Letters from Thailand: Cake and Frittata and How a Yellow Cake Morphed into a White Cake

For Mimi's anniversary, I planned to bake a Downy Yellow Butter Cake with Buttercream Frosting , but it all went awry. Yesterday I made the yellow cake--and forgot the sugar! I had batter spatter all over the kitchen. When you leave out the sugar you get a gooey goopy mess. The yellow cake needs 6 egg yolks so I started all over again but I wasn't happy with the cake texture--too dry. The coffee buttercream frosting was, alas, too sweet--four cups of powdered sugar. Too much and entirely unnecessary, to my mind. I also had the problem of what to do with a dozen egg whites in the refrigerator. Time for a change of plan!

I decided to make another cake, a White Velvet Butter Cake which is an inversion of the yellow cake. Instead of 6 egg yolks, it uses 4 egg whites. And, instead of the coffee cake I planned to make, I made a White Spice Pound Cake. That one called for four large egg whites.

The Vanilla Buttercream frosting for the Velvet Cake also uses an alarming three cups of powdered sugar and one whole cup of butter. As I watched, the frosting turned from yellow to white in all of three minutes. It's so beautifully light and airy. I love it! I decorated the top with six chocolate-covered strawberries, Mimi's favorite dessert.

All cake recipes came from The Cake Bible which I've found is a reliable resource. I plan to try all of the recipes--but with far simpler cake decorations. I'm deeply envious when I look at the cakes with their perfect fondants. Eye candy. The author unfortunately doesn't give step by step decorating instructions--I guess that would be another book. It's a pity there aren't more pictures in the Bible but the written instructions are excellent--and she shares her secrets for perfect cakes!

*****

For lunch today, I made a spaghetti frittata with 6 egg whites and one whole egg thrown in "for color." Usually, it's 4 whole eggs, lightly beaten. To beaten eggs, add 1 cup cooked spaghetti, 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper. In another bowl, add 6 slices chopped pancetta or diced ham, 1 cup frozen peas, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

In a 10 inch skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. Saute 6 cloves minced garlic (less, if you don't appreciate garlic). Add half the egg mixture. Top with pancetta mixture. Cover with remaining egg mixture. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered until the edges are set. Cover the top with a large plate and invert. Slide the frittata back into the pan and cook until the top/bottom is browned.

There are times when I should follow the recipe and there are times when I should follow my instincts. I should have followed my instincts here and not let the frittata brown for all 8 minutes recommended in the recipe. The egg whites cooked a lot quicker than whole eggs, I discovered. Still, the frittata was full of flavor with the tang of cheese and little explosions of peas. Delicious.

*****