Scenes from New York

Life seized my attention for the past few weeks, but I am back and here for a quick check in. Even though this space has been quiet, I have been running around at high speed. I spent the first part of June traveling around New York City, and I am currently packing up my apartment for another big move (which I’ll tell you about soon!).

The first stop on the trip was Brooklyn for the Saveur Food Blog Awards. It was so wonderful to meet the faces behind the blogs that I most admire. While I didn’t win (and certainly didn’t expect to), the bloggers who did were incredibly deserving—you can check out their blogs here! The rest of the holiday was spent sightseeing in Manhattan and generally acting very much like a tourist (much to my boyfriend’s dismay). I geeked out at the American Museum of Natural History, rode bikes through Central Park, watched the sunset from the top of the Empire State Building, enjoyed the Book of Mormon on Broadway, and walked the streets in search of good food.

Easily the best meal we had was in the tavern section at Gramercy Tavern. The food we had (sea bass and pork loin) was delicious, and the wait staff was the most attentive I have ever experienced.  We also sought out ramen on three separate occasions (I blame the recent viewing of Mind of a Chef) and other ethnic foods that are impossible to find in our small town. I started each morning off with a smoothie from a hidden gem down the street (which I plan to share with you once I perfect it) and made a point to stop at one of the countless bakeries, like Milk Bar and Insomnia Cookies, for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

All in all, it was time well spent. I’ll be back soon to share a recipe with you!

Strawberry Layer Cake

Pastry Affair turned five years old earlier this week—an unimaginable milestone when I started this blog so long ago. Originally a place to let out a little creative energy, it has grown and flourished into so much more. This space stayed a constant when my life was going through the many and tumultuous changes of growing up and finding a place in this world. I hope it continues to be one for plenty of years to come. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, dear friend, and following along wherever it may lead.

I celebrated this anniversary earlier this spring by upgrading my camera from an entry level DSLR to a professional model. I am still learning how to use it (the purpose of many of the buttons remains a mystery), but it is my new summer project. During Pastry Affair's 4th anniversary, I shared that I had been struggling with blogging, losing the motivation to continue in light of my new career as a high school teacher. It took a few months of healing and letting go of my ideas of perfection, but Pastry Affair found its way back into my heart. It feels right.

The past week was not only a big week for Pastry Affair, but it was also the start of summer vacation (!) and my own 27th birthday (!!). Unlike my 25th birthday, when I despaired that my childhood was over, I felt ready to embrace this new age. I have never been more of an adult than I have in this past year, both in mannerisms and responsibilities, but I still feel as if I have a hold on youth. There is a quote that I adore from Leo Rosten that expresses this well:

O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we always are, whose needs are simple, whose daily life is still best described by fairy tales. 

With summer upon me (and three glorious months to call my own), perhaps this disguise will disappear for a moment while I take on a few new adventures of my own.

It is well documented that my personal favorite celebration cake is a Berry Topped Angel Food Cake. With this particular cake and culinary spirit in mind, I fashioned this strawberry layer cake for Pastry Affair's special day. A simple vanilla cake is surrounded by a strawberry infused swiss meringue buttercream, but the taste is something straight from heaven. The "naked" cake is one of my favorite trends because it is so easy to recreate. The frosting is not supposed to be perfect or fully cover the sides, which means that there are very few ways to get this wrong. If you are a bit inexperienced at cake decoration, this style is definitely for you. 

The recipe is designed to create a full-sized three layer cake, so save this for a memorable event when you have eager mouths to please.

Strawberry Layer Cake expands on the idea of strawberries and cream by turning it into a multi-layer masterpiece. My classic vanilla cake recipe has been rewritten for a tall three layer cake. The cake is surrounded with a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream interspersed with fresh strawberries. The recipe may appear extensive at first glance, but do not let this deter you. If you have made cake and frosting before, this cake will be no more difficult nor take you a greater length of time.

One Year Ago: Berry Topped Angel Food Cake
Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Espresso Cake, Pineapple Jam, and Vanilla Chia Pudding
Three Years Ago: Mocha Granola, Multigrain Bread, Blueberry Lemon Crumble, and Vanilla Cupcakes
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade, Citrus Roasted Rhubarb, and Roasted Cherry Brownies
Five Years Ago: Chocolate Coconut Granola, Sour Cream Sugar Cookies, and Lemon Tarts

Strawberry Layer Cake

Yields 3 layer 8 or 9-inch cake*

Vanilla Cake
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups (560 grams) granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup (240 grams) sour cream (or plain, non-fat yogurt)
2/3 cup (150 grams) olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
5 1/3 cups (600 grams) cake flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups (480 ml) milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease 8 or 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in three additions, alternating with the milk, stirring until batter is uniform and smooth.

Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Keep in mind that the cake layers will be relatively tall. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting. 

Vanilla Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Heavily adapted from Sweetapolita

5 large egg whites (150 g)
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) butter
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (225 grams) fresh strawberries, cored and sliced

Using a sharp knife, cube the butter and set aside. While making the frosting, the butter will warm up slightly, but should still be cool to the touch when using it. 

Wipe a large bowl with a paper towel soaked in a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar to remove traces of grease. Add egg whites and sugar and, over a double boiler, whisk constantly over hot water until the sugar dissolves. When rubbed between your fingers, the egg whites should feel hot and smooth (approximately a temperature of 140 degrees F/60 degrees C). This will generally take 3-5 minutes.

Using a mixer, whip the egg whites until thick, glossy peaks form. This may take anywhere from 8-10 minutes. The bottom of the bowl should feel neutral to the touch before moving on to the next step.

Place the mixer on low speed and add the cool butter cubes one at a time, mixing until smooth. The frosting should reach a silky texture. Beat in the vanilla bean seeds. If the butter is too warm and the frosting is too runny, place in the refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes to firm up the butter before mixing again. If the mixture curdles, continue mixing until it comes back together.

To assemble, reserve approximately 1 1/2 cups of frosting to use later. Mix a majority of the sliced strawberries in the remaining frosting, reserving a handful for decoration. 

Place the bottom cake layer on a serving plate. Place approximately 2 cups of strawberry filled frosting on the cake and smooth evenly. Add the second layer of cake and repeat. Place the final layer on top and, using the reserved frosting, smooth frosting onto the top and sides of the cake to fill in any gaps. If there are bare areas showing between the cake layers, push reserved strawberry slices into the frosting and smooth out with an uneven spatula.

Top with halved strawberries and serve.

* A 3 layer 8-inch cake will not use all of the batter so you will have enough leftover batter to create a few cupcakes. If baking 9-inch cakes, you will likely use all of the batter in the creation of the cake.

Berry Balsamic Pie

The weather in the upper Midwest has been particularly sporadic this year, bouncing back and forth between winter and summer temperatures. Mother Nature's indecision weighs heavily over us, as the forecast rises and plummets to her whims. I wore a heavy winter coat to an amusement park for the first time earlier this week. This field trip was planned nearly a month ago, when April weather was coming out of its winter slump.  Surely it will be warm at the end of May, I thought. Maybe I should pack sunscreen, just in case. I was so very wrong. 

With summer vacation only a week away, I hope Mother Nature gets her forecast in order. I have some sunbathing I need to do.

Late spring is easily my least favorite for produce. Summer has fresh berries and vegetables straight from the vine. Along with a lasting scent of cinnamon, autumn brings an abundance of crisp apples and pumpkin. Winter delivers citrus and pears to accompany bowls of hearty stews. Spring, however, appears to have nothing at all. Living as far north as I do, growing season has not arrived. The rhubarb is now awakening from its long nap, the strawberry plants have just been buried in the dirt, and so we must wait.

Frozen produce has become my salvation until the garden blooms.

Pie has been on repeat in my mind lately. Pie, pie, pie. I made three of them in the last week alone. More than anything else, I think I just wanted to play with the dough, to shape it in new ways, to go through the motions of creating something beautiful and delicious.  Though, having a slice here or there hasn't been a negative either.

With this particular pie, frozen berries are easier to use than fresh. Frozen berries have a consistent level of sweetness and, when thawed, release the right amount of juice to set into the perfect pie. To accompany the berry flavor, I used a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Strawberry and balsamic flavors are notoriously complementary and I find this effect carries over to berries as well. The balsamic flavor is faint (it is difficult to taste unless you are aware it is present), but it adds something special that the plain berries would not have otherwise.

Berry Balsamic Pie comes together quite easily. Since it uses frozen berries instead of fresh, the filling can be mixed together quickly. A little balsamic vinegar helps to round out the berries flavor. I used a combination of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries for this pie. If preferred, the lattice top is not necessary, so you could save yourself a bit of time if you are on a tight schedule. However, I prefer a little extra pie crust with my berries and—I imagine that you do too—so I have suggested it is included.

Serve plain, with fresh whipped cream, or a side of vanilla ice cream.

One Year Ago: Roasted Strawberry Red Wine Popsicles
Two Years Ago: Nutella Swirled Banana Bread and Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Salted Almond Ice Cream, Rhubarb Ginger Muffins, Coconut Waffles, and Dark Cherry Fruit-on-the-Bottom Yogurt
Four Years Ago: Cornmeal Poppy Seed Crackers, Pina Colada Cupcakes, and Strawberry Smoothie

Berry Balsamic Pie

Yields 9-inch pie

1 double crust pie dough recipe
6 cups (850 grams) frozen mixed berries, thawed
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Milk, for brushing
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the thawed berries, sugar, flour, and balsamic vinegar until the berries are evenly coated. Set aside.

Form the pie dough into a disk and divide it into a 60/40 ratio (if using store-bought crust, do not worry about this step). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger section of dough into a 14-inch round circle. Carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan and trim the excess pie dough to create a 1-inch overhang. Tuck the dough overhang under itself and pinch the dough between your thumb and forefinger to make a decorative edge around the rim. Fill the pie crust with the berry mixture.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller section of pie dough. Using a pizza cutter and a ruler, cut out 3/4-inch wide strips of dough. Layer the strips over the top of the pie in a decorative fashion. Trim and tuck the edges of the strips into the pie mixture itself. 

Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle granulated sugar over the crust. Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and continue baking. Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent further browning. Bake an additional 50-65 minutes, or until the lattice and crust are evenly browned.

For perfect slices, cool for at least 3-5 hours (or overnight). Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.