FOOD FOR THOUGHT By
Wanda A. Adams
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| 'Martha Stewart' of Japan |
Prune cake, prune cake, prune cake.
The recent recipe on prune cake and its accompanying frosting brought a flurry of responses.
Jane Dick called with a recipe she swears is even better than 7-Minute Icing — doesn't harden and get sugary. As a child, she called it "Fluffy White" and always wanted that frosting on her angel-food birthday cake. It's another boiled icing.
FLUFFY WHITE
In a saucepan, combine sugar, water and cream of tartar; bring to a slow boil and cover for 3 minutes. Remove cover and continue to boil slowly until the mixture reaches 242 degrees on a candy thermometer. Another test for doneness is to dip in a spoon and pull up; the mixture should form a thread of at least 8 inches before breaking.
Beat 2 egg whites until they hold a point. Using an electric mixer, slowly beat the hot syrup into the egg whites. Add vanilla or lemon extract or other flavoring to taste. Frosts one 9-inch layer cake.
Makes 8 servings.
Bob Lee called to say he's still looking for a very dense prune cake — one that resembles old-fashioned groom's cake, moist and heavy. Jane gave me a recipe to try and I'll let you know if it's the dense kind. But if anybody has one that they know will turn out the way Bob describes, send it to me.
Requests:
I'm away for the next couple of weeks, so my e-mail will be non-functional. You can fax me at 525-8055 or mail to Wanda Adams, Island Life, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802.
Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can pre-order the cookbook online.