I stopped in our neighborhood coffee shop this morning and the barista asked what I’d been up to this summer, and it struck me that I’d felt absolutely no need to travel over the last couple of months. It’s funny realizing you now live where you’d usually have wanted to escape to. And also that your barista realizes you’ve stopped drinking coffee since the spring when you basically existed solely on caffeine.

Our first month in Seattle. Oh, let me tell you the very short story…non-sleeping tiny person = non-sleeping adults = zombie mom. I literally drank coffee and pushed my nocturnal toddler around in a stroller for hours simply so I wouldn’t fall asleep standing up. So, I became bff’s with my baristas and they were my only friends in Seattle, and I was okay with that. I’ve since started sleeping (sometimes) and returned to my tea-drinking ways.

I realize this Seattle summer has not been normal. We’ve barely seen rain since moving here and honestly, I’m ready for it. The days are slowly getting cooler and the nights are chilly enough for us to throw an extra quilt on the bed, and it’s so, so lovely.

We’ve spent the last weeks with every window in the house open or outside, picnicking and drinking wine on our tiny front lawn. My life here is slow…and I kinda love it. I say all that to say, the most exciting things have really been happening in cake-land so I am sharing them here. That and the fact that my kid recently asked me if I wanted some wine as we walked past a display at the grocery store. Proud moment.

The cake and buttercream recipes are generously adapted from Sweetapolita.

brown butter cake

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Serves: 4 x 6 in cakes

Ingredients

• 1¾ c (3½ sticks) unsalted butter, browned and at room temperature (directions below)
• 2⅔ c (530 g) granulated sugar
• 9 egg whites, at room temperature
• 4-1/2 cups (570 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (22 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter 2 (or 4, if you have them) 6 inch cake pans, line the bottom with parchment paper and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
3. Place butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and melt over low-medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan occasionally. When milk solids begin browning and the butter smells nutty transfer it to a heat proof bowl and either place in the fridge or in an ice bath until cooled and solidifying.
4. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add the egg whites, mixing until incorporated.
5. Sift the remaining dry ingredients together. Add vanilla and almond extracts to buttermilk.
6. Alternate adding wet and dry ingredients to the mixer, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and mixing just until combined or finishing by hand.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, weighing if possible (should be about 506 g of batter per pan). Level out the batter with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans in the oven. Check every few minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Place the pans on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and gently turn the cake out onto a cooking rack. Allow to cool completely.
10. Wash and repeat with the remaining batter if necessary.

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Rosemary brown sugar buttercream

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Serves: makes 2½ c

Ingredients

• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• ½ c water
• ¾ c (200g) granulated sugar, divided
• 3 large egg whites
• ¼ c (100g) brown sugar
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cool but not cold and cut into cubes
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine water and ½ c granulated sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the rosemary sprig. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain the syrup and discard the rosemary. Cool to room temperature.
2. Wipe the metal bowl of an electric stand mixer, whisk attachment and a whisk with vinegar or lemon juice and a paper towel to remove any trace of grease. Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Place a metal mixing bowl over the pot of simmering water (bowl should fit snugly) and add egg whites, remaining ¼ c of granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Stir constantly with a whisk until the temperature reaches 160 degrees or until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Beat egg whites and sugar on high speed until the bottom of the bowl is completely neutral, about 10 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and turn mixer on low speed.
4. Begin slowly adding the butter pieces and mix until texture is smooth. If the buttercream curdles, keep mixing, it'll come back together.
5. Add salt and vanilla extract, then add rosemary simple syrup a tablespoon at a time, tasting after each tablespoon. I used about ¼ c.

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grapefruit vanilla bean curd

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Serves: about 3 c

Ingredients

• ⅓ c fresh lemon juice, use meyer lemons if you can, from 1-2 lemons
• ⅔ c fresh grapefruit juice, from 1-2 grapefruits
• 1⅓ c sugar
• 6 tbsp butter, cut into cubes
• 5 egg yolks
• 3 whole eggs
• 3 tsp grapefruit zest
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

1. Bring about an inch of water in a large saucepan to boil, then reduce to low and simmer. Strain the citrus juices, then combine the juice, eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a large metal bowl that fits snugly into your saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should be above the water, not in it to prevent cooking the eggs.
2. Gently whisk until mixture reaches 170 degrees or until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in butter pieces until combined, strain with a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl, and stir in grapefruit zest.
4. Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for 3 months.

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