Serious Eats - seriouseats.com
What's Fresh
Sunday Brunch: Yeasted Sugar Cake
I've been feasting on peaches, plums, and nectarines lately, enjoying them on their own but also keeping an eye out for a simple cake that will complement the stone fruit without overwhelming richness. Sweet and buttery in a restrained sort of way, Deborah Madison's yeasted sugar cake fits the bill perfectly. As a bonus, it reminds me of the Sara Lee coffeecake I loved as a child (which, in adult samplings, has never lived up to my childhood taste memory).
I think this cake is plain enough to be cut into cubes and included in a basket of bread and muffins, but with plenty fresh fruit it could be the centerpiece of a meal. If you make it a day in advance, warm it in the oven before serving.
About This Recipe
| Yield: | one 9-inch cake |
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
Procedures
-
1
Stir the yeast and 1 teaspon of the sugar into 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
-
2
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, milk, and eggs and beat until smooth; I just used a wooden spoon. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and beat vigorously until the batter is silky. Scrape down the sides, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
-
3
Lightly butter a 9-inch cake pan. Stir down the dough, scrape it into the pan, and pat it into a disk of uniform thickness. If possible, soften the remaining two tablespoons butter even more in a microwave or by letting them sit atop a hot stove for a minute. Rub this softened butter all over the dough and then sprinkle with the brown sugar. (My butter was not soft enough to rub, so I pinched it into small lumps and dotted the dough with butter before sprinkling with sugar.) Leave the dough to rise 30 minutes more and preheat the oven to 400.
-
4
Bake the cake until well risen and the sugar has begun to melt and brown, about 25 minutes. The surface should be covered with cracks. (I was using an 8-inch cake pan and it was still a little underbaked at 30 minutes, despite a very brown and crackly top.) Let cool briefly. Unmold and serve warm. (Cake can also be split and reheated in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes or so.)
Comments