BASIC BAKING

Eileen Rodriguez | ’20-’21 Director of Publicity

As I’m sure many of you can relate, the sudden influx of flexibility due to the lockdown has given all of us a tremendous amount of free time to develop new skills and pick up new hobbies. Personally, I began baking! The following are two of my go-to recipes, as they are simple and easy to make, and they create the most salivating desserts.

Lemon Cake:

Ingredients - • 2 sticks of room temperature butter (½ pound) • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar • 4 room temperature eggs • 1/3 cup of lemon zest (6-8 lemons) • 3 cups flour • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice • 3/4 cup room temperature buttermilk ◦ To make your own buttermilk simply add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Extra - • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar • Extra 3 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Directions - 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then grease/flour a loaf pan or line the bottom with parchment paper. 2. Use an electric mixer to cream the sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar and after a couple minutes it should turn light and fluffy. 3. Then add eggs to that mixture 1 by 1, and then add the lemon zest, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 4. Grab another bowl and add 1/4 cup of lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. 5. Take a large bowl and add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, and continue to alternate. 6. Slowly pour the mixture into 1 or 2 pans and bake for around 45 minutes to an hour until a cake tester comes out clean. 7. While the cake is in the oven, add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of lemon juice to saucepan and let the sugar dissolve 8. Once the cake is ready pour the lemon syrup over them, and let them cool.

Optional Glaze - 1. Use a whisk to mix the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl. Once the cake has cooled, pour the glaze over the tops of the cake/cakes.

Marble Cake:

Ingredients - • 1/2 cup of cocoa powder • 2 1/2 cups sugar • 1/2 cup water • 4 ounces of chocolate, broken in pieces • 1 cup buttermilk • 4 eggs • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 3 cups of flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter

Directions - 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle flour in it (I happened to use a bundt pan which I think turned out amazing). 2. Take a small saucepan, and mix the cocoa powder, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the water. Turn the stove to high heat, and whisk it until it turns smooth. Turn off the heat and then add the chocolate. Continue to whisk until it looks smooth. 3. In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. (Over time this mixture may start to look curdled which is perfectly normal.) 4. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining 2 cups of sugar. 5. Then add the softened butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix until it is moist but crumbly, which should be about 1 minute. 6. Slowly add the remaining buttermilk mixture and mix the entire thing together for several minutes, it should begin to look pale and creamy. 7. Transfer about 2 1/2 cups of the batter to another bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk until it looks smooth. 8. Pour half of the remaining vanilla mixture into your bundt pan. Then pour your entire chocolate mixture on top(it does not have to cover all the vanilla).

Then pour the rest of your vanilla batter over the chocolate. 9. Using a butter knife make figure eight motions to mix the chocolate and vanilla.