Gray - All Cakes Considered

This here book, as rambling and kooky as it is, would not have been possible without help and encouragement from the following people:

Sudan Feeney, editor at All Things Considered, who, through simple repeated suggestion, pushed me to write this book. This is Melissa. She bakes a cake every Monday. Shes writing a book. Its called All Cakes Considered. Say it enough times, and I actually had to do it! She also got me in touch with Christy Fletcher, my literary agent. Thank you, Susan!

Michele Norris, one of the hosts of All Things Considered, who, because she so wanted to learn how to bake, decided to do a years worth of occasional interviews with Dorie Greenspan, thus allowing me paid, professional time to learn even more about baking through working with Dorie.

Dorie Greenspan, baker extraordinaire and person extraordinaire, who cheered me, helped me problem solve, and otherwise worked her Evangelistic Baking Higher Power over me. Amen, sugar sister!

Ellen Silva, for all her proofreading, cake baking, cake eating, ego stroking, and constructive feedback.

My gal pals Julia Bailey, Dawn Benedetto, Kitty Eisele, and Marguerite Nutter for their encouragement and the occasional test baking.

The staff of All Things Considered, 2006 to the present: Jonathan Smokey Baer, Jesse Baker, Jonathan Blakely, Melissa Block, Brendan Banaszak, Julia Redpath Buckley, Neal Carruth, Franklyn Cater, Sonari Glinton, Jeremy Hobson, Andrea Hsu, Chelsea Jones, Carol Klinger, Viet Le, George Lyle, Alison Macadam, Raul Moreno, Quinn OToole, Bilal Qureshi, Rhonda Ray, Sara Sarasohn, Robert Siegel, Graham Smith, Elizabeth Tannen, Cory Turner, plus Krishnadev Calamur, Bill Deputy, Mary Glendenning, Robert Jackson, all of newscast, and some of Morning Editions staff, most of whom gamely eat the cake every Monday and none of whom blame me for their expanding waistlines. Except Smokey. Smokey eats the cake, then blames me for his expanding waistline, and then for his depression on Tuesdays, when there is no cake. You guys remain a pleasure to bake for and an even greater pleasure to work with!

Special thanks to All Things Considered executive producer Christopher Turpin, who never, ever saw Monday cake as a negative distraction, and was (and still is) most enthusiastic and supportive of all my baking endeavors. Especially when they involve steamed puddings.

And last, but not least, my long-suffering spouse, Jimmy Argroves, who, lacking a sweet tooth, still tries slice after slice of whatever Im making whenever Im in doubt. The man deserves fried pie every day for the many times hes taken the cake out of the oven when Ive had to go to bed, for the many times hes run out to the store when Ive run out of butter, and for the many times hes done the dishes after a marathon day in the kitchen that wore me plain out. Hes a good man, an excellent husband, and maybe the funniest guy I know. Maybe one day hell like cake.

And now that youve baked fifty-plus cakes, I want you to pick up your favorite spatula in your left hand, hold it over your heart, raise your right hand in a victory sign, take a deep breath, and repeat after me:

I hearby swear on Emma Rylander Lanes booze bottle, on Paula Deens butter-coated ringed fingers, on Dorie Greenspans easy buttercream frosting, on Mr. Dalquists original Bundt pan, on Meemaws dried apples, and on all the original cakes from the great state of Texas, that I will never, EVER, bake from a cake mix again.

Now go forth and collect your own recipes. Bake for your co-workers, your neighbors, your family, your friends. Keep notes and finesse as you see fit. Bring some homemade happiness into someones harried, modern life, and be not cowed by flour, butter, eggs, and sugar ever again.

Thanks for indulging me. No go forth and indulge yourself.

Happy Baking!

YOULL NEED

A 10-inch tube pan

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

cup shortening

One 16-ounce box brown sugar (light or dark, about 2 cups)

cup sugar

5 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional, facing page)

1. Remember our creaming instructions? At least 1 hour BEFORE youre ready to mix, set out your butter and eggs.

2. Position a rack so the cake will sit in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of your tube pan with parchment paper and spray the sides and bottom with baking spray. (You can also prepare the pan later, while youre patiently creaming the butter.)

3. Cut up your butter into pats and drop into the bowl of your mixer. Cut your shortening up into 4 parts and add to the bowl.

4. Start your engines and cream the butter and shortening together on medium speed.

5. Combine your sugars together in a separate bowl, then add them, cup at a time, to the creamed mixture, beating 1 to 2 minutes between additions.

6. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 1 to 2 minutes between additions.

(See? You learned so well the first time, I dont have to write as much.)

7. While youre creaming or mixing, in your own sweet time, dry whisk your flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl.

8. Once youve added the eggs, slow the mixer down to low speed and add your flour mixture and milk to the batter, alternating between the two. Remember our previous ratio? Add 1 cup of dry ingredients for every cup of wet. Beat after each addition. Shift the mixer to medium-high speed and beat for 1 minute more.

9. Slow that mixer slightly and add the vanilla extract. After 1 minute, slow the mixer as low as you can go and add the pecans.

10. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan and center it in the oven. Bake for 70 minutes or until a toothpick or thin knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

11. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan using our plate-over-pan method and flip it onto a cake rack (see page 28). Continue cooling the cake.

12. If you like, cover with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I like the Brown Sugar Pound Cake just the way it is, but if you like frosting, or say you bake it a little too long and you know it might be too dry, use this recipe. Just frost the top and let a little drip down the sides. You can get it to drip by just adding extra frosting to the edges and using your spatula to lightly pat down the frosting there.

YOULL NEED

1 stick ( cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

One 16-ounce box confectioners sugar (about 3