Just got an e-mail from Dorie letting us know that she was bumped from the radio show today to next Tuesday.  Seems that Robert Redford was available.  I can’t figure out why they’d rather talk to him.  ;-)

So next week – same bat time, same bat channel.  It gives us more time to spread the word!

Hi all,

As some of you may know, I’m working with CulinApp to build a baking app for the iPad.  It’s really exciting and all so very new, which is why I’m writing to you and asking for HELP!

Since you’ve baked from Baking From My Home to Yours – and the app is based on the book – you know my work really well and you’d be perfect for giving me a feel for your expectations and experiences working with these recipes on an iPad.

If you’ve got an iPad and are interested in being part of an early try-out of my upcoming app, please email info@culinapp.com with your name, email, phone number (optional) and city of residence.  If they select you – they’re going to be working with a small group, so sadly not everyone will be able to participate (aarrgh) – you’ll be sent two very short questionnaires.  The second questionnaire will come with a free beta (a pre-release and not yet final-final) copy of my new app, so you can bake through it and let me know how it goes.

As always, thank you so, so much for being so encouraging and supportive.  I’m so looking forward to working with you on this.

Best from here – Dorie

Over the course of the years since Baking From My Home to Yours has been out (I can’t believe it wasn’t published just yesterday), I’ve received a few messages from bakers who’ve had problems with the Perfect Party Cake.  I haven’t been able to figure out exactly why some people have problems and others turn out fabulous cakes every time.  In part, I think the culprit might have been the flour – some people were using self-rising cake flour (I tested the recipe with Swann’s Down Cake Flour, which is NOT self-rising).  But just to be sure that everyone gets the perfect Perfect Party Cake, I asked Nick Malgieri, who created the cake and gave me the recipe for my book, to help me put together a tipsheet for us.

Happy Baking!  As always, I look forward to seeing all your wonderful sweets.

TIPS FOR MAKING A PERFECT PERFECT PARTY CAKE

• Make sure the butter is VERY soft, the consistency of mayonnaise, before mixing

• Have the egg white and buttermilk at room temperature too

• If there is grated lemon zest in the batter, makes sure it is very finely grated as with a microplane, not a box grater – large pieces of zest can weigh down the batter and prevent full leavening from taking place

• Use buttermilk instead of milk (the acidity promotes faster setting during baking and also weakens the gluten in the batter)

• Buy a fresh can of baking powder

• Use bleached, not unbleached, all-purpose flour (If you’re using cake flour, make sure it is NOT self-rising)

• Test the layers for doneness with the point of a knife or a toothpick rather than relying on a timer to determine doneness – if the layers are over baked and a little dry, the texture could seem rubbery

• Wrap and chill or freeze the layers as soon as they cool – leaving them uncovered at room temperature for a long time could also dry them out

Dorie commented on the weekly P&Q, but I thought I should highlight it, so that everyone would see her tips..

Just a quick word on the crust — it can be a bit crisp, especially if you press it down very hard. It’s really a cookie crust, and therefore not at all like softer, flaky pie dough, and it’s meant to be sturdy enough to stand up on its own when you take it out of the tart pan. My suggestions would be to bake it well (it tastes best when it’s well baked because the sugar caramelizes a little) and to make sure to serve it at room temperature. Cut the tart with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion and, if it cracks a bit or you get some crumbs, don’t worry about it. This is a dessert that’s rustic in the extreme.

Thanks Dorie!