Makes one 9-inch cake
He asked me what winter was like at the bakery.
“Well …” I paused. “I just run around starting fires.”
INGREDIENTS
DRY
2½ cups cake flour (here)
½ cup unrefined sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Zest of 1 lemon
WET
5 egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup whole milk, room temperature
¼ cup olive oil
EGG WHITES
9 egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
Measuring cups and spoons
Microplane grater
Parchment paper
9-inch springform pan
Room-temperature butter and flour for the pan
2 medium-size mixing bowls
Flour sifter
Small mixing bowl
Whisk
Large wooden spoon
Hand blender
Notepad
Pen
Thin-blade knife or cake tester
Very sharp knife
Cake stand or serving board
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees.
Cut a 9-inch circle of parchment to cover the bottom of the springform pan.
Grease the pan with butter, dust it with flour, and inset the parchment. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the lemon zest and set the dry ingredients aside.
Crack the eggs, putting 5 yolks in a small bowl and 9 egg whites in a separate, medium bowl.
Add the vanilla to the yolks and whisk.
Add the milk and whisk.
Add the oil and whisk.
Pour the yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together till the batter is creamy, glossy, and fully combined. This will be six or seven folds with the wooden spoon, using a thoughtful and direct motion. Be sure to get the bottom and sides of the batter incorporated.
Beat the egg whites on medium/high speed with the hand blender until you see soft peaks form.
Stop.
Add the cream of tartar and resume beating till stiff peaks form.
Do not overbeat; it will dry out the egg whites.
Fold the stiffened whites into the batter a third at a time. The mixture should be bubbly, shiny, and loose.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake on the middle rack of the oven.
Use the notepad and pen and begin your practice of remaining present. Try writing about the first thing that comes to mind for 2 minutes without stopping.
Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes of baking.
The total baking time for the cake will be between 45 and 50 minutes. When a knife or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, it’s done.
Within 10 minutes of taking the cake out of the oven, run a very sharp knife between the edge of the cake and the pan.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 1 hour or till it is cool to the touch.
Carefully remove the adjustable body of the springform pan and turn the cake over onto a cake stand or serving board.
Peel off the parchment.
Serve plain any time of day or top it with whipped cream or classic icing for an evening affair.