(And no, I did NOT eat the whole thing, but I was a bit shocked when a previous commenter said he had polished it off with two other people, and now that makes perfect sense.)

I’ve been slowly working my way through your lovely blog since discovering it last week. This cake looks perfect in its simplicity – if I dare make sweets any time soon, I’ll be giving this a try.

Reading through the comments here, I took note of the question about salted vs. unsalted butter. This is something I’ve pondered and researched in some depth. Yes, the simple answer is that salted butter varies in the amount of salt used, so using unsalted butter allows the cook to control the salt content. But I noticed early on that unsalted butter just plain tastes better – cleaner, clearer, fresher.

Here’s the thing: salt was originally added to butter as a preservative. Salted butter can be expected to stay ‘fresher’ longer than unsalted. So I wonder – do butter makers make more salted butter than unsalted, because a) salted is more popular but b) it can hang around on the shelf longer without going ‘off’ (even though it starts to get a little tired)?

Another thing I’ve noticed is that salted butter tends to have a lot more crud in it – milk solids – which becomes obvious when you melt it, and especially when you clarify it. The milk solids are actually what goes ‘off’ in butter, which is why clarified butter will last seemingly forever (see also ‘ghee’). And I wonder…are commercial butter makers sloppier about making salted butter, taking less care to wash out the buttermilk because they know the salt will cover up for it?

I got in the habit over the years of buying and using unsalted butter for everything, because of its superior flavor (and performance). These days, I make my own, but that’s another story.

Apologies for being so long-winded and overly thinky. I look forward to discovering more of your blog.

GG

take care & keep up the great posts
from an adoring brooklyn, private chef.

1. A friend of mine is getting married abroad and is using this recipe for her wedding cake.

2. Aforementioned friend cannot find a good frosting recipe that does not taste too rich (full buttercream) or hold form like wedding cake frosting should without the use of crisco…which she can’t find in her country. Do you have some magical frosting recipe?? I know you go for delicious over decorative, but thought you might have an idea.

Thanks Tim!!

Molls

xx

I had been saving this recipe for a while, and finally baked it for my neighbors when their apartment got broken into. I served it up on a giant clam platter (a little strange, but it pooled up the caramel nicely) and they devoured the whole thing. I might have helped. Thanks, this cake is delectable.