Cake

Basically a chocolate génoise rolled around rum-flavored whipped cream, this is another supremely simple dessert that always manages to please. It’s a not-too-rich ending for any celebratory meal.

For this nostalgic dessert, a génoise cake is baked and spread with raspberry jam and a thick layer of whipped cream before being rolled into a log. If you’ve never made a rolled cake before, you are in for a surprise: the génoise sheet cake will readily roll up without the slightest resistance (and any slight rips or tears will be concealed with a generous dusting of confectioners’ sugar). It’s so simple to prepare and so utterly delicious to eat, it’s a wonder it ever went out of style. Make it once or twice and you might be inspired to bring it back into fashion.

White cakes, as opposed to butter cakes like the one on page 428, are made with egg whites only, and they offer another good lesson in how French meringue can help give loft, or leavening, to a cake. (The heat of the oven causes the beaten whites to expand; in this case, they are helped by a chemical leavener, namely baking powder.) It’s important to beat the whites until they are stiff but not dry, and to make sure that you fold them into the batter very gently, in parts, so that they retain their volume. First, you fold in just a third of the beaten whites to “lighten” the creamed batter (so it is easier to incorporate the rest without overmixing), then you very gently fold in the rest and quickly transfer the batter to the prepared pans, lest it lose any volume. True to its name, the cake remains pure white inside after baking, save for the brown flecks of flavor-enhancing vanilla seeds.

Just like a great drop-cookie recipe, every home cook needs a fuss-free cake that can be mixed in a flash and is adaptable enough for layer cakes and cupcakes. One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes are so effortless, they don’t even warrant their own technique lesson; you simply combine dry ingredients and whisk in a few liquid ones. There is no need for an electric mixer, and best of all, you have to use only one bowl in the process.

Delightfully airy and light, this spongy dessert is a good example of the adaptability of a French-meringue base. The cake gets its lift from stiffly beaten egg whites rather than chemical leaveners, such as baking soda or baking powder. (Incidentally, there are no butter or egg yolks either, making the cake fat-free.) Whisking up the perfect meringue is crucial: Overbeating can deflate the whites, and underbeating won’t allow enough air to be incorporated. Similarly, don’t skimp on sifting; you will need to sift the flour and a portion of the sugar together no fewer than five times in order to achieve a featherlight texture. Mix on medium-high speed (never high) to strengthen the cake’s structure. When it comes time to fold in the flour, cut the spatula down through the center of the egg whites, make a sweeping motion up the side of the bowl, then turn spatula over (as if you were making the letter “J”). Repeat until just combined, rotating bowl as you go. Before serving, dust the cake lightly with confectioners’ sugar and scatter fresh berries around it; dollop freshly whipped cream alongside each slice.

A simple butter cake is often referred to as yellow cake, but it’s not the butter that produces its distinctive color; most butter cakes also contain whole eggs, so the yolks contribute to the color (as well as the rich flavor). The creaming method is essential to many classic American layer cakes like this one, but here an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) is used, rather than a wooden spoon. Be sure to cream for the suggested amount of time to create the finest texture and a velvety crumb. Using a combination of flours is equally important; cake flour imparts tenderness and a delicate crumb, all-purpose flour lends structure.

The first time I encountered olive oil cake was at Capezzana, an olive oil– and wine-producing estate in Tuscany. Olive oil cake was the house cook’s signature morning dessert. I had never heard of such a thing and it sounded strange to me, but when I took a bite, it made perfect sense. It was a very simple sponge-type cake in which the butter had been replaced by olive oil, and it was delicious. Since it’s all about the olive oil, the better the quality, the better the cake. For drizzling over the gelato, this is the time to bring out the best olive oil you have—and use olio nuovo when it’s in season. We bake the batter in tiny teacake molds, which means more surface area—and the slightly crispy exterior is my favorite part. The teacake molds we use are sold in a pan, like a muffin tin, at cookware shops. Alternatively, you could use individual teacake molds. This batter keeps well, and you’ll have plenty of olive oil ice cream, so double the recipe to feed a crowd or if you think you might want to bake more later in the week. We serve the cakes with Olive Oil Gelato, which is equally unusual and delicious.

The batter for this cake is much like that for a biscuit; the chilled butter is cut in rather than creamed to produce a tender crumb. This recipe was developed by Emily Donahue for Rosey’s Coffee and Tea in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Navettes are boat-shaped cakes from Provence traditionally flavored with orange water.

This recipe makes two kinds of mousse: bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate.

Purchase high-quality pistachios, and pick through the nuts for the greenest ones. After roasting, rub the nuts between your palms to eliminate as much of the brown skin as possible.