A Cake for the End of the World: St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

If the world comes to an end tomorrow, this is the cake I would want to eat tonight.  All this talk of  'The Rapture' this week has given me pause to think about what we should have for dinner on Friday night just in case we're not around to eat on Saturday. I mean, calories are not an issue, correct?  Since I made this cake last weekend for my husband's birthday, I'd have to be pretty certain about the calorie thing.  It is decadent enough to make you stop and think about the plaque buildup that may be happening in your arteries, but delicious enough to make you commit to a 3 mile run the next day to make up for it. It is like marshmallows and creme brulee.  So buttery. So gooey. So worth it.  So, if you're either feeling pretty certain about this whole rapture thing, or willing to go for a  run tomorrow morning if you happen to still be around, bake this cake tonight.  Either way, you will not be sorry!

St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake (from Smitten Kitchen):

For the cake:

3 tbsp milk at room temperature

1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast

6tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 egg

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

For the topping:3 tbsp  plus 1 tsp light corn syrup

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 egg

1 cup plus 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Confectioner's sugar to sprinkle on top

To make the cake dough:

In a small bowl, mix milk with 2 tbsp warm water.  Add yeast and whisk gently until it dissolves.  Mixture will foam slightly.

Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and salt.  Scrape down sides of bowl and beat in the egg.  Alternately add the flour and the milk mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition.  Switch to a dough hook and beat dough on medium speed until it forms a smooth dough, about 5 minutes.  It will still be sticky.

Grease a 9x13 ceramic baking dish and spread the dough, stretching it evenly.  Cover the pan with a sheet of plastic wrap and put it in a warm place, allowing it to rise until doubled, about 2 1/2 hours.

To make the topping:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk corn syrup with 2 tbsp water and the vanilla.  In your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg.  Beat until well mixed.  Alternately add flour and corn syrup mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl between additions.

Spoon the topping evenly over risen cake, and spread evenly with an offset spatula.  Bake 30-40 minutes, watching very carefully at the 30 minute mark. Cake will have a barely golden top when done, and will rise and fall in waves.  The center of the cake should still be quite liquidy, and will set up  while the cake is cooling.  I have made it twice, and the second time I overcooked it by a few minutes, and it made a very big difference, so don't let it go too long.  After cooling, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.  Serve at room temperature.

A Birthday Cake For Mom: Orange, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake

If I learned to cook by watching my grandmother, I learned to squeeze every ounce of joy from life by watching my mother.  She truly enjoys life more than anyone I know.  This week she celebrated her birthday, and to watch her in action, you would never guess her age.  She goes to the gym almost every day, travels extensively with friends and family, attends plays, movies, concerts, and is in the stands at all the home games of the UCONN men's and women's basketball teams.  She volunteers her time for several worthy causes, she helps those in her community, and in my house, we couldn't live without her.  She runs my girls to many of their activities, attends their soccer or basketball games, picks them up after school from time to time, runs errands for us, stays home with the girls when they are sick.  She is like a third parent in so many ways.  She has taken her lead from her own mother, my grandmother, in terms of being intimately involved in the day to day aspects of our lives.  She lives with a vibrancy and joy that I admire greatly, and she passes it on to everyone around her.

My mother's life has not been easy; she was very sick as a child, in and out of convalescent homes until she was about 9 years old.  She survived a sickness that one of her friends did not.  She married my father, gave birth to my sister and to me, and after just 16 years of marriage, lost my father to a sudden heart attack.  She was faced with the task of raising two daughters on her own.  Like everything else she does in life, she faced her new role with grace and joy.  She did not feel sorry for herself, nor did she ever allow us to feel sorry for ourselves.  The message was clear:  life would go on, and we would be happy. My father would have wanted nothing less. Even as a kid, I marveled at her strength, and as I got older and became a wife and a mother of two girls myself, I was more and more in awe of this amazing woman.

One of the best decisions she made was to return to college, earning her Bachelor's degree while working and raising us.  She had lots of help; she knew the benefits of surrounding us with our extended family.  My grandmother and grandfather, who lived just upstairs from us, and my Nana, were always there to support us, as were our aunts, uncles and cousins who lived so close by (several on the same street!). When Mom finished school, she worked hard to put my sister and me through college, and she always managed to find time for fun.  She continued to travel, and spend time with her friends and family.  She was active in our church, starting a food pantry for families in need, volunteering her time and energy wherever she saw a need.  She continues to be willing to try just about anything, which is one of the secrets to staying youthful.

I have not often written about my mother, and the reason is this:  it is hard to find words to fully express the depth of love, respect, and gratitude I feel for this woman.  She is my mentor, my sounding board, and my friend, and I cannot find words adequate to express all she means to me, to Michael, and to my girls.

Though my mother claims not to be a good cook, the truth is that she just doesn't enjoy it.  She loves having people over, and is the very best at organizing and presenting a heck of a dinner party.  For her birthday this week, Michael and I had a dinner party in her honor.  We had several of her dear friends, and my Aunt Judy and Uncle Bobby.  Auntie Judy, my father's younger sister, has the same birthday as my mother, so it turned out to be quite a party. While my house is not nearly as immaculate and organized as my mother's, the food and especially the company were quite fabulous. I wanted to bake a cake as unique as my mom, and I stumbled across this recipe I had cut out some time ago from a newspaper.  I made a few changes, added some whipped cream, and it was delicious.  A great ending to a wonderful celebration!

Orange, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake
1/4 cup sliced almonds

6 ounces blanched almonds

1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

Zest of 1 large orange

Juice of 1 large orange (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan, and spread the sliced almonds in the bottom.  Finely grind the blanched almonds in the food processor until they look like bread crumbs.  Beat the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer until frothy.  Add the sugar slowly, and beat the mixture until it is lemon colored. Add the ground almonds, baking powder, and salt.  Mix quickly, and then add the flour in slowly.  Add the orange juice, the orange zest, and the olive oil, and mix just until combined.  Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.  Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes.  Serve with whipped cream.