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Rebecca's Recipe for Success |
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“As far as dessert goes, the gooier the better,” Rebecca Rather says with a slight Southern drawl. She should know. With her popular Fredericksburg café, the Rather Sweet Bakery, and the recent publication of her second cookbook, The Pastry Queen Christmas, this born-and-bred Texas gal is up to her elbows in dough. Her crowning glory? A treat she calls Texas Big Hairs Lemon-Lime Meringue Tarts. “Folks can’t get enough of them, and they also love my chicken pot pies in cream-cheese crust,” she says. Rebecca started cooking out of necessity at age 10. “My mother was sick, and the housekeeper’s only specialty was mayonnaise-and-tomato sandwiches,” she recalls. Fast-forward several years, and she was catering neighborhood functions in Houston with her daughter, Frances, on her hip. Working as executive pastry chef for one of the city’s top restaurateurs, Tony Vallone, she realized she’d found her true vocation. After seven years in Fredericksburg, she couldn’t be happier. She bakes daily and still finds time to tend to a menagerie of pets and a massive herb garden. She recently opened a new restaurant, Rebecca’s Table, just down the street from the bakery. Everything from mayonnaise to sauces to bread is made from scratch. She and her business partner, Dan Kamp, ran the bakery without a staff the first year. “But the town really embraced us, and we thrived. Being in business is always a challenge, but we’ve never had any sticky problems.” No, “sticky” applies solely to the lip-smacking smorgasbord of goodies in Rebecca’s bakery case. “Oh my gosh, I’m still trying to lose 20 pounds I gained with the Christmas cookbook!” she says with a laugh. “And I’m hoping to do a candy book next, so I’m really in trouble.” (a) Apple-spice cake drizzled with caramel makes customers crave every moist morsel. (b) A scrumptious panna cotta from Rebecca’s holiday cookbook is topped with hibiscus syrup and dried fruit. (c) “Baking should be all about having fun,” Rebecca says. (d) Rather Sweet exudes Texas charm, with old farm tables and a chalkboard menu. Rebecca employs a staff of 24, here and at her new restaurant. (e) Tantalizing treats await customers. (f) Cute cookie bags. |
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Ingredients: Icing |
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from The Pastry Queen Christmas Here’s a cake that showcases the flavors and smells of Christmas. This three-layer extravaganza has a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. As the cake bakes, it fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. 1. Place one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and a second rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease three 9-inch cake pans with butter or cooking spray, then line each with a parchment paper round and grease the rounds. 2. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the molasses. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices to blend. Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately to the batter. (Start and end with the flour mixture, adding the flour mixture in 3 increments and the sour cream in 2 increments.) After each addition, mix on low speed just to combine the ingredients. Stir in the shredded apples, vanilla, and ginger. 3. Spoon the batter (it will be thick) evenly into the prepared pans. Place two cake pans side by side on one rack and the third on the other. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until firm to the touch. Monitor the layers carefully for doneness; each one may be done at a different time. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pans and unmold the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes, before frosting. 4. The cakes can be kept frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 weeks. Defrost them at room temperature before unwrapping. Frost immediately. 5. To make the icing: In a medium stainless-steel bowl, combine the unwrapped caramels, 2 tablespoons of the cream, and the 2 tablespoons butter. Place over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of ‰ simmering water. Stir the caramel mixture until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat. Let cool, stirring the mixture every few minutes until cool to the touch, about 20 minutes. (If the mixture is too warm, it will melt the buttercream frosting when it is stirred in later.) 6. While the caramel is cooling, make the buttercream: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 1/2 cups butter on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, until pale in color. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cream and the vanilla and powdered sugar, and beat for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the mascarpone and beat on medium-low speed until incorporated. Do not overbeat the mascarpone, or it may separate. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooled caramel mixture to drizzle over the cake once it is frosted. Stir the remainder of the caramel into the frosting, using large strokes to create caramel swirls throughout. Don’t stir it too much, or the ribbons of caramel will disappear. 7. Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread a thick blanket of frosting on top. Add the second layer and spread thickly with frosting. Add the third layer and cover the top and sides of the cake with an even layer of frosting. Use a small spoon to drizzle the reserved 1/4 cup of caramel over the top of the cake. Pat on the toasted pecan pieces to cover the sides of the cake. Tip: Using the proper tools for cutting frosted layer cakes ensures that individual servings look as good as they taste. I use a large serrated knife dipped in hot water for cutting. I wipe the knife off with a clean dishcloth after each piece, which ensures that every cut is as clean as the first. |
