The universe didn’t want me to make this cake, apparently.
We were schlepping back to the car last summer after a concert in the park, when a mom-friend shoved a piece of this cake into my mouth. “We’ve got extra, here take it,” she said, and handed the rest to my kids, who consumed it on the spot. It was moist, sweet, with an interesting tang and bits of fresh raspberry. The nits begged for more.
So I asked Shari for the recipe. And that’s when the universe stomped its foot and said “not so fast, toots.”
First I had to wait for school to start in the fall, because although I knew Shari from school drop-offs and pick ups, I didn’t know her well enough to have her phone number or email.
Then I forgot. Then I asked and she emailed it to me, to an ancient email that I no longer get. Then they went on vacation. Then her husband brought me a copy of the recipe. Then I lost it. Then I lost her email. Then she sent it again and it bounced back to her for no discernible reason. Then I emailed her and it went into her Spam box and she never saw it.
Then we both forgot, because dang, it was getting ridiculous.
A year later I ran into her in front of her house and she dragged me in to photocopy the recipe. I took it home and put it in a safe place, under a pile of papers near my desk.
Then I found it. But I couldn’t find raspberries. Every time I went to the farmer’s market they were sold out.
When I found raspberries I promptly put a wet dishrag onto the photocopied recipe and muddied the print almost beyond legibility.
Almost. (shhhh! Here it is. Write it down before the universe notices…)
3 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teasp. salt
1 cup (2 stix) butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 TBSPs fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract, divided
1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
3 large eggs, room temp/
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
2 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP or more water
Preheat over to 350 F. Butter 12-cup Bundt cake pan. Whisk 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Beat in orange juice, 1 tsp. almond extract, and orange peel. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in yogurt. Add dry ingredients to batter and beat until just blended.
Toss 1/2 cup flour and raspberries in large bowl. Gently fold berry mixture into batter. Spoon batter into prepared pan, smooth top. Be careful!!
Bake cake until wooden skewer inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.
Hide from friends, children and neighbors…
So despite every attempt by the universe to foil my attempts at this cake, I came out on top. To fabulous results.
So fabulous, in fact, that the cake is once again no longer in existence. Proof again that it’s all a zero-sum game. With Raspberries on top.
Going off to see Kitchen Goddess One. Stay tuned for a crisis of confidence!
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Could you be the “Julie” in “Julie and Julia”?
–Hope so!
Uberchik