Friday Q: What's Your Favorite Cake?

For me, it's Carrot Cake.  Plant-based, dairy-based, gluten-free, wholemeal, nuts, no nuts, if it's got the words, Carrot Cake, I have to taste it.

Even if just a bite.

Also, I'll never turn down a slice of coconut cake.  I remember Papam (granddad), would go to the corner store and get little TASTYKAKE Coconut Cakes, with the layer of frosting on the top and middle, wrapped in that plastic wrap that no matter how careful my little fingers were, I'd always squish my cake.

Another great memory is Mamam's (grandma), Hungarian Chocolate Torte.  I'd get to help whip the frosting by hand, even though the whisk was bigger than me.  Then when my little arms (I'd use both), were too tired, Mamam and Papam would take over and I'd watch like it was a magic show.

Liquid into frosting.  How'd they do it?

And now, a billion years later, I'm making new cake memories.  Yesterday I made my first real cake.  Though the frosting was much easier to make than memory served, I didn't make enough to cover the entire cake.  That's why in yesterday's picture, you only saw a partial image.  I only had enough to do half a cake.

Surely I would have gotten voted off The Great British Bake Off for that one, and as I sliced it down the middle (of the half-cake), I could hear Mary Berry's comments in my head.  At least I can say, there were no soggy bottoms.

But now I'd love to hear from you.

What's your favorite cake or favorite cake memories?  Is there one cake that you can't turn down? 

Happy Birthday Mamam

Within the space of not having the money to afford all the groceries needed to feed her family, I watched my Hungarian grandma create wonderful meals and treats.

Palascintas were one of these meals, because so many Hungarian crepes were made from a single batch.

While whisking the batter by hand, Mamam told me, “Ven vee have no money for milk, vee use water. Ven vee have money for milk, vee use milk.”

Mamam always did her best to stretch every meal. Her frig was stocked with cob-o-stash-tasda (green cabbage and homemade noodles), and croom-pea-tasda (potatoes, homemade noodles and Hungarian paprika). She made giant pots of both, and we ate them until they were gone.

I’ve carried her ways with me. And even now, as an adult in my own kitchen, I still love talking to her about food.

“Vutt you making for supper?”

“Chicken paprikash.”

“Good. You husband like?”

“Oh yeah, he loves it.”

“Good. You just remembering, you make enough to last all veek, that vay you no cooking every night.”

Another good memory for me, is watching Mamam make toast in a skillet. She’d split open a roll and spread butter on both sides.

“Fresh or stale, it no matter,” she’d tell me. “You just no burning it.” She’d say while cooking both sides. She also toasted sliced Italian bread and French baguettes this way.

Then we’d remove the golden crusted, wonderful smelling bread from the skillet. Sometimes, we'd add cream cheese, along with whatever lekvar we liked.

Stale bread never tasted so good.

To this day, I always think of Mamam when I toast bread. And I still remember the first time I watched her toast bread in a skillet. “No toaster?” I asked.

“Nem,” she said. “Dis is how my mother do.”

So now, ‘dis’ is how I do, as well.

Happy Birthday, Mamam.

Hungarian Lekvár

When I tell people it's sort of a prune jam, they scrunch their face, as if I've told them I was making boiled head broth. But I grew up eating apricot, walnut and prune lekvárs. So for me, it's normal.

I love prune lekvár on a roll with butter. Just split a roll and butter both sides of each piece, then put it in a hot skillet. Oh, what a great way to heat bread. Then spread the lekvár on and enjoy. It's also used for rolling into palacsintas (Hungarian crepes). And it's even good when used as a filling for dough, the same way cheese goes in ravioli or potatoes into perogies.

Whether used in baked treats or as part of the main meal, Hungarian prune lekvár really is delicious, I swear.

Just chop a bag of pitted prunes, add water and sugar and cook it down, adding water and sugar as needed. The water rehydrates the fruit and the sugar adds a bit of sweetness.

I don't have the exact measurements to give you, because Mamam (Hungarian Grandma) never gave me measurements. "You just cooking it," she would say in her thick accent. "And you no burning it," she'd add.

I thought of Mamam when I spied a new (or new to me), brand of prunes listed as preservative free. I had a buck fifty off with coupons, so I thought I'd give them a try. Can't wait to see how they work in my homemade lekvár.

Until next time, Happy Whisking :-)