Welcome to the free issue of Between the Layers! For more great content and recipes, consider becoming a subscriber! In the past couple of weeks this newsletter has grown, so I’d like to say welcome to all of you who are new to this space and thanks to all of you who’ve been here from the start. Today, things are a little different than most Tuesdays because my new book, A New Take on Cake, is published. Hooray! Last year I started a Covid diary beginning on April 11 and ending on May 24. In truth, I’ve never been one to faithfully write in a diary. But I am grateful for the bit of journaling I’ve done in my life. It’s reminded me of meals I’ve shared on trips with people I love and how alone or angry I’ve felt and I’m sure if you go back enough years how I survived some really disastrous first dates. But I will share with you what I wrote in that last entry, and I’ll admit my somber tone surprised me when I stumbled across it last week: Because once I got the go-ahead to write a new Cake Mix Doctor cookbook, time was fleeting. I couldn’t sit around penning in my diary. I needed to be baking. But I meant what I said in the diary. Something had changed - either the world or me. Anyway, this book felt different. Recently I was interviewed by Francis Lam for the radio show Splendid Table, and Francis asked me why I baked with cake mixes. At first I was defensive. After all, I had been that busy mom. I had been tired, often on the brink of tears, and the last thing I cared about was using a cake mix and being called out for it. That was a lifetime ago, but I’ll never forget. And that’s what I told Francis. So today when I create recipes that call for a cake mix but are so much better than you’d expect them to be from a mix, I know there are busy people out there like the old me who will appreciate them. And they might want to know that I don’t bake the same way I did in 2000, so it was important for me to write about that in this new book. I use less sugar, less frosting, make fewer big layers and more snack cakes, I love smaller cakes, often gluten-free, sometimes vegan, always pantry-driven because I’m too lazy to go to the store, and those classic Cake Mix Doctor Bundts like the almond cream cheese pound cake, Susan’s Lemon Cake, Darn Good Chocolate Cake, and Stacy’s cake, they still tug at my heart. And while I was happy to hear so many folks discovered or rediscovered the joys of baking during the pandemic, I want to make sure this isn’t a passing phase and to keep building on the momentum. So even if you start with a mix, you’re still baking. That’s what I tried to get across to Francis Lam. You’re making something wonderful. And that is worth writing about. We’ve all been through a lot in the last two years, so I can’t think of a better time, really, to be launching this new book! TV, book signings and giveaways!While you read this I’ll be on morning television in Nashville - Talk of the Town, stirring together a Stacy’s Chocolate Chip Cake because I don’t use electric mixers on air at TV stations anymore. I learned that the hard way once on book tour when they made so much clatter, and I could not get the beaters to eject. (Try showing up at dozens of TV stations in strange cities with electric mixers of all makes and models and either they don’t turn on or spit ingredients on my apron, so now just a wooden spoon and a bowl suffice.) And because celebrations call for gifts, I’ve got two giveaways for those of you who you are paid subscribers. The first is a set of my three books - A New Take on Cake, American Cake, and American Cookie, from my publisher Penguin Random House. The second is a two-handled 12-inch cast iron skillet from my friends at Lodge Cast Iron. You don’t need to do a thing. I will select random winners from the paid list this Friday and notify you via email this weekend. The party continues all week! Nashville and then MississippiHope to see Nashville cooks at my in-store Parnassus signing Wednesday at 6:30 pm. I’ll be joined by my good friend Mary Hance who will kick off her highly successful Ms. Cheap’s Penny Drive for Second Harvest Food Bank. Don’t miss it! On Thursday from 5-7 pm I’ll be at Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi, and on Friday at noon at Turnrow Books in Greenwood. I’ll be signing books on Saturday at two Barnes & Noble stores in the Memphis area, so please check my book tour schedule. I’d love to meet you, talk about Cake Mix Doctor recipes and share new ideas in my book. Until then, I hope you enjoy baking from A New Take on Cake. And when you do, and post on social media, use the hashtag #anewtakeoncake. I’d love to know your favorite recipes! Banana Cinnamon Swirl Pound CakeMy parents were raised during the Depression, and they learned to not let even a banana go to waste. Ripe bananas that didn’t wind up in the cereal bowl went into banana bread. And so that became my way to bake, and as I and others baked our way to sanity during the pandemic of 2020, this was one of the cakes that I enjoyed baking. It is easy. It is resourceful. It is perfect for sharing with others. And it’s just a basic coffee cake flavored with one very ripe banana you mash with a fork to make 1/2 cup. If you want to dress up this cake for company substitute 1/2 cup rum for part of the water. Makes 12 servings Prep: 15 to 20 minutes Bake: 42 to 47 minutes Cake: Vegetable cooking spray or shortening, for greasing the pan All-purpose flour, for dusting the pan 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans 1 package (15.25 ounces) yellow or butter recipe cake mix 4 tablespoons (half a 3.4-ounce package) vanilla instant pudding mix 3 large eggs 1 large ripe banana, mashed to make 1/2 cup 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For Subscribers on Thursday:In addition to the A New Take on Cake giveaways, my friends at OXO are offering a limited time discount code for all of my paid subscribers. (Another perk of subscribing!) I don’t know what I’d do without my OXO digital scale, angled measuring cups, and icing spatulas! And I’ll share 10 things you should be doing right now to get ready for Thanksgiving. I’ve checked off about 6 of them already! For further listening about cake history:Check out this Your Last Meal podcast. It’s all about pastry chef Christina Tosi’s last meal of choice, which is birthday cake! I contributed some history on the subject, and you’ll be fascinated by the story of birthday cake and candles! Have a great week! Anne You’re on the free list for Anne Byrn: Between the Layers. If you’re liking what you’re reading, why don’t you become a paying subscriber for more recipes, stories, and community. |
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