2B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
HOME & LIVING
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021
FRUIT
granulated sugar
1 pinch coarse salt
1 cup unsweetened
fl aked coconut
Sanding sugar for sprinkling
Continued from Page 1B
“I thought if I was writ-
ing a book where fruit is
the focus, I wanted it to be
aspirational and educa-
tional on some level,” he
says. “I wanted to introduce
people to fruits that they
might have had before but
not made anything with it.
Or it might be a fruit they
stumbled on or sought out.”
He offers substitutions for
the unusual and harder to
fi nd fruits. For instance, he
suggests doubling the blue-
berries in the crumb cake
recipe if gooseberries cannot
to be found. His make-do
suggestion is even easier for
a kiwi and goldenberry torte.
“If fresh goldenberries are
unavailable, substitute with
a smattering of your favorite
fruit,” he writes in the book.
If a fruit is out of season,
he works with ones that are
available. His buttermilk
ricotta cake with peaches, he
says, works just as well with
mangoes, pineapple and even
banana. He avoids fruits that
will break down too much in
the oven and also oranges,
as they will add too much
liquid.
In a phone interview,
Schreiber spoke about how
to handle fruits in cakes and
offered baking tips. The Q&A
has been edited for clarity.
Q: How do we keep fruits
from sinking to the bottom of
the cake?
A: A dense piece of fruit
will be more likely to sink in
a soft, light batter. Coating
the fruit in fl our before mix-
ing it into the batter will help
it fl oat a bit. So will adding
the fruit to the top of the bat-
ter so it has a longer distance
to travel before reaching the
bottom of the pan.
Q: What about getting
fruits to hold their shape
when they are baked?
A: One of the things that
helps a fruit to hold its
shape is pectin. Different
fruits have different levels.
For instance, quince is very
high in pectin. Acidic apples
like Honeycrisp and Granny
Smith will hold their shapes
when baked, but ones like
Red Delicious will turn to
complete mush in the oven.
Similarly Bosc pears, which
are fi rmer, are more likely to
hold their shape than, say,
Anjou pears.
Q: Is there something that
can be done to make fruits
look pretty and not washed
out in an upside-down cake?
A: You have to take the
time at the beginning, in the
fi rst few steps, when you are
layering the fruits. You want
to arrange the fruits prop-
erly so they look just as neat
when the pan is fl ipped after
the cake is baked.
Q: When styling a cake
with fruits, what are some
key aspects to keep in mind?
A: Save the prettiest fruit
for the top or whatever part
of the cake will be the most
visible. Use a mix of whole
and sliced fruits to add inter-
esting shapes and a variety
of sizes. If the leaves or blos-
soms of the fruit are avail-
able, and are edible, throw a
few in for good measure.
Q: What is the best way of
storing a cake topped with
fruits?
A: A cake with fresh fruit
on top will probably need to
be refrigerated after as-
sembling. If possible, add
the fruit just before serving
so it looks its best. Leftovers
can be loosely covered with
plastic or a cake dome and
refrigerated.
Q: How do you prevent a
fl uffy frosting from crusting
up?
A: Frostings that are made
Andrew Rush/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-TNS
Coconut apricot macaroon cake, with a double dose of shredded coconut. Unsweet-
ened coconut is used in the batter and topping, making the cake delightfully chewy.
with powdered sugar will
form a crust when exposed to
the air. I see this as a feature
rather than a defect as it is
largely unavoidable, though
refrigeration may slow the
process. If you prefer a silky
smooth frosting, look for a
recipe like Swiss meringue
buttercream.
Q: Does it matter whether
a rubber spatula or wooden
spoon is used to fold in wet
and dry ingredients?
A: A rubber spatula will do
a better job than a wooden
spoon because its fl exible
design allows it to scrape the
sides of the bowl. As a result,
you’ll be able to mix the
ingredients together more ef-
fi ciently with fewer strokes.
Q: How do you prevent a
cheesecake from cracking on
top?
A: A cheesecake cracks
when it cools too quickly.
Take the cake out of the oven
at the point when it is just
setting. If you shake the pan,
the outside of the cake will
be fi rm, but the very center
will still have a wobble to it.
Let the pan sit in the
water bath for about 30
minutes after it is taken out
of the oven. Then transfer
the pan to a cooling rack and
let it come down to room
temperature slowly. Finally,
refrigerate it.
Q: Not everybody owns
cake pans of different sizes.
What is the one must-have
pan size?
A: For most people, an
8-inch pan will be suffi cient.
That being said, if a recipe
calls for a certain size pan,
go with that, because that’s
what it was tested in. If you
use another size pan, the
cake may take a longer or
shorter time to bake or the
batter could overfl ow.
Q: How important is it
to prepare a cake pan with
grease and fl our?
A: Greasing the pan is
one of the most important
steps you can take. There is
no point in making a cake if
you cannot get it out of the
pan, right? You can lubricate
the pan with softened butter
or oil. I personally don’t like
spray-on products. Flour of-
fers a layer of protection and
helps to prevent the cake
from sticking to the pan and
the butter from melting into
the batter.
I have a Pan Goo recipe
that calls for 1/4 cup neutral
oil and 1/3 cup all-purpose
fl our. It is easy to use as
you need to brush the pan
with just one thing. You can
refrigerate it for a month or
even longer.
Q: As a recipe developer,
you obviously encourage sub-
stitutions. But when do you
say, “Stop the madness”?
A: I don’t think I would
change too many things
at once. If you have a good
sense of what each compo-
nent of the recipe is there to
do, then go for it. Use your
judgment and understand
what and why you are doing
it. But if you are missing half
the ingredients, maybe you
should look for a different
recipe that features ingredi-
ents you have on hand.
PEANUT BUTTER
AND JELLY CAKE
If you like a PB&J
sandwich, you would love
this PB&J cake. It has a
pronounced peanut butter
fl avor that is complemented
well by jams like straw-
berry or lingonberry. Avoid
natural peanut butter as it
will toughen the batter and
weigh down the cake.
The mound of fresh straw-
berries is like the icing on
the cake, and a feast for the
eyes and palate. Leave the
stem on some of the berries
for a touch of color.
For preparing the pan,
make Pan Goo by whisking
together 1/4 cup neutral
oil and 1/3 cup all-purpose
fl our. Then brush it onto the
pan.
Bake until the cake is just
fi rm to the touch and a cake
tester inserted into the center
comes out with moist crumbs,
about 25 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire
rack. Allow the cake to rest in
the pan for 10 minutes before
inverting it onto the rack to
cool completely,
Transfer the cake to a serv-
ing platter. Be careful, because
the underside may stick to the
cooling rack. Spread the jam
over the top of the cake and
pile high with strawberries.
Makes 12 servings.
Note: Prepare the pan
with pan goo ( 1/4 cup
neutral oil and 1/3 cup all-
purpose fl our).
— “Fruit Cake: Recipes for
the Curious Baker” by Jason
Schreiber (William Morrow;
November 2020)
COCONUT APRICOT
MACAROON CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees with a rack in the cen-
ter position. Grease a 9-inch
round cake pan with Pan Goo.
In a small saucepan, stir
together the apricots, apricot
preserves and 1/4 cup water.
Set over medium heat and
cook, stirring constantly with
a wooden spoon, until a syrup
forms that is thick enough to
hold a line, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and
toss with shredded coconut.
Set aside to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk
together the fl our, baking pow-
der and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the
coconut oil, sugar and eggs
until smooth and creamy.
Whisk in the milk and vanilla.
Using a rubber spatula, stir
the fl our mixture into the wet
ingredients.
Gently fold the apricot-co-
conut mixture into the batter,
distributing it evenly through-
out. Pour the batter into the
prepared cake pan.
Make the topping. In a
medium bowl, whisk the egg
white, granulated sugar and
salt until just foamy, about 30
seconds.
Stir in the coconut fl akes
and scatter on top of the cake
batter. Sprinkle with sanding
sugar.
Bake until the cake is fi rm
to the touch and golden
brown and a cake tester
inserted into the center comes
out with moist crumbs, about
1 hour.
Transfer the pan to a wire
rack. Rest the cake in the pan
for about 10 minutes. Then
unmold onto the rack to cool
completely.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
This is one of those cakes
with a bold and beautiful
fl avor that will be instantly
— “Fruit Cake: Recipes for
3/4 cup all-purpose fl our
consumed. It has the chew
the Curious Baker” by Jason
3/4 teaspoon baking powder of a coconut macaroon and
Schreiber (William Morrow;
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
November 2020)
a fl ash of tartness from the
1/2 cup smooth peanut
apricots. The cake will keep
butter (not natural)
at room temperature, covered BUTTERMILK
4 tablespoons unsalted
for 3 or 4 days.
RICOTTA AND
butter, softened
For preparing the pan,
PEACH CAKE
3/4 cup fi rmly packed
make Pan Goo by whisking
light brown sugar
together 1/4 cup neutral oil
Frozen fi rm-ripe peaches
1 large egg plus 1
and 1/3 cup all-purpose fl our.
work beautifully here in an
large egg yolk
Then brush it onto the pan.
off-season time like now.
1/3 cup whole milk
For the cake
Vanilla beans are more fl a-
1 teaspoon pure
1 cup dried apricots, cut
vanilla extract
vorful than vanilla extract,
into 1/4 -inch pieces
1/3 cup any berry jam
and also more expensive.
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 pound strawberries, the
So if you are watching your
1/2 cup unsweetened
largest ones cut into
budget, you could use 1
shredded coconut
halves or quarters
tablespoon of pure vanilla
1 cup all-purpose fl our
extract in place of the bean.
Preheat the oven to 350 de- 1 teaspoon baking powder
After about 40 minutes,
grees with a rack in the center 1 teaspoon coarse salt
I moved the rack to the
position. Brush a 9-inch round 6 tablespoons coconut
middle of the oven and
oil, melted
cake pan with Pan Goo.
baked the cake for about
1 cup granulated sugar
In a medium bowl, whisk
8 minutes. The cake set
2 large eggs
together the fl our, baking
perfectly and showed off a
1/3 cup whole milk
powder and salt. Set aside.
golden brown crumb.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In the bowl of an electric
For preparing the pan,
mixer fi tted with paddle at-
make Pan Goo by whisking
For the topping
tachment, combine peanut
together 1/4 cup neutral oil
butter, butter and light brown 1 large egg white
and 1/3 cup all-purpose fl our.
2 tablespoons
sugar. Beat together on me-
Then brush it onto the pan.
dium speed until the mixture
is smooth and very creamy,
about 3 minutes. Stop the
mixer, scrape down the sides
of the bowl, and add the egg
and yolk.
Continue beating on me-
dium speed until the egg has
been completely incorporated
into the batter, about 1 minute
longer.
With the mixer running
on low speed, add half the
fl our mixture, beating until
just combined. Scrape down
the sides of the bowl and
continue mixing on low speed
while slowly adding the milk
and vanilla.
Add the remaining fl our
mixture and stir by hand until
smooth. Scrape the batter into
the prepared pan and smooth
the top with a small offset
spatula.
For the buttermilk ricotta
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons freshly
squeezed lemon juice
(from 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
For the cake
1 1/4 cups all-purpose fl our
1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons
granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter,
melted and cooled slightly
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
and seeds scraped out
1 teaspoon fi nely grated
lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 cup sliced fi rm-ripe
peaches, 1/2 -inch thick
In a small saucepan,
combine milk, cream and
buttermilk over medium heat,
stirring occasionally, until
it reaches 200 degrees on
a candy thermometer and
curds begin to form, about 15
minutes.
Add lemon juice and give it
one last stir. Then remove the
pan from the heat and let it sit
undisturbed for 30 minutes.
Stir in the salt. Drain the
curds in the refrigerator over-
night through a triple layer of
cheesecloth set in a colan-
der over a bowl. The cheese
should be fi rm enough to just
hold its shape and measure
a little over 1 cup when it’s
ready.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
with a rack in the upper-third
position. Brush a 9-inch
springform pan with Pan Goo.
In a small bowl, whisk
together the fl our, baking pow-
der and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the
ricotta, 3/4 cup sugar, eggs,
butter, vanilla seeds and
lemon zest until the mixture is
rich and creamy.
Stir the dry ingredients into
the ricotta mixture until just
combined. Then scrape the
batter into the pan.
Scatter the sliced peaches
on top of the batter and
sprinkle with the remaining 3
tablespoons of sugar.
Bake the cake until the
edges are golden brown and
a cake tester inserted into the
center comes out with moist
crumbs, about 45 minutes.
Transfer the pan to a wire
rack. Allow the cake to cool
for a few minutes before
removing the collar from the
pan. Serve warm or at room
temperature.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
— “Fruit Cake: Recipes for
the Curious Baker” by Jason
Schreiber (William Morrow;
November 2020)
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