My mother’s white cake recipe, or
Torte as we call it in Israel, is simple and easy. I love basic
recipes that leave room for creating different versions of them. My mother used
to coat the cake with chocolate sauce and decorate it with colorful cake
sprinkles. This recipe can easily turn into a marble cake by blending a cup of
chocolate sauce with the batter.
Recently my friend Juliann, who lives in Wenatchee, WA, brought me an applesauce she made from local apples. I decided to use it in my mother’s white
cake recipe and give it holidays aroma by adding sweet spices: cinnamon, clove,
cardamom, and nutmeg. Instead of
oil I used butter, and I chose to replace the orange juice with creamy coconut
milk (from a can). I made these changes, since I needed a more sturdy and heavy batter to
carry the heavy and liquid consistency of the applesauce. Instead of sugar I use powdered sugar to whip the egg whites - it makes the whipping process a lot easier. I also reduced the sugar amount in the
cake by half, since the applesauce adds its own sweetness.
I made another version of the cake after Thanksgiving, when I had some
fresh cranberries leftover. I made cranberry orange chutney, a recipe I originally learned from
Williams-Sonoma’s Complete Entertaining Cookbook. Unfortunately this book is
out of print. The original recipe
calls for 4 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water. Personally I don’t like a lot of
sugar in my deserts, so I reduced the amounts to ¾ cup of sugar and 2 cups of
water. I didn’t add any spice to
the cake batter, since I wanted it to be white and plain against the rich
red-orange color of the chutney and its sweet and tart flavor. This cake took longer to bake due to the extra moisture from the 4 cups of chutney.
Important notes:
- Do not over mix the sauce with the cake butter. You want to be able to see the difference between the cake batter and the sauce.
- When using a fruit based sauce, keep the cake in the refrigerator to prevent mold from developing.
White Cake
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
½ cup oil
½ cup orange juice
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Separate egg whites from yolks.
In a mixer whip egg whites with sugar
Add liquids, and then the dry ingredients.
Place in a 13”X9” greased pan
Bake in 350F/180C preheated oven,
for 25-30 minutes.
Applesauce Cake
6 eggs
½ cup powdered sugar
1 butter stick (4oz/113gr.) -
Melted
½ cup coconut milk (from a can)
1½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp clove
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 cups chunky applesauce
Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Separate egg whites from yolks.
In a mixer - whip egg whites with powdered sugar.
In one bowl - mix wet ingredients:
egg yolks, coconut milk, and melted butter (make sure it is not too hot - you don't want to cook
the yolks).
In a second bowl - mix flour,
baking soda, baking powder, and spices.
Mixing at a lower speed -
add gradually liquids to the
whipped eggs, then add the dry ingredients. Mix until you receive a smooth
batter.
Pour batter into a greased 13”X9”
pan.
Using a big tablespoon - place
dollops of applesauce on the cake-butter.
Using a spatula - mix applesauce gently.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cranberry Orange Chutney Cake
Cranberry Orange Chutney:
2 cups fresh or frozen
cranberries
1 big orange – chopped with peel
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
¾ cup sugar
2 cups water
¼ tsp nutmeg -optional
1 vanilla bean – optional
Cook ingredients on a medium
heat until boiling. Reduce to low and let simmer for two hours. During cooking cover pot
partially to let water evaporate. Stir content from time to
time.
When cool - purée chutney with a
hand mixer.
Yields about 4 cups.
Cake Batter:
6 eggs
½ cup powdered sugar
1 butter stick (4oz/113gr.)
½ cup coconut milk (from a can)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange extract
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Repeat the same process like in
the previous recipes; whip egg whites with sugar, add wet ingredients, and then
dry ingredients.
Place cake batter in a 13”X9”
greased pan.
Pour cranberry orange chutney on
the batter, creating three elongated trips.
Mix applesauce gently using a spatula.
Bake fro 40 minutes.
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