This is not a recipe blog. Ok, today it is.

I have two copies of the venerable Joy of Cooking - the nice, clean revised version that Marc got me (at my request) for Christmas one year a long time ago. The other, yellowed with age, was my grandmother's. Sitting in her kitchen in Council Bluffs, Iowa, after her death, one of my aunts - or maybe it was my mom? - came up to me to let me know I could come pick something from her jewelry box. But I didn't want my grandmother's jewelry - I had my eye on the tattered copy of Joy. It left with me that night. I love this book - both versions - because it's simply the best reference there is for determining how to cook anything. And my grandmother's version is so charmingly old-school - you can find Nettle Soup, or Braised Heart Slices in Sour Sauce. WTF! I know! I love it. I'd never cook it, but since we've already established that I don't cook from recipes anyway, it's just the wonderfulness of reading about all the things one could do. It's CRAZY. Also, if I want to make a true Bearnaise, you know that's where I'm going.

So, this recipe is from the revised version. Just FYI, there is a Lightning Cake in the old version, and while it looks to be generally the same there are a few changes I'm glad they made. For example, I don't routinely stock cake flour.

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Lightning Cake (Revised Joy Of Cooking, pg. 930)

This is a German Blitztorte, named for the speed with which it can be produced. It is quite a simple lemon-scented yellow cake, delicious with or without the topping. [...] Have all ingredients at room temperature, 68 to 70 degrees. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour one 8x2 inch round pan or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper.
Whisk together thoroughly:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

Gradually add and beat on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 3 to 5 minutes:

1 cup sugar

Beat in 1 at a time:

3 large eggs

Beat in:

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Stir in the flour mixture just until smooth. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. If desired, sprinkle the top with a mixture of:

1/3 cup chopped or sliced natural (unblanched) almonds or other nuts
1 heaping tablespoon sugar

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner, if using. Let cool right side up on the rack.

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Some things to note:
I used salted butter and the cake was not remotely too salty. Even if I had unsalted butter next time, I'd probably still use salted, because I will do my best to reproduce this cake as perfectly as possible. I also did not use chopped nuts or standard sugar as a topping, but instead lightly (but thoroughly!) sprinkled turbinado sugar (aka "raw sugar") over the top before baking. I took it out of the oven at 29 minutes, but I suspect my oven runs a bit hot and I have a tendency to overbake and dry out my baked goods. The sugar had added the perfect sweetness and crunch, and was all the topping I needed, at least until the strawberries showed their pretty faces. Which leads me to tell you - I loved this cake because it's simple. I don't really like frosting, and I do chocolate in small doses. (Yes, I am female. Really.) This cake was moist, just dense enough, very subtle with the lemon, and perfect for just picking up a slice with my hands to eat for a snack. Marc loved it too, and no doubt wonders if this was all some lovely dream he will never be lucky enough to have again. I hope that won't be the case. After all, all the ingredients in this cake are ones I found in my pantry on a busy Thursday night, which means they are already in heavy rotation.

Enjoy!

Comments

[Marci]

Thanks Robyn.
Your story about Joy made me smile. I bought my 1940's copy of Joy at an estate sale about 10 years ago. The previous owner had lovingly cut out the recipe pages from a woman's magazine, hole-punched them, and added them to the book where appropriate. Even better, she wrote in the date of each of the recipes she tried and any modifications she made to them as well as her husband's reaction to each. I was so sad that her family chose to sell this, rather than see it as a history of their family, but "Dorothy" (as I like to call her) is my constant cooking companion and I've added to her notations when I make one of her favorites (which is rare)!

Glad to see you back on the blog. I miss reading about what you're up to!

[Jill]

go robyn, i'm glad u baked something!

[Glenn T]

I have an idea about where you could tattoo this recipe... :)