Pascale's Kitchen: Sweet comfort cakes for bitter times

These past few weeks have been some of the toughest we’ve ever experienced in Israel, on both a personal and a communal level.

Many of us have loved ones who’ve been called up for reserve duty to defend our homeland and, as a result, are finding it difficult to just get through the day.

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Throughout my life, whenever I am struggling, the best way that I’ve found to get through hard times – which also helps my family members – is baking.

Not fancy or complicated desserts, but just the most basic cake recipe I know will come out perfectly. In other words, comfort cake that will make me feel loved and taken care of. 

I love taking my favorite basic recipe and adding one extra ingredient, such as nuts or chocolate chips, which adds a new flavor or texture. I tend to make this decision depending on who will be enjoying the cake. Sometimes I make the cake dairy by adding milk, butter, or cream, while other times I make it parve.

My basic cake recipe is actually perfect as it is, but because it’s so easy to add just one extra ingredient or a little powdered sugar or chocolate icing on top, I like to play around with the list of ingredients.

Below, you will find three different versions of my basic comfort cake recipe. The first one is my favorite marble cake recipe. My favorite part about serving marble cake is when I slice it at the table and everyone gets to see the gorgeous chocolate brown and white swirls. I sometimes call this my two-color cake. The second one is my classic chocolate comfort cake. To the third, I’ve added honey and candied nuts.

These cakes all come out moist, melt in your mouth with each bite, and will keep well for a few days. I like to use Bundt pans because the shape of these cakes, when flipped over onto a large round serving dish (as you can see from the pictures I’ve included here), is festive. And we all could use a little something to give us a boost during these dark times. 

Classic Marble Cake

Use a 24 cm.-diameter Wonder Pot, or two loaf pans.

• 200 gr. butter or margarine, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 packets vanilla sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 cups self-rising flour, sifted
• 1 container (150 gr.) yogurt (or juice or non-dairy whipped cream)
• 2 Tbsp. milk or water
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp. milk or water

Topping

• Powdered sugar

Whip the butter or margarine with an electric mixer on high speed. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla sugar while mixing. Continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until the batter is light and fluffy.

Lower the speed, and slowly add the flour, yogurt (or juice or non-dairy whipped cream), then 2 tablespoons of milk or water, a little bit at a time. Pour half of the batter into the pan.

Next, mix the cocoa powder with 3 tablespoons of milk or water. Add this to the leftover batter in the bowl and mix well. Pour the dark batter on top of the light batter.

Take a spoon or a skewer, stick it inside the batter, and swirl it through the batter in the shape of the number eight. 

This should make a nice marble design with the light and dark batters.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 170°-180° for 45-50 minutes.

Remove the cake and let it cool on a wire rack. Flip the cake upside down onto a serving dish, and sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle chocolate icing on top.

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Time: 1 ¼ hours
• Status: Dairy/Parve

Chocolate Comfort Cake

Use a round 24 cm.-diameter Bundt pan.

• 3 large or 4 small eggs
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 2 packets vanilla sugar or 2-3 drops high quality vanilla extract
• ½ cup oil
• 2 cups water, orange juice, or yogurt
• 1 ¾ cups wheat or spelt flour, sifted
• ¾ cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 packet baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Handful of chocolate chips, optional

Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, oil, and water (or orange juice or yogurt) to a large bowl and mix well.

Gradually add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix well until all the lumps have disappeared.

Grease the pan with oil spray, then pour the batter into the greased pan and flatten gently. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry and clean. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack.

Loosen the sides, and then flip the cake upside down onto a serving dish. 

If you want, you can sprinkle powdered sugar, or drizzle chocolate icing on top.

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Time: 1 hour
• Status: Dairy/Parve

Honey & Nut Cake

Use a round 24 cm. or 26 cm.-diameter Bundt pan.

• ¾ cup oil
• ¾ cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 cups self-rising flour, sifted
• 1 level tsp. baking soda
• ½ cup pecans or hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp. Turkish coffee
• 1 cup boiling water

Extras:

• ½ cup candied nuts
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Toppings (optional):

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Add the oil, sugar, eggs, and honey to a large bowl and mix well by hand or with an electric mixer. Add the cinnamon, flour, baking soda, pecans, or hazelnuts and mix well.

Put the Turkish coffee in the boiling water, then add it to the batter and mix well.

Generously grease your pan, and then sprinkle it with a lot of flour. Turn the pan over and shake off any extraneous flour. Next, pour the batter into the pan, and sprinkle the candied nuts and brown sugar on top.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry and clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely.

Flip the cake upside down onto a serving dish. If you want, you can sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon on top.

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Status: Parve

Translated by Hannah Hochner.