Interesting recipe.
Hubby thought the texture reminded him of corn bread,
and I thought is tasted similar to a Bisquick type cake.
It is definitely a pleasant cake, very basic as Dorie stated,
and can be served with various toppings.
I served the first slice with a drizzle of honey
that had pistachio nuts in it. I also served it with whipped cream
which I thought worked perfectly.
I am glad I shared half with Tricia or I would have experimented
with toppings all day. It was interesting and I am happy that I tried the
recipe, but I really was not impressed. However, that said, it did not
stop me from indulging.
Per Tricia~
I enjoyed my first slice of this recipe when testing Nana's version.
My first reaction was that I had tasted this cake before-per my memory it
tasted just like Marie-Helene's Apple Cake (circa Oct. 2010 :) ....sans apples.
I liked the concept of four ingredients used in proportion but did
find that for a quick and simple pound cake, I would have preferred to
not mess up the KitchenAid mixer for whipping egg whites ...
just to produce a pound cake. I will save that machine for my Brioche dough.
Folding in the egg whites also never felt quite right to me on this one,
since the batter was so dry to begin with. But I followed along and got
a nice French coffee cake for a cold winter's day.
I also indulged ~ perhaps even more than the cake actually deserved.
I am now pining for the Butter Breton cake that Nana makes
and this would be the perfect time of year for it.
Actually, any time of year is perfect ~
How funny that we all have such different tastes. I didn't expect much from this cake - maybe that's why I liked it so much. I loved that it was so much lighter than Pound Cake. I would love to experiment with lemon and/or orange peel and different liquers in the future. For this one, I stuck to Vanilla since I used Limoncello in the sauce.
ReplyDeleteI would actually like to try this for Strawberry Shortcake.
Have a lovely weekend!
Interesting comparison.
ReplyDeleteThe honey & pistachio topping sounds up my alley.
Tricia - I think I might even have actually pulled out my hand beater on this one. You are right, it wasn't big gun worthy :-)
Oooh I love that you did a few different toppings :) Of course, I "minified" mine - and came up with two tiny, perfect snack cakes :)
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures and the idea of the honey and pistachios, yummy! I am making the cake tomorrow and thinking of topping it with cherry pie filling, hopefully it will turn out as well as yours! (I am totally using my hand mixer and am not too sure about the egg whites either)!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had used my hand mixer. The stand mixer was almost too big and I had to keep scraping the sides down, wasting much more time than it should have! Funny you mention the apple cake because I added apples to mine. Love hearing all the topping ideas!
ReplyDeleteSince I actually made two (different) cakes, the stand mixer came in handy, but I agree that it was a lot of mess. That said, I really liked the cake and texture. I agree that toppings would make this a lot of fun!
ReplyDeletePistachios...great idea. I'm with Susan on this one. I was not expecting much out of this recipe...plain and simple. So I was delighted by a lighter-than-pound-cake that can be dressed up in so many ways to elevate from simple to fabulous. Next time I'll double the recipe and maybe then it will seem more worth the dirty mixer/bowls.
ReplyDeleteNana's slice with honey has me drooling. I liked this one - would be lovely with icecream, I think.
ReplyDeleteI liked the simplicity of this cake - it's a great vehicle, for seasonal flavors, either in the mix or as toppings.
ReplyDeleteBoth of your cakes look and sound delicious!! I love Nana's slice with the honey and pistachios...Yum! I loved the lightness of this cake...not as heavy as pound cake. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteI was also willing to experiment with topping all day, but really liked the pink grapefruit, brown sugar and warmed under the broiler ;-) Ours is gone after two mornings, and sharing a few pieces with others.
ReplyDeleteLooks great ladies! I used rum in mine and it really kicked it up a notch so no toppings were required. However, all your toppings look so yummy I think we might have missed out.
ReplyDeleteNana's Breton butter cake sounds delicious! That dollop of whipped cream looks very pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhipped cream, honey, pistachio nuts, I like the way you served this simple cake. Tastes in cakes are so personal, good thing there are gazillions of recipes for everybody to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteLove the honey idea! I didn't adore this cake. It was fine, but I agree--not worth dragging out the kitchenaid for.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter & I both thought of the apple cake, too. Loved the pistachio idea!
ReplyDeleteLove the toppings Nana used! Honey pistachio and that perfectly billowy dollop of whipped cream. So very very tempting. I agree with Tricia that folding the egg whites was a little awkward though my batter was not as dry as either of yours from the photos. Isn't it strange how even when we think "meh" about a cake we still keep on indulging?
ReplyDeleteHoney and pistachio sounds perfect and with the whipped cream...Yum! I liked it with toppings and without, but agree that next time I won't dirty the Kitchen Aid in order to whip the egg whites.
ReplyDeleteI love how delicious your cakes and especially both toppings look! Great ideas for garnish!
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband first saw the cake, he said, "What is it? Cornbread?"
ReplyDeleteBoth cakes look delicious! :)
Nana's honey pistachio topping just looks so good. I was more enthusiastic about this cake. I'm not a huge cake eater, but I do like them on the plain side. This one was easy and elegant, so fit the bill.
ReplyDeletePistachio and honey - YUM! Both cakes look delicious and didn't you think it was a rather healthy indulgence since they parts were equal and it wasn't covered in frosting? That's how I justified our family devouring the entire cake. I do agree that it seemed like more work to clean up the kitchen aid for the small bit of egg whites, and wished I had thought of using a hand mixer instead.
ReplyDeleteTricia and Nana, Before I started to make this, I thought, pound cake, good, and was glad that you experiemented with various toppings, Nana. I didn't Post this week because I had a bit of a disaster that wasn't worthy of FFWD - I was so fired up about this simple cake, had all my ingredients out and ready-to-cook, and, even had the batter made and was ready to put into the oven. But, it looked funny and tasted blah. I had neglected to whisk the sugar into the butter. So, me being me, I placed the batter back into the dish, poured in the sugar and stirred like heck which, of course, upset all the magic things that were supposed to happen to the cake,. I baked it. Hadn't re-buttered the pan enough and the cake stuck. It tasted "okay" warm but threw the other broken pieces away. I will re-make and re-bake on another day. But, Tricia, if you would send along a piece of your Butter Breton cake when Nana makes it, I would appreciate it. Mary
ReplyDeleteThis was hilarious- and I feel your pain. And I while I may not be able to share a slice of the cake.....I will get the recipe from Nana and post it :)
DeleteLove the idea of the pistachios and honey - YUM! Despite it's simplicity, we have been enjoying this cake with only a little sliver left with my name on it I think! I whipped my egg whites by hand - no big guns for me but lots of dirty bowls!
ReplyDeleteThe honey with pistachios looks divine. Thought this was a perfect cake to have for a coffee break or to take to a friend who under the weather.
ReplyDeleteI love the take each of you have on the cake. It sounds there were some great variations! :)
ReplyDeleteJust lovely! I found you through Patty's blog, and I'm glad that I did. What a great cake...and I love the toppings you added. Thanks for sharing! http://anecdotesandapples.com
ReplyDeleteTricia and Nana, Your being such great FFWD members and bloggers caused and inspired me to include your link in my Post today about Dorie and her online cooking groups. I have so enjoyed reading your Blog as well as the idea of your Blog, doing it together, and included it in my Link List at the end of my Post. Looking forward to more in the year ahead. Mary
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lightsonbrightnobrakes.com/mistakes-happen-recipes-bomb-life-goes-on/
Wow - this is "off the charts" and Nana and I are both DEEPLY touched by this gesture. We have really been having such an amazing time with this "hobby" but have been particularly blown away by all the "e-friends" we have found along the way. We knew we would get some good meals on Fridays....but did not expect to get the warmth and camaraderie as well ! Thx !!!
DeleteI LOVE Butter Breton cake and haven't made one in a while! What a good idea. The honey and pistachios look divine:)
ReplyDelete