  
  Coat a 9 1/2-inch springform pan lightly with butter on bottom and sides.
  
  Making the crumb crust:
  Place graham cracker sheets in a gallon-sized freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin.
  
  Stir together crust ingredients, then press onto bottom and up the sides of springform pan, stopping one inch shy of the top rim to prevent burning. Optional: Place in freezer while you prepare filling to help it set.
  
  Making the filling:
  Make sure you have an oven rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat oven to 550 degrees (or whatever your oven goes up to, with 550 being the hottest). Per my recommendation below, I'd suggest having one rack in the middle and one rack under the first.
  
  Zest the lemon and orange.
  
  Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour and zest with an electric mixer until smooth. (I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I'm sure you could also use a hand mixer if that's all you have.)
  
  Add vanilla, beating on low speed until incorporated. Then add eggs and yolks, also beating on low until incorporated. Scrape bowl down between additions; if you do not, you’ll end up with unmixed stripes of cream cheese.
  
  Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips). Liz recommendation: It may be because I have cheap baking pans, but every time I put one in the oven, it bends when it gets hot. This made my cheesecake sit unevenly. My solution was to pull everything out after a few minutes and place the baking sheet on the rack below the cheesecake, rather than directly under the springform pan. I would highly recommend doing this from the get-go if you have similar issues to avoid ending up with either a lopsided cheesecake or a steamed face as you try to fix it in the middle of baking.
  
  Pour filling into crust. The recipe says it should fill the pan to the top. As you can see in my pictures, mine did not fill that high. Is my pan taller than normal? Whatever. Bottom line, it turned out great.
  
  Bake in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes or until puffed. Please watch your cake because some ovens will top-brown very quickly and if yours does too fast, turn the oven down as soon as you catch it. For me, it only took 10 minutes at 500 degrees to begin browning in places.
  
  Reduce the temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), one hour more.
  
  Run a knife around the top edge of the cake to loosen it and cool the cake completely in springform pan on a cooling rack. Then chill it, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.
  
  Making cherry topping:
  Weigh cherries and then pit. (Sorry, I totally forgot to measure for those of you who don't have scales. If I remember to, I'll do it later with my leftover cherries and add the info here.)
  
  Using the lemon you zested earlier, squeeze out the juice for this part of the recipe.
  
  Place all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, cook it for an additional one to two minutes then remove from heat. Cool completely.
  
  Final Preparations:
  Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Spread topping over chilled. Slice and serve!
  
  Cheesecake keeps, covered and chilled, 2 weeks.
  
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Root Beer Float Cupcakes
- Monday July 05, 2010
  
  From Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, adapted by smittenkitchen.com
  
  Difficulty Rating: 2 out of 10. Once again, not too difficult, just a lot of steps.
  
  As suggested in Baked, in order to achieve a stronger root beer presence, swap out half a cup of root beer for root beer schnapps. (Liz: Though I dare you to find another use for the schnapps you will have left over!)
  
  Cupcakes:
  - 2 C. root beer
  - 1 C. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
  - 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  - 1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
  - 1/2 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar
  - 2 C. all-purpose flour
  - 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  - 1 tsp. salt
  - 2 large eggs
  Marshmallow Frosting:
  - 2 large egg whites
  - 1/2 C. sugar
  - 1/4 C. light corn syrup
  - 2 Tbsp. water
  - 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  Making the cupcakes:
  
  Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 dozen cupcake cups with paper liners. (Liz: I got 23 cupcakes.)
  
  In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
  
  In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.
  
  In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten. Then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined.
  
  Fold the liquid and flour mixtures together in the large bowl. The batter will be slightly lumpy; this is okay. If you overbeat it, it will get tough.
  
  Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 to 3/4 full (a 1/4 cup measuring cup works great) and bake cupcakes, rotating trays back to front and top to bottom halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of each comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
  
  Making the frosting:
  
  Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl (Liz: I used glass.) set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled, just a minute or two. (Use frosting the day it is made.)
  
  Building the Cupcakes:
  
  Use the tip of a knife to cut a small cone of cake out of the top center of each cupcake. Using a spoon or a small cookie scoop, nest a scoop of ice cream in each indent. Surround ice cream with dollops of whipped cream. Top with a cherry, if using. To keep cupcakes in a holding pattern while you assemble the remaining ones, you can put them in the freezer, but try to do so for no more than 5 minutes or the whipped cream will harden.
  
  Eat immediately.
  
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Bourbon Peach Hand Pies
- Monday June 21, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com, with some notes.
  
  Difficulty Rating: 4 out of 10 (Mostly because it becomes tiring since there are so many steps!)
  
  Makes 14 to 24 (depending on cutter size) Liz: I could not find anywhere a biscuit cutter larger than 3.5 inches. Thankfully, we found a wide-mouthed coffee mug at home that was 4 inches. I would highly recommend finding something at the 4.5-inch measurement because you could actually fit some more filling in there. These were smaller than they probably look in the photos.
  
  For the pastry:
  - 2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
  - 1/2 tsp. salt
  - 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  - 1/2 C.p sour cream
  - 4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  - 1/2 C. ice water
  For the filling:
  - 2 lbs. of peaches
  - 1/4 C. flour
  - 1/4 C. sugar
  - Pinch of salt
  - 1 tsp. bourbon
  - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  One egg yolk beaten with 2 Tbsp. water (for egg wash)
  Coarse sanding sugar, for decoration
  
  In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour.
  
  Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  
  Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough.
  
  I must comment on the step above. I didn't really like this method. First of all, the dough mixture started to clump to each of my fingers as I worked so I not only had fingers twice their normal size, but it was cold! Secondly, I only got maybe 3 or 4 things to form that might be considered "large lumps." I think you'd be fine using a spatula instead, just be careful, as she says, not to overwork the dough.
  
  Also, I needed to add extra water bit by bit because it never pulled together completely. Another reason why I'm starting to prefer recipes that measure by weight.
  
  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored at this point for up to one month in the freezer.
  
  Divide the refrigerated dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut seven circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and chilling process with the remaining half of dough. You will have to re-roll the dough in between cutting the circles out.
  
  Make the filling:
  
  Peel and chop the peaches into small bits (approx. 1/2-inch dice), much smaller than you’d use for a regular-sized pie. Mix them with the flour, sugar and pinch of salt, and add the bourbon and vanilla.
  
  Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature until just pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons filling onto one half of each circle of dough. Quickly brush a little cold water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a semicircle. Seal the hand pie (Don't be shy; you'll have to mash it good to make it stay shut., and make a decorative edge by pressing the edges of the dough together with the back of a fork. Repeat process with remaining dough.
  
  Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.
  
  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, cut a small slit in each and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash. (Next time, I will be more generous with my egg wash. I think it would've helped them golden up more if I hadn't been so sparing.) Sprinkle sanding sugar generously over the pies, and place pies in the oven to bake. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and just slightly cracked, about 20 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven, and let stand to cool slightly before serving.
  
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Summer Berry Pudding
- Monday June 14, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from Cook's Illustrated, with tips from yours truly.
  
  Difficulty Rating: 1 out of 10. I'd give it a zero because it was so easy, but I figure you actually have to make it, so I won't ever go lower than 1. But this was only warming fruit with sugar, layering it with angel food cake and chilling it.
  
  My ingredients tip is that a pint of fruit is supposed to equal approximately 2 Cups, so if you can visualize that amount, that's your conversion. I do know the strawberry amount specifically. The rest you can just buy 1 container of each and it should be enough. I would err on the side of having too much because this pudding gets packed down. If you don't have enough, it won't hold its structure when you unmold it.
  - 2 pints fresh strawberries rinsed, hulled and sliced (32 oz. container or 4 Cups)
  - 1 pint fresh raspberries (2 Cups)
  - 1/2 pint fresh blueberries (1 Cup)
  - 1/2 pint fresh blackberries (1 Cup)
  - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  - 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  - 1 Angel Food Cake (or 8 slices, challah, potato bread, brioche, etc.)
  Wash and prep fruit. If using angel food or pound cake, go ahead and slice about the thickness of a slice of bread. Figure out how many slices you will need to make 3 full layers in the loaf pan. I had to use 3 slices per layer plus a few smaller trimmed pieces to fill in the edges.
  
  Heat strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and sugar in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to release their juice and sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice; let cool to room temperature.
  
  While berries are cooling, spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the loaf pan with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap lies flat against the surface of the loaf pan, leaving no air space.
  
  Because it wasn't clear to me, I want to elaborate on the instructions below that you're about to read: It's okay if your layers start to get taller than top of the loaf pan. In fact, I'd recommend that they do at least a little because the point is that you're going to compact everything so that it takes on the shape of the pan.
  
  Place the loaf pan on a rimmed cookie sheet and use a slotted spoon to place about 2 cups of fruit into the bottom. Lightly soak enough bread slices for one layer in juice and place on top of fruit. Repeat with two more layers of fruit and bread. Top with remaining juices, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and weight with a second cookie sheet and several heavy cans. Refrigerate puddings for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.
  
  Remove weights, cookie sheet and plastic wrap. To unmold, invert onto serving platter. Lift off loaf pan; remove plastic wrap lining and serve.
  
  If you would like to throw some whipped cream on top (and I highly recommend it because it cuts through the sharp sweetness of the fruit), you can use a hand mixer to whip 8 oz. of heavy whipping cream with 2 Tbsp. of sugar. It'll make enough to dollop each serving.
  
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Best Cocoa Brownies
- Monday June 07, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from Alice Mendrich's Bittersweet.
  
  Difficulty Rating: 1 out of 10. Despite the novelty of preparing them a different way, there was nothing especially difficult about this recipe. I did substitute the unsalted butter with soy-based margarine and just left out the added salt altogether (I finally remembered!) I figure I will make the desserts dairy-free whenever it's an easy option, particularly in cases where the only dairy ingredient is butter and I don't have to mess around with other milks & creams. (Oh, and I measured the dry ingredients by the ounce since that measurement was available and I have a lovely new digital scale!)
  
  Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies
  - 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
  - 1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 oz.) sugar
  - 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder
  - 1/4 tsp. salt
  - 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  - 2 large eggs, cold
  - 1/2 cup (2 3/8 oz.) all-purpose flour
  - 2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
  
  Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
  
  Pour some water into a wide skillet and put on approximately medium heat, adjusting for your own stovetop. It needs to be barely simmering. (The instructions on how much water to use were nonexistent here. I'd recommend starting by covering the bottom of the pan and then filling it a little bit higher because it will help heat the contents of the bowl better. This is a lesson from my attempt where I feel I should've used more water.)
  
  Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in the skillet. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
  
  Stir in the vanilla.
  
  Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.
  
  When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. (Stir in the nuts, if using.) Liz: I do NOT like sprinkling nuts into things that are otherwise soft. I always end up scratching my palate and gums when I chomp into an unexpected nut. Plus, I just don't appreciate the texture differences. Nuts seem like speed bumps to get to the good stuff. You will never see me add nuts to anything where it uses words like "optional."
  
  Spread evenly in the lined pan.
  
  Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven.
  
  Let cool completely on a rack. (After they've cooled somewhat, feel free to place them in the fridge or freezer for a short period of time to help cool completely and make it easier to cut them cleanly.)
  
  Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares. (I'd recommend 16 brownies when cutting them for yourself and friends. If you're making a party platter, 25 brownies would be cute. But know that they will be nearly bite-size.)
  
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Chocolate Pudding Pie
- Monday May 31, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from Gourmet.
  
  Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10. I've become pretty familiar with making and rolling out pie crusts, so I never worry about ruining them, but the challenge in this recipe was pre-baking a crust for the first time. You don't bake the filling, so the crust has to be baked before being filled and then put in the fridge to set. I skipped buying pie weights, though maybe I'll try using them in the future for the experience. The filling and the whipped cream were ... okay, I can't stop myself. I'm a Shiver now. They were easy as pie. There, I said it! Lol. Sorry, you guys.
  
  For the Crust:
  - 2 1/2 C. flour
  - 1 Tbsp. sugar
  - 1 tsp. salt
  - 2 sticks (8 oz., 16 Tbsp. or 1 C.) unsalted butter, very cold
  For the Filling:
  - 1/4 C. cornstarch
  - 1/3 C. granulated sugar
  - 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  - 1/4 tsp. salt
  - 3 C. whole milk
  - 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao), finely chopped
  - 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  For the Topping:
  - 1 C. chilled heavy cream
  - 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  - Bittersweet chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)
  Making the crust:
  
  If you're just making one single-crust pie, you will want to halve this recipe. This is for one double-crust pie or two single crusts.
  
  Fill a one-Cup liquid measure with cold water and add a couple of ice cubes, then set aside.
  
  Cut 2 cold sticks of unsalted butter OR margarine into cubes.
  
  In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. of salt. (You will want to reduce or eliminate salt if using a dairy-free substitute that's not unsalted.)
  
  Put the butter/margarine cubes into the flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender or two knives until crumbled to the size of small peas.
  
  Drizzle a 1/2-Cup of the cold water of the mixture and fold together with a spatula. Continue adding water 1 Tbsp. at a time until it starts to come together in large clumps, then knead together the rest of the way with your hands.
  
  Divide the dough in half, flatten into the shape of a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour before rolling out.
  
  After the dough has chilled for an hour, use a rolling pin to stretch it into an 11-inch round, lightly flouring the rolling surface and the rolling pin (and your hands). I find that it helps to roll in a couple of times, flip over the disk, re-flour the surface and continue rolling, otherwise it tends to start sticking. Place the dough in the pie dish, trim the edges to leave just a slight overhand and decorate the edges. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork.
  
  At this point, you can either chill the pie for 30 minutes and then use pie weights or you can use the cheat method I copied and freeze the pie for 30 minutes, then firmly place a buttered piece of foil buttered side down to bake for 25 minutes. After that, remove the foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool shell completely before adding filling, at least one hour.
  
  Making the filling:
  
  Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 C. sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk. It was recommended here to buy a square-edged or flat-shaped whisk, but I saved money again in the gadget area and just used my rounded one. It worked okay. Bring to a boil over heat just above medium, whisking constantly, then boil while whisking for two minutes (mixture will thicken). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.
  
  Pour filling into cooled shell and chill, its surface covered with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming, until cold, at least two hours or overnight. You will definitely lose the top layer of pie this way, but I see no better way to avoid getting a skin, so just don't let it bother you when some of the pudding comes off with the paper.
  
  Just before serving, beat cream with remaining two tablespoons sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon onto pie and garnish with bittersweet chocolate shavings, if you’re feeling fancy.
  
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Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake
- Monday May 24, 2010
  
  From smittenkitchen.com, adapted from Joy of Cooking, with notes from me.
  
  Difficulty Rating: 3 out of 10
  
  I think the challenging parts of this recipe were whipping both the egg whites and the whipped cream to the proper consistency, folding the whipped egg whites into the batter without deflating them and cutting the cake rounds as evenly in half as possible. But truly, a lot of that accuracy can be fudged. (The cakes themselves sank when they came out of the oven, so cutting even and usable layers was actually a challenge, but you can't even tell, right? It all worked out fine. I am really learning to be flexible through this project!)
  
  Cake layers:
  - 2 1/4 C. sifted cake flour
  - 1 1/2 C. granulated sugar, divided
  - 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  - 1 tsp. salt
  - 3/4 C. cold water
  - 1/2 C. vegetable oil
  - 1 tsp. lemon zest
  - 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  - 5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  - 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
  - 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
  Filling:
  - 2 C. heavy cream
  - 6 Tbsp. confectioners sugar
  - 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  - 2 quarts strawberries, hulled and sliced (I had to translate this for myself while in the grocery store, so I'll share my findings. My Google search told me the answer was 3 of the standard 16-oz. containers approximately, but I had a lot left over. I would recommend 2 containers or 32 ounces instead.)
  - 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  - 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  Making the cake layers:
  
  Don't forget to take your 8 eggs out ahead of time. I cracked mine into two separate bowls (5 yolks, 8 whites) and set them out for ... I think it was about an hour and half to bring them to room temperature.
  
  Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have two 9-inch round cake pans ready, lined with parchment paper that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, but otherwise ungreased. (Liz: Again, I have not yet found a good reason to use this method, so I still lightly grease and flour the pan instead. In future, I may use Alton Brown's suggestion and just buy pre-cut rounds from a bakery.)
  
  Sift the flour, 1 1/4 C. of the sugar, baking powder and salt together twice into a large bowl. (Liz: Another note here. Using another tip from my new Alton Brown book, I just pulsed these ingredients a few times in my food processor rather than sifting them. He's right: it definitely saved me time, energy and, as he puts it, the only reason you would sift is if you don't own a processor. I may get to semi-retire my little sifter!)
  
  In another bowl, beat the yolks, water, oil, zest and vanilla on high speed until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture until combined. In another large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed. Add the remaining 1/4 C. sugar, and beat on high speed until the peaks are stiff but not dry. (None of us had any idea what "stiff but not dry" meant. We just beat it another minute or two until when we stopped and lifted the beater out, the egg white froth stood up on its own where the beater left the bowl. You can see our example in the picture above.)
  
  Use a rubber spatula to fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Do so gently, only until the egg whites are no longer visible. Overdoing it will deflate the egg whites and yield a denser, shorter cake.
  
  Scrape the batter into the two prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake them until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (This took us 30-40 minutes.) Check your cake every five minutes or so from the 30-minute mark on.
  
  While the cakes bake:
  
  Wash, hull and slice the strawberries. We don't have a special tool for this, so Thomas and I just used a small knife to get the job done. I don't even especially believe in hulling, so you're more than welcome to skip that step. Our slices were average, not too thin, not too thick. We kept the lemon that we zested for the cake batter and squeezed out 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice and stirred that, plus 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar into the bowl of prepped strawberry slices (as recommended on smittenkitchen.com) and let the strawberries drip their lovely juices until we were ready to use them. I didn't think about it in time for myself, but I would recommend cutting the strawberries into a colander and setting it over a bowl while the juices collect. Saves a step.
  
  Finishing the cakes:
  
  Let cakes cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When completely cool, run a knife around the sides to release, then flip out onto a plate and then another plate.
  
  At this point, while the cakes cool and the strawberries juice themselves, you can kick your feet up for lunch or a little bit of reading time.
  
  Making the whipped cream:
  
  Beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a clean mixing bowl until it holds stiff peaks. This took us just a few minutes, maybe 4 or 5? and we used a hand mixer.One tip, which I forgot to use myself, is to chill the bowl you are going to beat the cream in ahead of time in order to maintain a cool temperature.
  
  Assembling the cake:
  
  Carefully split each cake layer in half, leaving you with four cake surfaces. (Obviously, we used only 3 halves here, leaving one to go into the fridge for now. If you'd prefer, you could do a 4-layer cake instead or bake only one 9-inch round and slice it into 3 very thin layers. You can always freeze the extra bit of cake to use later. We'll probably just throw the leftover strawberries onto it for a dessert later this week.
  
  One by one, scoop between one-third and one-quarter of the whipped cream onto the surface of the cake and spread it evenly to the edges, without going over, with an offset spatula. Arrange one-quarter of the sliced strawberries over the whipped cream in two layers. Repeat with remaining layers. Try to allot the right amount of whipped cream per layer to leave enough for piping some decorations on top, if you'd like.
  
  The cake can be refrigerated for a few hours before eating it.
  
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