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Foodbuzz 24×24: Secret Secret Garden Party

I’ve been keeping a big secret from you.

Imagine for a moment, though, that there’s a little redbreasted robin beside you on the fence. He’s a very talkative fellow, and something about his birdish banter gives you the oddest feeling — like maybe he’s trying to get your attention. He seems very interested in one particular flower bed, and upon closer inspection, you notice a key nestled under one of the bushes. Not just any key, but a key that will finally open the mysterious gate situated in an ivy-covered wall — the key to a Secret Garden. Or in this case, to my Secret Secret Garden Party. Won’t you come in?

…she held back the swinging curtain of ivy and pushed back the door which opened slowly–slowly. Then she slipped through it, and shut it behind her, and stood with her back against it, looking about her and breathing quite fast with excitement, and wonder, and delight. She was standing inside the secret garden.

My sister, Sarah, is a bibliophile. She loves reading all sorts of books. One day she confided to me that her absolute favorite book of all time was the classic children’s novel, The Secret Garden. This sparked my curiosity since I had passed over that book as a child. Unbeknownst to her, I picked up the book and read it in hopes of understanding its appeal to her. What I read planted an idea in my mind of a way to show Sarah how much we loved her — a Secret Secret Garden Party for her birthday, which at this point was still months away. The idea grew and blossomed and, come June, we were busily buzzing about getting ready to give Sarah the surprise party of a lifetime: a bountiful picnic in my mother’s garden complete with a meal inspired by British tea.

In The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox is the young protagonist who, like Sarah, had to confront issues of identity and find small oases of joy. Mary, a sour and skinny girl, is transported from the dust of India to cool, green England. She finds herself blossoming on the moor as she interacts with nature — a connection with the beauty of living things that Sarah shares. Just as Mary pruned and weeded and planted and nurtured her newfound nest, Sarah has built her own “garden” — a lovely life for herself full of friends, family, her loving boyfriend, a zest for life . . . and, in keeping with the Ruble way, full of food!

When I read the book, one of the things that jumped out to me were the lush feasts the children secreted to the garden and devoured voraciously in the stimulating moor air:

When the white cloth was spread upon the grass, with hot tea and buttered toast and crumpets, a delightfully hungry meal was eaten, and several birds on domestic errands paused to inquire what was going on and were led into investigating crumbs with great activity. Nut and Shell whisked up trees with pieces of cake and Soot took the entire half of a buttered crumpet into a corner and pecked at and examined and turned it over and made hoarse remarks about it until he decided to swallow it all joyfully in one gulp.

The picnic spread we created for Sarah’s party was inspired by this casual countryside food from the novel: summery tea sandwiches; fresh glazed scones with jam, strawberry butter, and clotted cream; strawberry almond petit fours; homemade croissants with butter; sausage biscuits; berry muffins; and pitchers of plain and raspberry lemonades. The crowning triumph of the birthday feast was a honeyed pistachio birthday cake smothered in buttercream, constructed with love by my mom.

We needed more than piles of luscious food to construct the Secret Garden, though. Determined to create a picnic that seemed to come straight from the pages of the novel, I got crafty. I hand-stitched shabby chic gingham napkins, strung paper hearts from loosely draped hemp string, pasted together handmade invitations, and created mason jars full of fresh roses and accented with gingham ribbon. My mom hunted down faux birds, draped old floral quilts about, rustled up a lovely array of sweet dishes, and snipped heavy hydrangeas from her garden.

After half a year of dreaming and two weeks of intense planning, baking, shopping, and crafting, my mom and I set the entire picnic up in her lush backyard. We mounted ladders to string the handmade heart streamers from the branches of a huge tree, spread quilts, and arranged the feast onto tiered plates, rustic trays, and in baskets.

The photos you’ve been scrolling through thus far testify to how gorgeous the spread was, but Sarah never got to see that set-up. One of the biggest pieces of advice for picnic planning is have a plan B. A rainstorm, a heat wave, a fish storm — anything can happen to derail your plans. And derailed our plans were.


This chalkboard as well as many others can be found in my mom’s Etsy shop, Posh Pilfer.

Our outdoor picnic was attacked by flies during our photo shoot. Not one or two flies. An army of flies. Thankfully, we had only set out part of the food to photograph, and the rest was still safe inside. We threw out the besieged food and moved to plan B — an indoor secret garden. Truthfully, it was just as lush and gorgeous, if not moreso, and we were thankful to be without attendees of the, ah, insect variety. Welcome to the Secret Garden #2:


I think this one is more beautiful, anyway, don’t you?

This was the Secret Garden Sarah actually saw. On Saturday, I picked her up under the pretense of taking her to lunch for her birthday. I casually asked if we could stop by parents’ house to retrieve my present for her, which had been shipped there. She agreed without much thought, and we proceeded to chat in the car about unrelated things. In my brain, I was throwing a celebratory party for myself, having worried for weeks that I would accidentally give away the surprise. She seemed totally unaware! But the self-congratulations came to an abrupt halt when we drove past the grocery store by my parents’ house and she said, “Is that dad in the parking lot?!”

My dad had driven with Sarah’s boyfriend, Alain, and Mike to drop their cars off at the grocery store so they wouldn’t be visible at their house. So when Sarah thought she saw him in the parking lot, I almost had a heart attack! I drove quickly past, but I was privately panicking — what if dad hadn’t gotten them back in time?! What would I say if we walked in to this party I’d been planning for half a year to find only my mom and little brother milling about?! “Um, surprise . . . three of us are here to celebrate your, uh, birthday”?! My heart sank, and it was with great anxiety that I opened the door to my parents’ house when we arrived.

SURPRISE! Not only was everyone there (phew!), Sarah was completely shocked. I was shaking like a leaf as I pulled out her key necklace (shown in the first photo, above, and sold by grigio design) and fastened it around her neck, explaining that this was the key to the Secret Garden. I didn’t want to leave you out, so we filmed her surprised entrance into the picnic. You’ll see how incredibly long it takes me to fasten her necklace with trembling fingers, and hear Byrd’s exciting canine rendition of “Happy Birthday” — okay, maybe she’s just barking. Whichever.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfXUORksbXA&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

With the joyful surprise behind us, we picnicked! Pastries were devoured, tea sandwiches were daintily nibbled, plain and Lorina French Berry lemonades flowed (we found our Lorina products at World Market). The crisp, buttery pastry; fluffy, cream-slathered Buttermilk Cranberry Lemon Scones; and spicy Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches transported us. Huge slices of hearty, triple-layer pistachio cake was the perfect finale to our meal. Mary Lennox would have been proud.

Better than all the food, though, and better even than the lush garden decor, was finding a way to let Sarah know she’s important. The reason families everywhere take the time to construct big, wobbly birthday cakes (even when they’re not bakers) and hang silly streamers (even when they’re not crafty) and light a billion swirly wax candles (even when they’re not, um, pyromaniacs?) is to celebrate a person. What better way to do so than to tailor the celebration to a theme particularly important to that person? When I hugged Sarah goodbye at the end of our Secret Secret Garden Party, she knew she was loved.

Late roses climbed and hung and clustered and the sunshine deepening the hue of the yellowing trees made one feel that one stood in an embowered temple of gold. The newcomer stood silent just as the children had done when they came into [the garden’s] grayness. He looked round and round.

“I thought it would be dead,” he said.

“Mary thought so at first,” said Colin. “But it came alive.”


Sarah and her boyfriend, Alain.


Blowing out her candles.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing with you many of the recipes and crafting ideas that created this party, including the following. As they are posted, they’ll be linked from this page, so bookmark this post to have them all handy. And stay tuned for some Secret Garden outtakes — elaborate party planning makes for some fun blooper photos, as it turns out.

Recipes

Craft Instructions
  1. Homemade Croissants and Pains au Chocolat
  2. Buttermilk Cranberry Lemon Scones
  3. Best Blueberry Streusel Muffins
  4. Buttermilk Brown Sugar Scones
  5. Strawberry Almond Petit Fours
  6. Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
  7. Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
  8. Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
  9. Fresh Strawberry Butter
  10. Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Buttercream
  1. Paper Heart Streamers
  2. Handmade Robin Invitations
  3. Hand-sewn Luncheon Napkins
  4. Shabby Chic Flower Jars

I’d love your opinion: Which recipes and crafts from the Secret Secret Garden Party are you most excited to see?

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Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Creamy Coleslaw, and Summer Bean Salsa

Yesterday was a special day on Willow Bird Baking — my one year blogiversary! Considering a given blog post can take upwards of 10 hours to produce including baking, photographing, and writing, this blog now represents over 500 hours of my crazy kitchen capers! I’m humbled by how much WBB has grown, from 450 views in June of 2009 to an average of 65,000+ views per month in April and May of this year. Your readership means so much to me, and I want to sincerely thank you for joining me on this fun, tasty adventure. But as excited as I am about my blogiversary, there is something much, much more important to tell you about today!

My daddy! Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I’ve been holding on to one of my Dad’s special recipes to share with you in honor of the occasion. We’re a family of barbecue lovers. We love it all — from pulled pork sandwiches at Charlotte’s annual Mallard Creek Barbecue to sticky ribs at Gastonia’s Hillbilly’s Barbecue. But my favorite pulled pork sandwich comes right off my dad’s grill!

The grillmaster up there uses a fantastic barbecue rub on a big pork butt, and cooks it all day until it’s fork tender. We shred it onto buns for juicy, fresh pulled pork sandwiches! I top mine with a heaping spoonful of my mom’s creamy coleslaw — it’s got the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the slightly-sweet pork rub, and the whole sandwich just melts in your mouth. When accompanied by a side of fresh, bright bean salsa (sort of like a tangy pico de gallo), this is a fantastic summer meal.

Besides the fact that he can create amazing dinners at the grill, there’s a lot I want to tell you about my dad this Father’s Day! There’s really no way to describe what my dad means to me, but in typical Willow Bird fashion, I’ve decided to give it my best shot with a list. I love my dad because:

1. When I was a little girl, he’d sing songs to me. From “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” to “Julie, Do You Love Me?” he always had a song to make me smile. I always thought he had made the latter song up himself, and was surprised to learn otherwise as an adult! Who would’ve thought there’d be a song ready-made with my name in it?

2. He has always worked so hard for our family. He’s often worked 3 jobs at once to provide for us, without ever complaining about the stress. He currently works 2 jobs.

Best Barbecue Rub


Recipe By: Chris Schlesinger

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar (or use splenda for low-carb BBQ)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or use brown sugar substitute for low-carb BBQ)
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions:
Mix together. To use, rub into meat and let sit overnight (or as long as possible) before grilling.

3. His incredible kindness inspires everyone he meets. I once walked into his workplace, where he is a manager. Someone heard me ask for him and took the time to come over and say, “Are you Rick’s daughter? He is a great man” — as if I didn’t already know!

4. He got me ready for school when I was little. Every morning he would blow-dry my hair, comb it into a (sometimes lopsided) ponytail, and place a big bow in it.

5. In addition to getting me ready for school, he took us to school every morning for over a decade. We listened to country music in the car. We didn’t have a ton of extra money, but every day he’d give me my lunch money and 35 cents extra. When school let out, I’d walk across the street and use my 35 cents to buy a cherry coke at the Bi-Lo. I’d sit and drink my soda waiting for him to pick my sisters up and then come to get me.

Creamy Coleslaw


Recipe by: Mom
Yields: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, shredded with food processor
1 onion, shredded with food processor
1 carrot, shredded with food processor
6 tablespoons sugar (or splenda)
4 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise to taste

Directions:

Put cabbage, carrot, and onion through food processor. Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and coat slaw in it well (slaw will lose volume as it sits, so this will be enough dressing). Refrigerate and add 1-2 tablespoons of Hellman’s mayonnaise when ready to serve, if desired. Can add green pepper or other items to change it up.

6. When my mom went back to college in the ’80s, Dad would periodically pile us in the car and, to my great joy, take us to McDonald’s!

7. Speaking of food, Dad and I share the same food favorites. He introduced me to all sorts of Charlotte culinary wonders: the Chicken Box, Price’s Chicken Coop, Town ‘n Country, the late great Coffee Cup, and the aforementioned Hillbilly’s Barbecue. He’s one of the only people in my family (other than me) who doesn’t wince at the thought of getting a juicy grilled hot dog from a gas station.

8. He has always showered love on us in acts of service. He used to bring me lunch each Friday when I worked across the street from him. He files my taxes for me. He’s always available to listen and assess weird car noises or change my oil.

9. When he worked third shift, I would fall asleep in bed next to my mom. Every night he would pick me up and carry me to my bed. Even when my sleeping quarters moved downstairs, he’d dutifully pick me up and carry me down!

10. He was so courageous throughout his battle with cancer — even though I wanted to support him, he often supported me and the rest of our family and tried to assuage our fear.

Summer Bean Salsa


Recipe By: Jeannie and my mom

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 can jalapeño peppers, chopped
Italian salad dressing, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, cover, and refrigerate for a day. Serve with tortilla chips.

And most importantly . . .

11. He is a man of God who taught me about Jesus. One day when I was a little girl riding in his old red car, he asked me if I wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be my Savior. I told him I did, and he helped me pray to receive Christ. A decade later, I would come downstairs early in the morning to find him in his big reading glasses reading the Bible with his breakfast.

I truly wish everyone could have a dad like mine. Many people around Father’s Day say that they have the best dad in the world, but of course, I think mine takes the cake (or maybe the pulled pork sandwich). Dad, you mean so much to me. Thank you for all you do and for who you are! I love you!

Readers, tell me about your dads!


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Santa Fe Breakfast Bake

Mike and I love eating Sunday brunch together after church while watching nerdy television shows (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, anyone?). Typically by Sunday, though, I’ve already cooked up a storm (a hurricane!) and don’t feel like cooking anything else. This means “brunch” for Mike may consist of some prepackaged Indian food from the grocery store. But every now and then, I have to change it up.

Making him a fresh meal for brunch is so rewarding. Imagine expecting your girlfriend to walk in with a reheated, vacuum-sealed pouch o’ chickpeas. Now imagine her sauntering in with a steaming hot plate of freshly-made brunch instead. I get lots of brownie points! Or in this case, egg points.

I saw this Santa Fe Breakfast Bake recipe a few days ago and was immediately enamored with how convenient it was. You throw everything together the night before and then just pop it in the oven in the morning. Talk about a stress-free breakfast! Besides the convenience, it seemed very similar to the Mexican Lasagna Mike and I both love — except now in breakfasty form!

I wanted a bit more “oomph,” so I added some sausage and corn to my version. The result was a lovely brunch that Mike had three huge helpings of! The golden cheese on top, spicy sausage, and hearty black beans and corn were a stick-to-your-ribs, comforting combination.

The only downside is that the casserole (as is common with egg casseroles in my experience) was a bit soupy in the bottom of the dish. I ladled out the “soup” into my first serving and after that the casserole had a nice texture. It was even great upon reheating, as Mike found out when he devoured the leftovers!

We served this with a big spoonful of salsa and sour cream. It’d also be delicious with some sliced avocado. If you love Tex-Mexy breakfasts and brunches like huevos rancheros and migas, I’m betting you’ll love this casserole too! Enjoy!

Santa Fe Breakfast Bake


Recipe by: Adapted from Summer in the Country
Yields: About 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound pork sausage
1 cup salsa
1 cup canned black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
8 corn or flour tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup shredded mexican-style cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
Brown sausage and drain, discarding grease. Combine salsa, sausage, beans, and corn; set aside. Place one-third of tortilla strips in a lightly greased 11×7 baking dish. Top with 1/3 cup cheese and one cup salsa mixture. Repeat layering with one-third of tortilla strips, 1/3 cup cheese and remaining salsa mixture, ending with remaining tortilla strips. Whisk together remaining ingredients except green onions. Pour egg mixture over tortilla strips; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dish from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Keep covered and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Top with green onions and serve with salsa, sour cream, and avocado slices as desired.


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Blueberry Walnut Bread

I’m responsible for little Byrd’s post-knee-surgery physical therapy. For the first week, it involved icing her knees, which she wasn’t thrilled about. But since then it’s involved warm compresses, massages, and gentle exercises. Essentially, my dog is getting the spa treatment. My roommate can’t hold back her laughter when she walks in on me caressing Byrd’s little shaved-bare-bottom.

Today I thought I’d mix it up a little bit. My post-surgery info said that Byrd might enjoy light swimming to exercise her knees. The bath tub looked like the perfect size; she’s only 8 pounds, after all. Maybe she’d love it.

Reality check: Byrd does not love swimming. She is terrified of swimming. The bathtub is not the perfect size. Her thrashing requires at least a lake-sized body of water, and preferably an ocean. After about 10 minutes of trying in vain to convince her that swimming was a jolly pastime that she was bred for, for goodness’ sake, my bathroom, my nightgown, my dog, and my spirits were all soaked.

Both of us ended up on the balcony, soaking wet, shivering, and snuggling for warmth and reassurance. I needed reassurance that I wasn’t the worst mother ever. She needed reassurance that she was, indeed, on dry land and not drowning.

Pups can be wonderful for reassurance, comfort, warmth . . . they love you even when you’ve just tossed them in a bathtub (disclaimer: there was no actual tossing involved, and I held onto her the whole time, despite what her sheer panic might imply). Another amazing summer comfort (and one that I sure wish I still had on hand after that bathtub fiasco) is a hearty fruit-n-nut quickbread. Fruity quickbreads are a favorite of mine when slathered with butter or maybe even torn up over a bowl of fresh oatmeal. Mmm, banana nut bread, delicious pumpkin bread, or in this case . . . blueberry bread!

I made this bread awhile back for a bake sale, but kept a slice to enjoy myself. I accidentally underbaked one loaf (and secretly enjoyed the doughy gooeyness), but once perfectly baked, the bread has a fantastic, moist crumb. It’s full of plump blueberries, nuts, and oats. It inspired me so much, I wrote a poem (what, you don’t write sonnets about your food?):

Blueberry Bramble

Bush awkward, lopsided with purple fruit –
Bountiful harvest sprung from tired roots.
Rapt is the quiet bird who nestles thus
beneath the branches, feathers plush and fluffed,
beak sky-stained with the blood of nature’s yield,
breast full of warm air drawn from o’er the field
in which I lie with you now, and we too
consume, until aching, handfuls of blue.
Later half the basket will find its way,
indoors and in the fading light of day,
into batter, the oven, between teeth,
I’ll steal your crumbs for my oatmeal, a thief
willing to be caught, bird in a briar,
hands bright blue, stained now, and throat on fire.

Karly at Buns In My Oven has posted a healthier version of this bread that substitutes some apple sauce and lowers the sugar, if you’re interested! I went all out for maximum enjoyment. Serve this in a bowl with a splash of cream or ice cream for a lovely, fresh summer dessert, or bake up a loaf for breakfast!

Blueberry Walnut Bread


Recipe by: Adapted from Betty Crocker
Yields: one loaf

Ingredients:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed and drained)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom only of 8- or 9-inch loaf pan.
2. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, milk, oil and eggs with spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients except blueberries and nuts; beat 30 seconds. Fold in blueberries and nuts. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with additional oats if desired.
3. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (NOTE: this took about 55 minutes or even a little longer for me). Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.


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Lemon Triumph Cake

The looming summertime has given me the perfect excuse to indulge my love of lemons. Oh! Lemons! The pungent aroma of lemon juice on my fingers from a fresh squeeze! The bright yellow, spoked discs dripping with juice! The tang! The sweetness!

I was thrilled when my mom was pondering what sort of cake she wanted for her birthday and mentioned lemon. She made a fantastic lemon and lemon cream jellyroll cake awhile back from a cake mix and thought she might like something similar. I put on my Dr. Frankenstein hat and began piecing recipes together to oblige.

My first dilemma was how to make a cake from scratch that tasted like a cake mix cake. I always get a kick out of foodies who disdain the taste of cake mix. Being an avid baker, I have news for those folks: many of us are constantly trying to attain a cake-mix-like level of moistness and buttery flavor. There are definitely downsides to cake mix (preservatives and the fact that you don’t get all the fun of baking from scratch, of course!) but in terms of taste . . . yeah, they’re pretty good at that.

So how to make a delicious, preservative-free yella cake that was just as moist and scrummy as a cake mix? While considering this conundrum, I happened to see this recipe for a homemade cake mix and decided to give it a try. It smelled buttery and magnificent while mixing it up, just as it was supposed to, and baked into a lovely lemon cake with a bit of additional flavoring.

Now about that lemon cream. I decided I wanted to do a lemon mousse instead, and had my heart set on a big ol’ fancy mousse layer cake. I was going to buy a cake ring and build the cake with two cake layers sandwiching a thick layer of mousse. Only problem? Well, that first part . . . the part about the cake ring. You let me know if you find one, but after visiting three stores, I’ve come to the conclusion that there aren’t any cake rings in Charlotte. Lame.


And again, with candles!

Well, kind of lame, but kind of awesome, because it gave me an excuse to buy this Wilton Heart Tasty-Fill Pan I’ve had my eye on for months (Note to calm your fears: I always mention if I’ve been asked to review a product or have received something for free to review, but that’s not the case here. Wilton, y’all are welcome to send me free pans and all, but I bought this pan with my own hard-earned money and decided to share it without being asked). I am so excited about this pan! All the filling possibilities! I’m already pondering: banana cake with caramel cream filling, chocolate cake with caramel cream filling, yellow cake with chocolate mousse filling . . . but I digress! Back to the Lemon Triumph Cake at hand.

I did love the Wilton pan, but I think it’ll take a bit of practice to get used to. As you can see in some of the pictures, the heart wasn’t aligned correctly on one side of the pan. This has to do with me forgetting to trim the sides of the cake so that the top and bottom were even. I feel like it might be a bit difficult to get it lined up straight, though, and it’s hard to know until you cut into it . . . at which point (after 8 hours of baking, in the case of this cake) you don’t really want to know if something’s wrong. I’ll let you know next time I use it (which will hopefully be soon!) if it’s easier to align, having had a bit of practice.


Crooked heart this time around!

If you don’t have the Tasty-Fill Heart Pan, don’t worry! You can make this as a regular mousse cake using a cake ring per my original plan. Just layer a 9-inch cake on the bottom and a thick layer of mousse on top of that. Chill until the mousse is firm and place another 9-inch layer of cake on top. Chill again before frosting, taking care around the mousse layer not to mix the frosting and mousse. Alternatively, if your city also has no cake rings, serve this as a regular two-layer lemon cake with the mousse on the side.


Better <3 on this side of the cake.

Nevertheless, crooked hearts notwithstanding, this cake was worth the effort. The yellow cake drenched in lemon syrup was moist and buttery, just like I hoped. This method of making Swiss buttercream produces hands-down the fluffiest, smoothest, silkiest, tastiest frosting I’ve ever had the pleasure of licking off my spatula. And the lemon mousse was, well, a triumph! Lemon curd folded into mousse that sets up like a bright, creamy-tangy cloud in the middle of the cake. Close your eyes and imagine a satisfying summer day — birdsong, sprinklers, green grass, sunshine, lemonade, lounge chair, long naps and good books — with a little sophistication mixed in. That’s what this cake tastes like. If that doesn’t make you want a slice, I don’t know what will!

Lemon Triumph Cake


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, compiled from Fine Cooking (lemon curd), Giada DiLaurentis (lemon syrup, adapted), Gina DePalma (Swiss buttercream, adapted), Bon Appétit (lemon mousse), My Kitchen Cafe (homemade cake mix)
Yields: one 9-inch, two layer cake

Yellow “Cake Mix” Cake Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoons lightly packed finely grated lemon zest
1-2 teaspoons lemon extract
strands of lemon peel for garnish

Lemon Curd Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Lemon Mousse Ingredients:
1 recipe lemon curd (above)
2.5 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites
3/8 cup sugar
3/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

Lemon Syrup Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup lemon juice

Lemon Swiss Buttercream Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites , at room temperature
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:
Note on scheduling: I might schedule this cake baking in the following way. Make lemon curd and refrigerate two days in advance. Bake cake and coat with lemon syrup one day in advance, wrapping carefully and freezing. On day of serving, make mousse, trim and fill cake (much easier with frozen layers!), make frosting, and assemble.

To make lemon curd: In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don’t let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

To make cake: Process sugar, flours, milk powder, baking powder, and salt in a food processor for 15 seconds to combine. Add butter and vanilla and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal (you want this much finer than, say, a pie crust). Freeze the dry mixture in a zipper-lock bag for up to 2 months or use immediately.

To make the cake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans (the Tasty-Fill pans, if you’re using those).

With an electric mixer, beat the prepared cake mix, 1 1/4 cups warm water and 2 large room-temperature eggs until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-27 minutes for two 9-inch layer cakes. Cool the cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. Poke holes in them and spoon lemon syrup over generously. Cool for about 30 more minutes before placing cake layers in freezer for at least 30 minutes. This helps a ton with trimming, filling, and decorating!

To make lemon syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes.

To make the mousse: Pour 2.5 tablespoons water into small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place 7/8 cups lemon curd in large bowl. Stir 3/8 cup curd in another small saucepan over medium-low heat until very warm.

Stir gelatin mixture over medium-low heat until dissolved and liquid is clear (do not boil). Whisk warm gelatin mixture into 3/8 cup warm curd. Gradually whisk gelatin-curd mixture into curd in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until whites are thick and glossy. Fold whites into curd mixture in 3 additions. Using same beaters, beat cream in another medium bowl until peaks form. Fold into egg white-curd mixture in 3 additions.

To make lemon Swiss buttercream icing: Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240° on a digital thermometer, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on medium speed, gradually pour in hot syrup in a thin stream; avoid pouring syrup on whisk. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is cool, about 8 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. (If at any time buttercream appears curdled, beat on high until smooth, then reduce speed to medium and continue beating in butter.) Once all butter is added, beat on high speed until buttercream is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla and lemon extract.

To assemble the cake: Level the layers using a long serrated knife. If using a Tasty-Fill Heart Pan, align heart and then trim sides of cake to make them even. Fill both sides of the heart with mousse, leveling it off using a spatula (see instructions in the note below for making this a regular mousse cake).* Place the top layer on the bottom layer, aligning the heart. Cover cake with a thin coat of icing as a crumb coat and chill until the icing is set, 20 minutes or so. Frost cake and decorate with slices of lemon peel. Store, covered, in refrigerator. Set out about 10 minutes before serving to soften the icing.

*NOTE: Make this as a regular mousse cake by using a cake ring. Layer a 9-inch cake on the bottom and a thick layer of mousse on top of that. Chill until the mousse is firm and place another 9-inch layer of cake on top. Chill again before frosting, taking care around the mousse layer not to mix the frosting and mousse. Alternatively, serve this as a regular two-layer lemon cake with the mousse on the side.


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