HFF 5.26: Reflection

The Challenge: Reflection. Give yourself a second chance at any previous challenge or at a dish you've made before. Fix something that went wrong, or try a new variation of an old favorite.

The Recipe: I decided to revisit my most troublesome receipt from this season: "A Light Cake to Bake in Cups" from the heartfelt challenge.

After consulting with noted bread expert Quinn, I decided to increase the liquid in this recipe (ie, interpret 1 wineglass as more than 1.5 oz, which is an option, since it seems to mean between 0.5 and 4oz depending on the receipt). She also observed that the ingredient list has some similarities to rum baba, and advised borrowing techniques from such a recipe.

The Date/Year and Region: 1852, New York

How Did You Make It: I once again started by waking up the yeast, this time using 2 Tbsp of yeast in 4 oz of warm water (double the yeast of the previous attempt). After about 10 minutes I added 2oz of white wine and 4 oz of butter (melted). I then mixed together the 4 oz granulated sugar, 1 lb flour, and a generous 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and kneaded that into the liquids. It worked into a smooth dough in a matter of minutes, and I then let it rise in a 100F oven until doubled (not the 1 hour in the instructions, but closer to 4 hours). I then gently kneaded it again, filled three round tins with dough, mixed in a scant handful of currant into the remainder, and divided that between 2 oval tins. These went back into the oven to rise for 1 hour (I meant 15 min but forgot to retrieve them), then baked for 25 min at 325F.

Total Time: About 6 hours including rising and baking time.

Total Cost: I had everything on hand.

How Successful Was It?: Distinct improvement over last time. Still not quite what I'd call 'light', but certainly lighter than last time. The flavor worked out well (currants, wine, and nutmeg, in that order). Even cooking much lower than the modern recipe recommended (I don't want to risk my tins), the tops on these browned in less than 10 minutes, so I ended up watching them very carefully for the rest of the time.

How Accurate Is It? The technique remains conjectural, but at least this one was more of an educated guess. As before, I used active dry yeast in water to substitute for the fresh yeast. I took 1 wineglass for 2 oz, which seems to have worked much better for the liquid balance. I did opt for the round and oval tins this time, since the original recipe called for "cups" rather than "queencake tins" in all their fun glory. Used pre-ground nutmeg because I still can't source whole ones, and Barefoot "buttery chardonnay" for the wine, since that's what I had on hand.

Lighter this time. Also in 'cups' after a fashion.