Chocolate Cherry Lane Cake

Chocolate Cherry Lane Cake!!! What???

I’m sure any Southerner who finds this recipe will be shouting at their computer screens. While there are a few variations these days, technically, Lane Cake is a white sponge layer cake with cooked fruit filling and a divinity-like, egg white frosting. It’s a cake with a 115 year history in the South and considered one of the Grande Dames of this region’s baking heritage. It’s the official cake of Alabama, named after a resident of that state who put it in a self-published cookbook in 1898.

(Curious? Find out more here. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1340)

Though it might be time to completely update the old girl, it’s not the purpose of this blog to upset hardcore traditionalists. We’ll just say this version is Ms. Lane’s younger, more intense cousin from Texas.

Since it’s a time-consuming cake to make, Lane Cake is usually presented at special occasions. I made mine for my birthday recently. In that respect I honored tradition. A few original elements of the cake were also kept – sponge cake, coconut, pecans, bourbon and cooked meringue frosting. Now, before I decided to tinker, I’ll be honest and admit I didn’t know the history of Lane Cake. I got curious during the four hours it took me to make my version. The recipe I altered came from “The Southern Heritage Cakes Cookbook”, published by Southern Living Magazine and released in 1983. (I got my copy at First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas 2 years ago.) For many of the cakes in this book, there are descriptions explaining origins. Other than a brief blurb with the photo, mentioning its connection to Alabama, there was no explanation of this cake’s name.

So, why mess with tradition? When I read the Lane Cake recipe, there was a lot I found appealing about it, such as the maraschino cherries in the filling. But I’m not a white cake fan. At first I was just going to jazz things up a bit by making a cherry layer cake. Then at the last moment, before I started the batter, my chocoholic tendencies popped up and insisted, “Why not?”

Overall, I was satisfied with the final result, except for one thing. The cake layers were a bit dry at first. After a couple days they absorbed moisture from the filling and frosting, which helped. If I make this cake again, I think I’ll punch up the chocolate flavor by increasing the cocoa to ¾ c. and decreasing the flour to 2 ½ c. When I made the cake I debated making a reduction in flour to accommodate the cocoa, but decided to just make the addition and see how it turned out. I also think my cake pans were an inch too big. The recipe calls for 9-inch pans. My layers looked thinner than the cake pictured in my book. I hadn’t used those pans in a little while and should have doubled-checked their size. I could have made a 2-layer cake instead (lots of left over filling that way), reduced the baking time by 5 minutes, or done some fancy math and increased the amount of batter being made. After all, who’s going to complain if they get a larger cake?

At the moment, I’m not as time-crunched as some people, and I don’t mind spending a few hours in the kitchen occasionally. For those who don’t want to spend more than 4 hours making a cake, it seems to me this rich beauty could have make-ahead potential. The frosting and filling can tolerate refrigeration if the baker wants to stretch this endeavor out over a couple of days. Just get those components out of cold storage before starting the batter, especially the filling. It will spread easier at room temp.

Here are a couple of other tips for increasing your success in making a layer cake. I find it easier to get layers out of pans if I place parchment paper at the bottom first. Use a pencil to trace around a pan bottom. After cutting out the rounds, spray the inside with oil to keep the parchment in place. Then prepare the pans as you normally would. Also, do you want to get the same amount of batter into each pan? Use a kitchen scale to weigh your empty mixing bowl. Before dividing the batter, weigh the bowl again and subtract the bowl’s weight from the total amount. Divide the remaining amount by 3. Now you know how much batter to place in each baking pan. Put the first 2 pans on the scale. Make sure your tare, or zero out, the scale before pouring the batter into the pans. The last pan doesn’t need to go on the scale.

Cake:

1 c. Butter, softened

2 c. Sugar

3 ¼ c. Cake flour, sifted

2 tsp. Baking powder

2/3 c. Cocoa

Pinch of salt (1/8 -1/4 tsp.)

1 c. Milk

2 tsp. Bourbon

8 Egg Whites (reserve yolk for filling)

Preheat oven to 375°. Cream Butter. Gradually add sugar, beating with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Combine dry indredients. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla. Beat room temp egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.

Pour batter into greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 20 min. or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 min. before removing to cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before assembling the finished cake.

Filling:

8 Egg yolks

1 c. Sugar

½ c. Butter

1 c. Maraschino Cherries, finely chopped

1 c. Pecans, finely chopped

¾ c. Tart, dried cherries (substituted for raisins in original recipe)

¾ c. Unsweetened flake coconut

2 tbsp. Bourbon

Combine egg yolks, sugar, and butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, about 20 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Let cool before spreading on cake.

Another tip: To make things easier on myself I put the fruit and nuts together in my food processor before adding to the cooked mixture.

Frosting:

I wanted cherry flavored frosting. Since I couldn’t find cherry extract, making a substitution for vanilla in the book’s recipe became problematic. I used this recipe instead. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fluffy-Cherry-Frosting

One person reviewed this recipe and noted that the maraschino cherry juice made the frosting taste like cough syrup. Taking note, I used the same amount of Torani Cherry Syrup instead. I also substituted the extract with bourbon. If you are like me and don’t have a candy thermometer, set your timer and follow the time recommendations. This was my first time making a cooked meringue frosting. By observing the recommended times, the finished product turned out fine.

Have some fun and play around with traditions a little. Who knows? You might create something new that becomes a tradition for generations to come.

The Project Queen

Wooly Ambitions

 In past posts I have mentioned that my parents live in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Before I visited them last month, a bit of thought was given to the kind of souvenir coming home with me this time.

While I do appreciate locally made items from other artists and crafters, this time I decided a less processed product was what I needed. A project queen (addict) can never have too many materials at their disposal. I won’t go into detail about how I knew there is a farm by Rapid City that raises Icelandic sheep. It’s a long story. But I decided some wool roving from The Creek’s Edge would be just the thing to bring home. ( www.thecreeksedge.com )

One of the LYSs I frequent does have lovely roving. They just don’t have Icelandic wool yet. The goal in getting my roving in Rapid City was not only to support a domestic farmer, but I was hoping to visit their farm. I plan to blend their wool with the fiber I’ve been harvesting from my rabbits. Unfortunately, the farm visit fell through. The owners were away at a fiber festival during my visit to the Hills, and I left a day early to spend a night with my brother and his family. So I have something interesting to do next time.

Although the farm visit was a bust, I still got my roving. The owners were kind enough to give me the name and address of a Rapid City business that sells their products for them. It is a nursery called Plantsmyth, which is nice enough to visit for its own sake. I purchased an 8 oz. roving in light gray at a price I found very reasonable. So reasonable in fact, that I went back a few days later and bought a second one with a light and dark blend of gray.

But now I look at my lovely roving and have confirmation I’m certifiably insane. I began to suspect that after Angus joined our household (due for another haircut in about a month). Eventually, I will have some beautiful yarn (I hope). It just looks a little scary at this end of the project. I’m still a beginning spinner. While I’m getting better at drafting and gaining a little speed, it’s possible I might die of old age before I get to make my dream project from my Icelandic/Angora yarn. At least the dream is written down with some accompanying drawings so I won’t forget what it is. Perhaps an occasional glance will get, and keep, me motivated.

The Project Queen

Apple Cider BBQ Chicken Tostadas

What happens when you run out of corn chips and have leftover queso? If you’re like me and don’t like going to the store for every little thing, you might get a wild hair to make something. (Plus, I was scrounging for lunch.) Thanks to the package of instant yellow masa flour in my pantry, making tortilla chips seemed like a good idea.

I did get my “chips” made, but wouldn’t you know it. Most of those were left over after my husband and I finished the queso. They were actually kind of addictive (fried in a skillet, so of course they were), and we could have just snacked on them. However, when you’re a project queen, stopping at a certain point just isn’t in your genetic code. It occurred to me that baby BBQ chicken tostadas would make a great snack for all those games people like to watch or tailgate. We just had them for supper.

Technically, there are four components to this recipe. (Five, if you count the cheese.) It’s not strictly necessary to make all the components. As a matter of fact, the entire tostada could be made from convenience foods, though I don’t think the end product will be the same. Here’s the breakdown for those who may want to try convenience. Corn tortillas – use a 3” ring cutter to make the hand-held size. Depending on the size of the purchased tortilla, you might get 2-3 baby tortillas. Cut the remains of the tortilla into pieces that can be baked or fried, and used as chips. Use refried beans instead of pureed baked beans. You can purchase shredded chicken in BBQ sauce. It usually comes in a tub. Put it in a non-stick skillet and add some hard apple cider while it’s warming up. Want to grill your chicken, but keep the sauce easy? Use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce and add the cider.

For the slightly hard-core kitchen warrior, I give you the mostly homemade version. (Truly hard-core would be those who make their baked beans from scratch for this creation.) To keep the cook from spending game day in the kitchen, make-ahead directions will be provided.

3” Corn Tortillas

If you have a favorite brand of instant yellow corn masa flour, feel free to use it. Maseca was the brand I had in the pantry. Follow the package directions for making 16 tortillas. Once your dough is ready, it’s ok to let it rest while heating oil or shortening in a skillet (med. heat). I used my 12” cast iron and put a 1 c. shortening stick in it. To make the tortillas, scoop the dough into balls about the size of a walnut (in the shell.) Place the balls between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. If using a tortilla press, you might be able to flatten up to 4 dough balls. A large heavy skillet may make it possible to do more at a time. The tortillas should be about 1/8” thick. Just in case they squish together, use a knife to cut them apart. There should be a faint line where they touch each other. When removing the tortillas from the paper, some of them might tear a bit. It’s easy to fix by pinching the tears closed. Put only one tortilla in the oil to test its readiness. I fried 4 tortillas at a time. If the first tortilla floats and the oil bubbles around it, the other 3 can be added. Since there is moisture in your dough, it will poof in the middle while frying. The poof should disappear when the tortillas are cool. Depending on the temperature of the oil, they only take a minute or two on each side. Place the tortillas on a paper-towel lined plate, single layer, or on a cooling rack. Before someone asks about yield, I have a confession. I didn’t count how many I made. The first four 3” tortillas were all cut into fourths, and I snacked on most of those while I fried the rest of the batch. I used about 20 leftover tortillas for the tostadas.

Beans

Instead of refried beans I used 14 oz. (about half of a 28 oz. can) of baked beans. They were put in a strainer to remove most of the liquid and pureed in the food processor. In case you’re making the entire batch of tortillas into tostadas, you may need a 28 oz. can.

Applewood Braised Cider Chicken

2 Boneless, skinless breasts

2 Boneless, skinless thighs

1 tbsp. Black pepper

2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Paprika

½ tsp. Chipotle or cayenne pepper

½ tsp. Cumin

Hard apple cider

Place the chicken in a foil pan that fits on your grill. Combine all the dry seasonings and distribute over both sides of the chicken. Pour enough cider into the pan to cover the bottom. Cover the pan with foil and place in the refrigerator. After at least half-an-hour, turn the chicken over in the pan. Fill your grill with your favorite fuel, and start the fire. (I used apple wood chunks. I had a theme and ran with it.) Let the fire die down a bit before putting the foil pan on the grill. If your grill is large enough for indirect heat, I recommend you take advantage of it. The hard cider in the pan is being used as a braising liquid. Its high sugar content will burn quickly. Keep the foil cover on the pan, but it can be loosened to allow in some grill smoke. Just make sure the contents aren’t getting sooty when you turn the chicken pieces over. After the chicken is cooked through, remove from the grill and allow it to rest for at least 15 min. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and stir into the following sauce.

Hard Cider BBQ Sauce

1 c. Ketchup

Spices used in chicken rub (Season to your taste. Be careful with salt. The ketchup may already have some)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ c. Hard cider

I found it easiest to make the sauce in a non-stick skillet. Keep the heat low, and remove your pan from the heat source before adding the cider. Once the sauce is warm, stir in the chicken. Some of the pan drippings can be added if it seems the sauce isn’t coating enough.

To Assemble the Tostadas

For all components made the same day, place tortillas on baking sheets. Spoon on enough beans to cover the tortillas, followed by the warm BBQ chicken. Put into a 350° oven long enough to warm the tortillas and beans. (Check between 5 – 10 minutes.) Sprinkle the tostadas with shredded cheddar cheese after they are removed from the oven. Serve with a smile, even if your team is losing.

Note: All the elements for the tostadas can be made a few days in advance. The tostadas can be assembled and warmed in the oven. If everything is cold when they go in, add an additional 5 minute to the time and check them. Keep checking every 5 minutes until you’re satisfied with the temperature. Stored tortillas are likely to become a bit soft. To make them crunchy again, put them in the oven by themselves as it’s preheating. By the time 350° is reached, they will have their crispy back. Continue assembly of the tostadas and return them to the oven.

The Project Queen

1940s Retro Dress

I started collecting vintage sewing patterns (1930s – early 1960s) before vintage and pin-up style dressing developed the following it has now. My daughters were in late elementary school and getting into middle school when I was most active in making acquisitions. At the time, they didn’t understand my interest in old clothing styles. (I blame the syndicated episodes of “I Love Lucy” I watched as a child. Lucille Ball had a classy wardrobe, especially when her character dressed up.)

Now that they are grown, my daughters love vintage styles. The younger one even wishes we still dressed in Victorian and Edwardian fashions. Though I think she would change her mind if she had to wear a corset every day. Showing a bit more modern sensibility, she chose the pattern for this featured project at the beginning of the summer; with the expectation that I would make it before she went back college this fall.

When pattern companies first started releasing vintage replicas from their vaults, I had mixed feelings at first. But they do offer some advantages, the first being multiple sizing that’s offered with most patterns these days. The other is price. As much as I love the original patterns, some of them are getting too expensive.

I’ve been sewing for more than 25 years, so I would rate this pattern at an intermediate level. It doesn’t contain an excessive number of pieces, or require an obscene amount of fabric. (Try a 1950s dress with a full skirt.) The most difficult parts of construction are the pleats and putting the bodice front into the dress. A bit of patience is required to make sure there is just enough gathering in the bodice sides and keep the front points in position while sewing. The front has a second piece that acts as lining on the inside of the dress. It needs to be sewn down by hand. If you aren’t comfortable with hand sewing, this may not be the pattern for you.

In case you are interested, the pattern can be found here. http://www.simplicity.com/p-7751-misses-1940s-vintage-dress.aspx. It’s Simplicity 1777 (my envelope is 0261 & was purchased at Joann) if  you want to buy it at your favorite store. For my daughter’s version we chose a silky print that had a retro sensibility. We chose black buttons with rhinestones for the bodice front, and made it out of solid ivory fabric so the buttons wouldn’t get lost. Besides, it’s a unique feature of the dress and deserves to be shown off.

The Project Queen