Alright, you may well ask what a luscious looking apple-walnut cake is doing here? Well, it’s about indulging once in awhile – walking 10,000 steps when you do – about good living, pleasure and connecting with friends. Just like the game of golf. Are you with me? So, I was invited to a potluck dinner the other night and volunteered for dessert duty….
Martha Stewart was channeling me, or I her, and the urge for a culinary adventure was upon me. En garde. Seeking inspiration, I called my good buddy Jeanne, private-chef-extraordinaire, and asked for suggestions to feed seven people. It had to be something that would impress Nigel, my Kickstarter video angel, since he and his wife, Jane, would be coming to dinner, too. Jeanne pointed me to a Silver Palate staple that she swears by: Chunky Apple Walnut Cake. (There’s a video on her website to show you how it’s done.)
DUELS & DELIRIUM
All I can say is OMG. That’s pretty much all anyone else said between bites either. The entire cake was demolished, as my otherwise civilized friends licked their plates and fought over the last slice. (I think the licking had something to do with the buttery Calvados glaze.) Even the Paleo Diet apostles lost their resolve. And their minds. My bad. Anyway, I decided the fairest way to cope with the last remaining slice was to put it in the middle of the table and shout GO! That way everyone had an equal shot. Fork duels. Some blood drawn.
CAKE OR MINI-BUNDTS?
To practical matters. I wasn’t sure such a thick, rich batter would set up well in my mini-bundt pans, so made the command decision to take an eight-inch cake to dinner to be safe. Once that was baked, glazed and dusted with powdered sugar, I tested the remaining batter in the mini-bundt pans and am happy to report that not only were they moist and pretty, they baked in less than half the time of the big cake. Twenty-five minutes in a well-heated 325º oven. You can see how charming these individual servings look, yes, I said charming, while the generous wells in the center invite all kinds of creativity and mischief. Like vanilla-bean ice cream, cinnamon crème fraiche (my pick) or greek yogurt (good, too). Finishing them off with the warm Calvados glaze and a dusting of powdered sugar, just like the big cake, puts a person on the fast train to Delirium. That’s a real place, by the way.
Check out Jeanne Journal for the how-to video on this no-fail winner. And if you’re skipping sugar these days, STEP AWAY FROM THE CAKE. Coma coming. You won’t be able to stop……
