Meme's Cake
I was the most awful kind of American child. My mother is from the South of France so growing up she was all about olive oil, garlic, and eating natural foods instead of processed foods.
This was the direct opposite of how I wanted to eat. I wanted Oreos in my lunch, not an apple; I wanted American cheese and baloney sandwiches on soft white bread; I wanted snack sized packs of Doritos and Fritos; in short, I wanted to be just like everyone else in the lunch room at a time when conformity was key to acceptance.
Which I just never was able to achieve, but not because of my lunches. But that is a whole other blog post, or something...
Summer would roll around and my grandparents would come over from France for three months. Three months of everything made from scratch, catered to our desires and preferences, with no trying to conform to anyone else. My Meme would ask us every morning what we wanted for breakfast - perhaps un coup de fruit ou peut-etre des crepes? Meme loved my sister and myself so much that it hurts my heart a little to think about it today because I know that I didn't tell her enough that I loved her back.
Meme would cook every single thing from scratch. It truly was encroyable. And I have come to this approach sort of later in my life, but better late than never. There are things about cooking that seem to come naturally to me, and I know that is the part of Meme that I will carry with me forever.
For my birthday this year I asked for a Meme cake. A Meme cake is a very plain cake that is kind of an everyday cake, if you will. The point is to have a little sweet something, but not too decadent.
This is probably a genoise, or a Victoria sponge cake to most people, but to me and mine it will always be a Meme's Cake.
Meme's Cake - direct from La Maman
Ok, so some notes that might be of use, since sometimes hand-me-down recipes don't translate so well written down: if the yolk, sugar, flour mix is too stiff you can add a tablespoon or so of milk. I use an 8" round pan, that I just butter. As for the baking time, give it about 30 -40 minutes, a knife stuck into the middle should come out clean.
This particular cake takes me about half an hour to get into the oven and I almost always prefer it split in two with jam spread throughout.
Tonight I made it with some cherry preserves I'd put up in the summer. So, so SO good.
With love from Meme, bien sur!
This was the direct opposite of how I wanted to eat. I wanted Oreos in my lunch, not an apple; I wanted American cheese and baloney sandwiches on soft white bread; I wanted snack sized packs of Doritos and Fritos; in short, I wanted to be just like everyone else in the lunch room at a time when conformity was key to acceptance.
Which I just never was able to achieve, but not because of my lunches. But that is a whole other blog post, or something...
Summer would roll around and my grandparents would come over from France for three months. Three months of everything made from scratch, catered to our desires and preferences, with no trying to conform to anyone else. My Meme would ask us every morning what we wanted for breakfast - perhaps un coup de fruit ou peut-etre des crepes? Meme loved my sister and myself so much that it hurts my heart a little to think about it today because I know that I didn't tell her enough that I loved her back.
Meme would cook every single thing from scratch. It truly was encroyable. And I have come to this approach sort of later in my life, but better late than never. There are things about cooking that seem to come naturally to me, and I know that is the part of Meme that I will carry with me forever.
For my birthday this year I asked for a Meme cake. A Meme cake is a very plain cake that is kind of an everyday cake, if you will. The point is to have a little sweet something, but not too decadent.
This is probably a genoise, or a Victoria sponge cake to most people, but to me and mine it will always be a Meme's Cake.
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| Meme's Cake |
Meme's Cake - direct from La Maman
3 large eggs, a cup of flour, a cup of sugar.
You separate the eggs, beat the yolk with the sugar until really pale yellow, then
you beat the egg white. Stir the flour into the egg yolk if it's a little hard put a little
bit of your beaten white eggs, then fold the egg white into the egg yolk. You can add some
lemon zest, some vanilla.
I cook everything in a 355 degree oven
Ok, so some notes that might be of use, since sometimes hand-me-down recipes don't translate so well written down: if the yolk, sugar, flour mix is too stiff you can add a tablespoon or so of milk. I use an 8" round pan, that I just butter. As for the baking time, give it about 30 -40 minutes, a knife stuck into the middle should come out clean.
This particular cake takes me about half an hour to get into the oven and I almost always prefer it split in two with jam spread throughout.
Tonight I made it with some cherry preserves I'd put up in the summer. So, so SO good.
With love from Meme, bien sur!
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