As evidenced by many challenges on this blog, our forte is taste and not beauty when it comes to baked goods. So we took our own path this month, whose challenge was "cake design." Not that we don't appreciate a beautiful cake, but we'd rather focus on the baking rather than the decorating.
Enter the Great British Baking Show, which inspired Sara to suggest we make a schichttorte.
First, we made an egg yolk mixture, into which we blended vanilla, lemon zest, flour, and "corn flour." I only had corn meal, which seemed to work out alright, although masa is what we should've included. The British recipe had a few alternate names including golden syrup (corn syrup) and vanilla bean paste (closer to extract than scraped beans). Then we stirred in beaten egg whites.
The interesting trick to this recipe is that you spread a very thin layer in the cake pan and put it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Unusual! Then you pull it out, and do it again, layer after layer, until you get to 20 (theoretically, but we only got to 14 before we ran out of batter).
Our first try was not great. It burned. Here's evidence of that mistake plus the erroneous corn meal.
But then we got the hang of it. Our final step was an easy chocolate glaze. Thanks to honorary Daring Baker Emily for her help with the glaze. Because we were dealing with two babies rapidly approaching nap time, we skipped the addition of vanilla glaze decoration.
How lovely!
And the layers turned out beautifully.
The texture was a tad bit rubbery and that could've been the corn meal. Overall it was quite tasty and fun to make. And we got to enjoy the company of friends and babies, and enjoy some brunch tacos and homemade guacamole from our friends' bumper crop of avocados.
Thank you Daring Bakers and the Great British Baking Show!
