Best 4 Martha Washington Creme Cake Recipes

CREME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, salt, and half the sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into pan, then add pod. Heat over medium just until mixture starts to bubble around the edge of the pan, about 2 minutes (do not let boil). Remove from heat; cover and let stand 30 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with remaining sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons).
• Use ladle to pour a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk to combine. (This is called tempering and prevents the eggs from curdling.) Add another ladle of milk mixture, and whisk to combine. Pour this mixture into remaining cream mixture in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl (to remove the vanilla pod and any cooked bits of egg) in an ice-water bath. Let stand until cold, stirring occasionally.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• WRITTEN AS PER MARTHA WASHINGTON'S DIRECTIONS.
• Take forty eggs and divide the whites from the yolks, and beat them (whites) to a froth.
• Then work the butter to a cream, and put the whites of the eggs to it, a cup at a time, until well-worked.
• Then add sugar (finely powdered) to it in the same manner (one cup at a time).
• Then put the egg yolks and flour and fruit to it.
• Add to it mace, nutmeg, wine and brandy.
• Two hours will bake it. (350 degrees).
• In the TV program: Martha Stewart baked this in a 16x16x3-inch square pan (it was HUGE!). I suppose you could divide the batter between two 13x9 pans, too.
• She frosted it with a meringue (whipped egg white & sugar) that was lightly baked to give it a crunch -- and claimed that it would keep for weeks if the cake wasn't cut.
• She's got a smaller version on her website.

MARTHA WASHINGTON'S GREAT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Soak raisins and currants in water in small bowl overnight.
• Combine orange peel, lemon peel, citron and cherries in mediumsize bowl, sprinkle with brandy; let stand overnight.
• Grease two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch pans.
• Beat egg whites in medium-size bowl with electric mixer until foamy white. Beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar slowly until meringue forms stiff peaks; reserve.
• Beat butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks and lemon juice in large bowl with electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes.
• Sift flour, mace and nutmeg onto wax paper. Stir into batter alternately with sherry, blending well.
• Drain raisins and currants. Add to batter with candied fruits and brandy, mixing well.
• Fold in reserved meringue until no streaks of white remain. Pour batter into pans. Place in a roasting pan on lowest rack of oven. Fill halfway with boiling water. Place cakes on middle rack of oven.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees and bake 55 minutes longer until centers spring back when lightly touched with fingertip. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
• To store: wrap in sherry- or brandy-soaked cheesecloth; place in tightly covered containers for a month or longer. Pour more sherry or brandy over cake when cheesecloth dries out.
• Garnish with candied cherries, if you wish.

WHIPPED CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack set in lower third of the oven. Spray a 10-cup fluted metal tube or Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift flour mixture and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip cream on low, gradually increasing speed to medium-high as cream thickens, until stiff peaks form.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on medium-high, gradually add egg mixture; beat until thickened (like mayonnaise) and well combined. Gradually add sugar, about 30 seconds.
• Remove the whisk attachment from the mixer. Using the whisk attachment, gently fold half the flour mixture into the cream mixture until flour is dissolved and well combined. Repeat process with remaining flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared cake pan; run a small metal spatula or dull knife through batter to prevent large air bubbles from forming, avoiding bottom of the pan. Smooth surface evenly with a small metal spatula.
• Transfer pan to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into cake comes out clean and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake pan to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes; cake will begin to shrink from sides of pan.
• Spray a wire rack with nonstick cooking spray. Using a metal spatula, loosen top edges of cake and invert onto prepared wire rack. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream, if desired.