Pink Grapefruit Cake - Manna from Heaven!

Come with me, and you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination

We'll begin with a spin
Traveling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy explanation.
-Willy Wonka


As a child one of my favorite board games was Candy Land.  Since our house was rather - shall we say "sugar restricted" - the images (and taste buds) this game sparked were more alluring than for most other kids in the sandbox.  Candy Land presented a world of infinite possibilities, and if I closed my eyes and concentrated my little blue plastic playing piece (always blue!) became a vessel through which I was transported into this sugar-topia.  

Then, one day in Jewish day school I encountered the idea of "manna," a miraculous substance that God sent down from heaven to canvas the food-barren desert for the Children of Israel.  Manna allowed me to step closer towards Candy Land through my heritage.  I immediately had an image of what life looked like for the Israelites.  The fine, flaky substance atop the barren mountains, dry valleys, and tents transformed the surroundings into Gumdrop Mountains, Lollypop Woods, and Peanut Brittle Houses.  I yearned to travel back in time and become one of those lucky Israelites! (little did I know...)

Manna Huh?

What exactly is this "fine, bare substance" God bestows on the Israelites in Parshat Beshalach?  When God first explains the plan to Moshe, manna is referred to as bread (Shemot, 16:4).  When the first batch falls, however, we read:

וַתַּעַל שִׁכְבַת הַטָּל וְהִנֵּה עַל פְּנֵי הַמִּדְבָּר דַּק מְחֻסְפָּס דַּק כַּכְּפֹר עַל הָאָרֶץ

The layer of dew went up, and behold, on the surface of the desert, a fine, bare [substance] as fine as frost on the ground. (Shemot, 16:14)

Using it's root - mon - our commentators offer several definitions: 1) "a portion of food" (Rashi) 2) an Egyptian expression for "what is it?" (Rashbam) 3) something of "status" or "importance" (Haketav Vehakabbalah).  Combining the wisdom leads us to understand that manna is a weird, yet important, type of food, and likely somewhat bread-like.

As I grew up I came to better appreciate manna for its more significant meaning.  Manna is yet another sign of the care and guidance God provides the wandering Israelites.  The miraculous sustenance is also symbolic of God's power.  Magically it appears in the morning and its remnants seem to evaporate by the end of the day.  Manna is a teaching tool for Jewish observance.  Its shelf life mystically doubles on Friday so that the Israelites have a double portion to last through Shabbat, teaching them (and future generations) how to observe Shabbat.  Finally, the story of manna is yet another reminder to be trusting of God.  Despite explicit instructions, the Israelites initially try to save their manna from day to day and go searching for it on Shabbat.  In each instance they hit dead ends, and a disappointed God asks his trusted prophet Moshe:

עַד אָנָה מֵאַנְתֶּם לִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתַי וְתוֹרֹתָי

How long will you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings? (Shemot 16:28)  

Despite their regular complaining, lack of trust, and inability to fully follow directions, God yet again provides for the Israelites' needs.

Pink Grapefruit Cake

In considering a dish to match this parsha, a baked dessert seemed an obvious route to merge my young vision of manna as candy with my more adult understanding of it as a portion of bread-like food.  Furthermore, it seemed appropriate to select an item that had initial flavors that were more bitter than sweet as a reminder of the constant kvetching by the Israelites and their constant inclination to walk left when God commands right.  A Chasidic saying teaches that, "Because they -- the Children of Israel -- were bitter, everything they tasted was bitter to them."  Bitter at the start, but turned sweet ... enter the pink grapefruit.

Like most citrus fruits, grapefruits are encased in a rind that is quite bitter.  Yet, the same rind contains essential oils packed with flavor.  Inside the rind is a flesh of pulp that can range from tart to sweet depending on the variety and state of ripeness.  Nutritionally it is a great source of Vitamin C, pectin and antioxidants, which may lower cholesterol.  There are also some who believe that grapefruit can increase metabolism, and have embarked on a "grapefruit diet" - who knows!

The cake itself is delicious - moist, packed with citrus flavor and appealing to the eye.  Grapefruit is infused into each layer that composes this dessert - batter, syrup and icing.  Also, similar to manna, the cake has an expiration date.  It stays fresh for a couple of days, but must be fully consumed within 48-hours.  ...shouldn't be a problem I imagine.  Enjoy!

Pink Grapefruit Cake

slightly adapted for lazier cooks from Ad Hoc at Home

Serves: 10-12

Batter

3 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 c. sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ c. milk (or soy milk)

1 c. canola oil

1 ½ Tbsp. grated pink grapefruit zes

1 ½ tsp. vanilla paste or extract

Syrup 

3/4 c. strained fresh pink grapefruit juice

1/2 c. sugar

Icing 

3/4 c powdered (or icing) sugar

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fresh pink grapefruit juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Grease a round cake pan (ex: bundt).
   
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
   
3. Using a mixer, beat sugar and eggs at medium speed for about 3 minutes, until you see a trail through thickened mixture. Beat in milk and add the oil. Reduce speed to low and add flour mix, mixing just until incorporated. Spread batter into pan, and run a lightly oiled knife around it to help the cake rise evenly. Bake on a small baking sheet for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
   
4. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by combining grapefruit juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes so that it thickens slightly. As soon as the cake is finished, and before turning it out, poke holes all over it with a long skewer and brush the syrup all over it. Keep going until you've used 2/3 of the syrup. Let the cake cool 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan onto a cooling rack, poke holes on the top and brush with remaining syrup. Let cool to room temperature.
   
5. Beat together the icing ingredients. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Slice and serve. Cake keeps well at room temperature, loosely covered, for two days.

Leil Lemon - Featuring Lemon Yogurt Blueberry Cake

Let me take this opportunity to disclose my addiction to the Food Network. Don't be fooled into thinking that the channel simply airs cooking shows. Sure, it has a line-up of these offerings (I recommend the pretensious, yet elegant Barefoot Contessa), but it also features other great offerings such as competitions and food- and restaurant-o-graphies. Top picks include Chopped, Diners, Driver Ins & Dives ... and the Iron Chef! Every once and a while I get an itch to host a meal "Iron Chef" style, featuring one particular ingredient that appears in each dish of the meal. Last Sukkot I prepared a meal based on squash, and this year chose lemon (in honor of the fragrant Etrog).

With my mother as co-chef, and additions from a few guests, the menu featured:

• Lemondrop Cocktails
• Artichokes with Lemon Dipping Sauces
• Braided Lemon Bread
• Lemon Salad & Lemon Tabouleh
• Lemon Fennel Tilapia
• Bulgar with Asparagus, Walnuts & Preserved Lemon
• Roasted Lemon Broccoli
• Rhubarb Lemon Mousse Parfaits
• Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake
  

I think the meal was a success - and we certainly featured the lemon in a variety of ways from sweet to tangy, extracting the juice, zest and pulp. The company was also awesome - fun, spirited and hungry. In our attempts to co-exist in the kitchen, we divided the menu. I was responsible for the fillings used in the bread, the broccoli and dessert. Kudos to Rivka Friedman, of Not Derby Pie fame, for her awesome parfait recipe. If you have the patience to hand churn lemon cream it is well worth it and got rave reviews. The Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake was also an A+, adapted from The Barefoot Contessa's Ina Garten. Here's the recipe as I followed:

LEMON-BLUEBERRY YOGURT CAKE

Serves: 8 - 10

1 ½ cups + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
3 extra-large eggs
3 tsp. grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 ½ by 4 ¼ by 2 ½-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
2. Sift together 1 ½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. In a larger bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
3. While baking, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
4. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, poke holes in the top using a toothpick. Pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (you might want to use a pastry brush. Cool and serve. 

SHE'ELAH: The symbolic significance of the Etrog is twofold.  Each of the Four Species (palm, myrtle, willow & etrog) is said to symbolize a part of the body, and the Etrog is reflective of the heart.  Another explanation is that each of the Four Species is analogous to a type of person who reflects some blend of righteous deeds and focused Torah study.  This ranges from one who is like the myrtle, lacking in taste and smell and therefore in good deeds and Torah scholarship, to one who is like the Etrog, bold in aromatic smell and sweet taste and therefore in good deeds and Torah study.  Who is your Etrog role model?  Who do you know who balances their good deeds with continued learning?

The Ridiculous Applesauce Cake

Each year my family spends the first night of Sukkot in the the home of my childhood rabbi. They always build a beautiful sukkah, prepare a nice meal and invite fun company - it is a great opportunity to reconnect with family friends. The evening is pretty routine, and I enjoy the traditional progression of the evening from shmoozing in their living room to the chanting of brachot and tasty meal together. More so, it's fun to relive stories from childhood and to dust off (literally) the same photographed song sheets we use each year to sing the two distinctly Sukkot-themed songs in their repertoire. ...but I digress.

A number of years ago I was an eager, emerging baker and offered to bring something for dessert. After pouring through the recipe books I settled on a cake that seemed appropriate for the holiday: Applesauce Cake with Caramel Sauce. The recipe seemed simple enough, and I was attracted to the applesauce twist, some bold spices, and the bonus of a yummy sauce. In my opinion the cake was good enough - the spices give it a distinct flavor, the consistency is moist (in the way you want a cake to be moist), and the sauce certainly adds a sinful touch. Good, but certainly not anything particularly amazing. My own family seemed to concur.

Well, my rabbi and his family went bonkers. The men in the family enjoyed their first slice ... and their second. There was about 1/2 a cake left after everyone had finished eating, and yet, when the cake plate was returned to me from the kitchen at the end of the evening, it was completely cleared and cleansed. Not a single crumb left. "Where did the rest of the cake go?" I wondered. The answer - directly into their refrigerator to be consumed through the rest of the holiday.

When invited back the next year I again offered to bring a dessert. "That would be so nice - we really enjoyed the cake from last year" was the response to my offer. I picked-up on the not too subtle hint. When I arrived at their home, their eldest son answered the door and asked, "Did you bring it?!?" he asked with an intense look in his eye as he stared me down while blocking the doorway. I was thrown into a bit of an inner-panic! What was it that he was expecting me to bring with such great anticipation? I held up the only item I could offer - the cake. "Thank goodness!" he exclaimed and moved aside so that I could enter. The evening proceeded as it always does - shmoozing, eating, singing, benching ... and then a completely cleared and cleansed cake plate returned to my hands.

Thus began the tradition of the Applesauce Cake with Caramel Sauce on the first night of Sukkot. Again, I think the cake is good, but clearly there are others who think it is something really special! Each year I am greeted at the door with the same glaring look from some of the family - seeming more like addicts craving their annual hit than like gracious hosts - followed by a string of anticipatory comments as we lead up to dessert, during which time the harassment ceases only because their mouths are full with this ridiculous Applesauce Cake.

APPLESAUCE CAKE w/CARAMEL SAUCE

Serves: 12

Cake Batter Ingredients
½ cup butter or margarine, softened

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour, sifted
1 ½ tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 ½ cups applesauce
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 cup raisins or chopped dried apples
1 cup chopped walnuts

Caramel Sauce Ingredients
½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp. light cream or soy milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ to ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

1. Cream together butter, sugar and olive oil. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each egg.
2. Sift together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Combine applesauce and corn syrup in a small bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sifted ingredients. Fold in raisins/apples and nuts.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours until cake tests done when tester is inserted (from multiple angles). Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Drizzle caramel sauce on top see below).
5. Prepare caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan combine butter, brown sugar and light cream. Heat until melted. Add vanilla and remove from heat. Using a hand mixer, beat in powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. Pour sauce over cooled cake and sprinkle with extra chopped nuts to decorate.

Adapted from California Sizzles

SHE'ELAH: What is the most unique sukkah decoration you have seen?