Sunday, December 27, 2009

In case you were wondering...

...this is how you make a delicious linzer "cake." I put it into quotes because you cut them into bars and are rather less like a cake and more like a bar.
First: Make sure you have all your ingredients (very important I have come to find after much trial and error)
3cups flour
1 cup sugar
3tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
lemon rind
2 jars(standard size) apricot perserves
1/2 cupish of crushed walnuts mixed with sugar

Second:Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Third: Mix- Sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and slightly softened butter.


Fourth: Mix- eggs, vanilla and lemon rind
Fifth: Add egg mixture to previous butter mixture until it becomes a dough-like consistancy

Sixth: Take half of the dough and set it aside. Take the other half and cover your work space surface with flour and roll it out so that it will cover the bottom of a greased cookie sheet. (Note: the dough is very fragile and will break easily, don't worry, just patch it up.)

Seventh: After lining the bottom of your greased cookie sheet with your dough, spread an even layer of the apricot preserves (both jars worth).

Eighth: Roll out the second half of dough you had set aside on a flour covered surface. Take a pizza cutter and cut out inch wide strips (the thickness should be a couple centimeters thick). Place strips across (diagonally) your apricot covered cookie sheet.(Note: Due to the fact that the dough is fragile, you may need the assistance of another person to place the strips in a lattice formation. Also don't try and weave the strips, it works just as well just overlapping the other layer and is difficult to weave).

Ninth: Sprinkle a layer of the walnut and sugar mixture all over


Tenth: Bake for 20-25minutes (Note: It shouldn't be golden brown and will seem like it is the same color as the dough, just check the texture and make sure it is finished.)
Eleventh: Let it cool, and Enjoy!


P.S. I listened to the book "Julie & Julia," this added to my recent eagerness to learn to cook and bake which has made me want to become a chef and watch all movies concerning culinary expertise. I stay away from cooking television shows because it usually is more discouraging and proves what little knowledge I actually have concerning food. Whereas movies show only the cool parts. Also baking makes me feel overtly domestic and like a homemaker all while making me feel somewhat chic as if i am sharing my creative side with a very practical side by making art you may taste. I'm pathetic.

1 comment:

jori said...

Yeah I don't know what you were talking about, about the pictures not turning out well. It looks amazing. I'm jealous of not only the cake, but of your obvious ability to do good food photography.