Reasons to Eat Cake

I seem to have spent ages away from the blog. Oops. What shall I say about my life?

How about that one time when we invited 30-something Volunteers and friends to the beach for a 4th of July party complete with a packed house, bonfire, obstacle course, runway show, dolphins, fire dancers, family dinners, board games, Firefly with my sister, and waaay too much questionable behavior? 

How about that time when my sister came to visit for a month and a half and I slept on an air mattress and got no work done?

Or when I finally watched Serenity and was COMPLETELY DESTROYED by the fates of my favorite characters? 

Or in August when myself and another PCV co-facilitated (ooooh Peace Corps buzzwords) a business charla for three days for fifteen women? We also got to make mini apple pies and peanut butter cookies!

Or when I got an ear infection from the gross river water and spent a week feeling like my head would explode and read a book a day to take my mind off it all and made some cool new bracelet designs?

I didn't host any new kids for Immersion Days or Field Based Training - instead I got to visit Emily and make bracelets for three days, watch computer TV and movies, get an education in music, make very weirdly shaped snickerdoodles with the AWESOME oven her neighbor has, and learn to make floor cleaner (incidentally, all chemicals and all only stocked in San Salvador). 

What I'm actually excited about are three things. 1) I found out how to get my phone to give me not only facebook, but also twitter and gmail for free. It doesn't even matter that it takes five minutes to load each page - this is FANTASTIC. 2) I finished my grant application. I don't even care that much if I get the grant, I'm just excited that I did the thing all the way through, and 3) I made three birthday cakes in a week and chocolate banana bread. I know they say not to turn something you do to relax into a job, but I can't help but think that I'm always at my most happy when I'm making desserts. Doesn't coming in to a little cafe for coffee and brownies after a day surfing in the freezing cold Pacific Ocean sound appealing?

 

Cakes in El Salvador are not like cakes in the US.
They are doused in milk or sugar water so the cake is soft and wet, and the filling is basically pudding. They are also covered in whipped cream instead of frosting, except that I decided to make buttercream frosting instead because, let's face it, it's much better and it costs the same.

Salvadoran Birthday Cake

Cake batter                                                                      Masa

6 ounces cake flour                                                                 6 onzas harina suave

1/8 ounce (1/4 teaspoon) baking powder                                octavo de onza de polvos para hornear

6 eggs (separated)                                                                    6 huevos

5 ounces sugar                                                                        5 onzas azúcar

2 ounces water (optional)                                                        2 onzas agua (opcional)

Pre-heat oven on 400ºF                                                   Calentar el horno

1) Grease and flour a 10-inch cake pan                          1) Engrasar molde de 10 pulgadas y enharinar  

2) Sift flour and baking powder three times and             2) Colar harina y polvos tres veces 

set aside                           

3) Whisk egg whites until fluffy                                     3) Batir claras hasta que estén espumosas y                                                                                                                        grandes

4) Add sugar slowly                                                       4) Lentamente agregar azúcar

5) Add egg yolks one by one                                         5) Agregar yemas una por una

6) Using a spatula, slowly fold the flour into the            6) Usando una espatula, agregar la harina,

mixture, taking care not to lose air                                      envoliviendo con ciudado para que la                                                                                                                          mezcla no pierda aire

7) Put batter in pre-heated oven, lowering temp             7) Cocinar a temperatura baja por 30 a 40

to approx. 300ºF. Cook until golden brown and a              minutos, hasta que un palito insertado en el 

stick inserted in the center comes out clean,                        medio sale limpio.

approx. 30-40 minutes. 

8) Let cool.                                                                     8) Enfriar

9) Cut in half lengthwise.                                               9) Cortar a la mitad.

Filling                                                                            Crema pastelera

4 cups water or milk                                                            2 libras agua (16 onzas)

4 ounces sugar                                                                    4 onzas azúcar

2 ounces maicena (flavored cornstarch)                               2 onzas maicena (sin o con sabor)

6 ounces powdered milk (if not using milk)                          6 onzas leche en polvo

fruit (or vanilla if not using flavored cornstarch                      fruta o vainilla

1) Heat everything except fruit, stirring constantly          1) Calentar todo menos la fruta hasta que tiene 

until it achieves the consistency of pudding.                        la consistencia de pudín, revolviendo                                                                                                                           constantamente

2) Let cool.                                                                       2) Enfriar

Milk (for wetting the cake)                                       Alimbar

milk                                                                                    leche (o agua con leche en polvo)

fruit (or cinnamon)                                                             fruta o canela (o ambos)

sugar                                                                                  azucar

1) Blend together warm milk and strawberries              1) Hervir la leche con azucar si esta usando el  
and sugar (or whatever fruit you choose)                           polvo 

                                                                                 2) Cuando ha enfriado un poco, licuar la leche                                                                                                                con fruta

2) Make sure your cake is on whatever platter you       3) Poner el primer nivel del pastel en un plato.

will be serving on. With a toothpick or a fork, make         Con un tenedor o palito hacer hoyos por todo 

little holes all over the bottom layer of the cake (this         el pastel

should be the top layer you cut off).

3) Using a water bottle, pour the milk all over the        4) Usando una botella de agua, mojar el pastel.

bottom layer, making sure it is soaked.

4) Put little slices of fruit (whatever flavor you made    5) Poner rodajas de fruta encima del primer nivel

your filling) on top of the bottom layer.

5) Spread the filling liberally over the fruit slices.        6) Agregar crema pastelera

6) Cover the filling with the second later of cake         7) Poner el segundo nivel del pastel

(this should be the bottom turned upside down so 

you have a smooth surface to decorate). 

7) Make holes in the top layer and soak with milk.     8) Hacer hoyos y mojar el segundo nivel.

8) Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before frosting.       9) Refrigerar por lo menos 4 horas antes de                                                                                                  decorar

Frosting                                                                     Crema para decorar

(You can also, as the Salvadorans do, make a       (Se puede comprar crema para pastel en San

very stiff vanilla whipped cream to decorate         Salvador para decorar también)

the cake)

1 stick butter (room temperature)                                  1 barra de mantequilla 

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar                                           3 tazas y media de azucar glass (azucar en polvo)

1 cup cocoa powder                                                     1 taza cocoa Hersheys (sin azúcar)

1 teaspoon vanilla                                                        1 cucharadita vainilla

3-5 tablespoons milk                                                    3 a 5 cucharas leche

1) Mix everything together, adding milk little by      1) Mezclar todo, agregando la leche poco a poco 

little until frosting achieves desired consistency.           hasta que tiene textura de crema para decorar

2) Frost and decorate the cake.                                 2) Decorar el pastel.

           

Book Count Total: 71

New Books: 51