Where Food meets Fiction "The School of Essential Ingredients" - and White Cake

Looking back from this dreary October evening, as the rain lashes down outside, and I can barely face heading down the garden to shut the chickens in, it’s hard to think that actually we (the Recipe Junkie clan) had such a wonderful summer. And we did. One of the highlights of our family holiday when we pottered over to France was the amount of reading we all did. The kids read, the Husband read and I, luxury of luxuries, got to read, uninterrupted, sometimes for even an hour at a time.

One of the books that kept me rapt was one that my mum passed on, almost as an afterthought, but it was such a gorgeous read that I feel compelled to share it with you.

 

“The School of Essential Ingredients” by Erica Bauermeister is a gorgeously understated and beautiful tale of an unusual cookery school where there are, in fact, no essential ingredients – only the needs and desires of the pupils. Steered on their journeys of culinary discovery by the enigmatic Lillian, the participants, of course, learn more than how to cook – they learn self-esteem and confidence. They develop new relationships, overcome grief and heal old wounds. The story is gentle and undemanding, with an element of whimsical fairy tale to it but manages not to slip into sickliness. For me, Bauermeister has created a series of characters that, in the best Maeve Binchy tradition, I really cared about. I had a morning to remember while we were in France, sat with a cup of coffee overlooking the most wonderful beach in the company of the seabirds and this book....

I'll share the picture too, just so you get the idea...

Each chapter focuses on a different character, and Lillian seems to know instinctively which recipe or type of cooking will be appropriate for which character. Carl, attends the classes with his wife, Helen. His recipe is a White Cake – something I had never come across before. But lo, the joys of Google, many traditional recipes (traditional for the US, I guess) abound for a cake made simply with butter, sugar, flour, vanilla and eggs, the eggs separated so that the yolks are combined with the butter/sugar, the flour added alternately with some milk, and the egg whites are whisked and folded into the batter before baking. In the book, the method is not so much as a method, more a caress. The way the creation of the cake is woven into the story of Carl & Helen’s marriage, as seen from Carl’s point of view, is simply beautiful, using words that conjure up so much more than just cooking:

“Lillian put the butter into the bowl and turned on the mixer, the paddle beat its way into the soft yellow rectangles. 

Slowly in an impossibly thin waterfall of white, she let the sugar drift into the bowl.... The paddle continued its revolution around the bowl and the class watched... as the sugar met and mingled with the butter, each drawing color and texture from the other, expanding, softening lifting up the sides of the bowl in silken waves.”

Utterly delicious.

Well, you know me and cake... I wish I had had the patience to wait until the kids were tucked up in bed before embarking on my attempt, but it was not to be, so at the same time as making leek and potato soup withfish finger croutons (I know how to serve up a gourmet treat for my kids), I set to. I’d like to say that my attempt could have been described in such thrilling tones as Lillian’s but unfortunately, what with almost burning the fish fingers, and remembering that Pink had to be at ballet, it was a less soothing experience. I also had a dilemma because I only have one bowl for my Kenwood mixer, so ended up making the butter/sugar batter then scraping it into another bowl before whisking the egg whites. For all that, the cake seems pretty good, and I am quite pleased with what I have come up with, although I fear it may be a little sickly for my taste. As I was making it, I kept thinking "LEMON" but for the first go, at a white cake, I had to put those thoughts aside. I think it might need a few more attempts, so I’ll let you know once it’s perfect, but for now, I give you:

White Cake (with apologies to Lillian)

For the cake: 2 x 20cm loose bottomed cake tins, buttered and floured, bases lined; 120g unsalted butter, 200g +40g caster sugar, 2 large eggs, separated, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 120ml milk, 180g self raising flour, 2 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, pinch cream of tartar

For the frosting: 120g soft unsalted butter, 200g cream cheese (at room temperature), 300g icing sugar, sifted, 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Pre-heat the oven to 180⁰C.

Sift together self raising flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the butter till soft then add 200g of sugar and beat again till light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition, and then add the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk – beginning and ending with flour – flour, milk, flour, milk, flour. Set aside the batter. Beat the egg whites till they start to foam, add the pinch of cream of tartar, then beat till soft peak stage. Add in the remaining 40g of sugar then beat till stiff-ish peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter, divide between the prepared tins, bang down to even the mixture out and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes till a cake tester (whatever you use – I have a trusty skewer) comes out clean. 

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove from the tin and allow to cool properly before wrapping in clingfilm and popping in the freezer for an hour or so – this will help you spread the icing/frosting.

Make the frosting by creaming together the butter and cream cheese, then adding in the icing sugar a bit at a time beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add in the vanilla extract and beat again till light and fluffy. Use to sandwich the cakes together, and then to spread over top and sides.

As well as my idea for the recipe, my Google surf advises me that there’s a new book out soon by the same author, called The Joy of Mixing, which picks up the stories of some of the characters. It’s on my wish list already.

I'm linking this up to a blog event I found via the Tinned Tomatoes Blog called Novel Food which aims to encourage people to create dishes inspired by books they have read. Well I was definitely inspired by this book, and there's more where that came from - I am seriously thinking along the lines of Antonia and Isabelles' stuffed turkey breast with rosemary, cranberry and pancetta for a certain feast coming up in a couple of months' time...