Food processor takes the cake as baker's helper

ShareThis

Dessert was the last thing on my to-do list for Sunday dinner. I slathered an herb-and-garlic paste on the leg of lamb, set the table, prepped the vegetables, thawed out the bread, cleaned up the house and was looking forward to a wee nap before starting the countdown to finish dinner.Oh, no, the cake. I forgot the cake. I didn't feel like hauling my 35-pound Kitchen Aid up from downstairs and, anyway, there was no room on the counter. I needed a changeup -- and fast.After a quick eyeball of my way-too-many cookbooks, I yanked down an old companion, "Classic Cakes and Other Cuisinart Desserts," by Cecily Brownestone and Cuisinart founder Carl Sontheimer, circa 1994.In the time it took to preheat the oven, the batter for a Golden Three-Layer Cake was ready. During the 30 minutes that the cake baked, I used the processor again to make Maple Walnut Filling and Frosting.I got the nap after all.Lesson learned? I forgot how fast and easy it is to use the food processor to make all kinds of baked goods: cakes, cookies, pastry dough, even coffee cakes, puddings and sorbet.Most of us learned that butter and sugar have to be creamed and frostings whipped by hand. Old habits die hard. It takes a leap of faith to break baking traditions and replace them with speedier, easier methods. But if the result is the superb taste and texture of an unmistakably homemade cake, what's to fear?These few suggestions will add to your ability to use the food processor easily and effectively.-- It's important to have all the ingredients at hand on the work surface before starting. If the contents of the work bowl have to wait between steps, the result may suffer. Baking powder and baking soda wait for no man.-- When a recipe calls for cutting an ingredient into 1-inch pieces, no side should be longer than 1 inch.-- To make sure the metal blade doesn't fall out onto your hand or into the cake pan when you empty the work bowl, grip the metal blade from below, placing your thumb on the outside of the work bowl and your middle finger inside the metal blade holder.-- To remove the last little bit of batter from the blade and the work bowl, put the blade back on the machine and pulse briefly once. You can then remove the blade, which has been cleaned by the spinning force, and the remaining contents are easy to scrape out with a spatula.If you don't already have a food-processor cookbook, keep an eye out. Anything by Chicago-based Abby Mandel is excellent. She is the grand poobah of food-processor recipes and was a pioneer of baking techniques.As for my cake, I thought that a slice of three-layer cake was way too many calories after a big meal. I filled and frosted a two-layer cake. Then I wrapped the third layer and the leftover frosting and put them in the freezer for a rainy day.Like money in the bank.GOLDEN LAYER CAKE(Tested by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)2 cups sugar1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces1 cup buttermilk1 tablespoon vanilla4 large eggs2 cups cake flour1 tablespoon baking powder3/4 teaspoon baking sodaPinch saltPreheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spritz three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line with circles of parchment paper.With the metal blade in the work bowl, process the sugar and the butter until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the buttermilk, vanilla and eggs and process until well combined, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until they just disappear, 3 to 6 times.Pour into the prepared pans. Bake until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Loosen sides with a small spatula and turn out onto racks to cool completely.Fill and frost as you like.Here's the recipe for Maple Walnut Filling and Frosting, from "Classic Cakes and Other Cuisinart Desserts," by Brownestone and Sontheimer.MAPLE WALNUT FILLING AND FROSTINGYou can skillet-toast the walnuts by placing them in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, and, watching every second, toss them until they begin to brown. I add some pure maple syrup instead of all the sour cream. This is an easy recipe to play with.1/2 cup walnut pieces3-3/4 cups confectioner's sugar6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 piecesPinch of salt3/4 to 1 teaspoon maple flavoring5 to 6 tablespoons sour creamWalnut halves, optionalPreheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool; turn the oven off.With the metal blade in the work bowl, process the nuts and the sugar until the nuts are finely ground, about 20 seconds. Add the butter, salt and maple flavoring. Process until combined, about 15 seconds, scraping the bowl once. Add 5 tablespoons of the sour cream and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Check the frosting for spreading consistency, and add the remaining tablespoon of sour cream, if necessary.Guild the lily and press toasted walnut halves around the top of the cake.(Marlene Parrish can be reached at mparrish(at)post-gazette.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)