Fares Roy - United States of cakes : tasty traditional American cakes, cookies, pies, and baked goods

The first time I traveled there, I immediately felt like I fit right in. Since then Ive returned many times, mainly to Los Angeles, and Ive lived there periodically. And my love for California has only grown. Why has California become my absolute favorite vacation destination? I dont actually know that either. One reason may be that I come from the Lebanese culture, with its touch of crazy social chaos (cheek kisses, loud conversation, people in touch with their emotions). I feel that this way of life definitely fits California.

Another reason is that there is a really permissive attitude there, for the most part. It is okay to be who you are, to be different, and to believe in yourself. At first, I thought that the majority of American baked goods I tasted had a little too much sugar and too much of everything on the outside, but at the same time I fell totally in love with double chocolate, triple fudge its like double and triple everything! At least! And who doesnt love that? You could say that this book originates from a pure curiosity of American baking culture. After spending a lot of time in California, I feel that I probably have enough knowledge and contacts to present my favorite recipes. The United States of America is huge, and there is, of course, a never-ending amount of baked goods to discover in this country, but in this book Ive picked just over fifty recipes that I think are the best of all. The recipes are American at their core, but I have adapted them a bit according to my own palette.

That is to say, Ive concentrated the flavors and reduced the amount of sugar a little. If the recipe doesnt specify chilled ingredients, then room temperature ingredients generally give the best results. Oven temperatures in the book are specifically for convection ovens. If you are baking with a regular oven, then you ought to raise the temperature about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). If you live at a higher altitude, youll have to adjust accordingly to compensate for the atmospheric pressure. And definitely use the weights specified in the recipesthat will give you more precise results.

Good luck! Soft CAKES PALM SPRINGS Between Los Angeles and San Diego in a valley in Riverside County lies the little desert city of Palm Springs. Here youll notice that youre in the Colorado Desert because it is warmyear round and twenty-four hours a day. During the summer, it is not unusual for temperatures to reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) during the day and just over 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) at night. But it is during the winter that Palm Springs is most popular, when the weather is roughly like a nice, Swedish summer day. That is to say, 7075 degrees Fahrenheit (20-25 degrees Celsius). Palm Springs is called Hollywoods playground because movie stars have been coming here to relax for almost a hundred years.

The city is barely two hours by car from Hollywood. Here, there is a Walk of Stars, with sidewalks honoring stars such as Elvis Presley, Sophia Loren, Liberace, and Ginger Rogers. I absolutely love Palm Springs! The whole city is like one big resort. A well-maintained, neat, idyllic small town with a mixture of people from all kinds of different social, economical, and racial backgrounds. I come here to enjoy lazy days by the pool. And speaking of waterall plants, lawns, and palms are totally dependent on intensive irrigation, for here in the desert it rarely rains.

But the climate is ideal for growing dates, and during a visit to such a farm, I got the inspiration for the date cake on . It can be fairly windy, and to make the most of the energy, huge wind farms have been erected along the highway. It feels so awesome to rush past row after row of these spinning giants. The city center is really just one long street with shops, typical of smaller American cities. BANANA NUT BREAD A moist and long-lasting cake with the advantage that its baked with slightly overripe bananas. The taste is deeper and better that way.

Sometimes I toast the slices and spread Nutella or peanut butter on them. Yum! 16 Slices 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour 1 tsp (5 g) baking soda tsp (3 g) salt 4 (550 g) bananas cup (60 g) walnuts cup + 1 tsp (120 g) room temperature salted butter cup + 1 tbsp (110 g) brown sugar 2 (110 g) eggs Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius), convection function. Butter an oblong baking form, quart (1 liters). Lightly flour the forms sides and cover the bottom with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Mash the bananas and chop the nuts.