A Perfectly Imperfect Cake – Vol. 1

My adventures with vegan cake baking, a minor victory with Pisciotta, and learning new ways to bake a citrus olive oil cake.

I walked across the street at 6:45 in the morning. The first rays of sunshine had already started to warm the garden. I noticed the eight people standing apart at the bus stop, all with phones in their hands, sleep in their eyes, and no recognition of the urban garden activities coming to life behind them. I saw a few starlings bathing in the puddle left behind from yet another downpour of rain. Goldfinches and great tits were scurrying about the long grass and wildflowers. Newly emerged blossoms were open for business, and the bees were busy flitting about their work.

I walked amongst the boxes, happy to feel the warm sun on my back. I felt an urge to remove my shoes and allow my feet to caress the moist ground. But there were slugs...many slugs this year...and I had no desire to have a squishy encounter. I checked in on my boxes. The chili peppers, cucumbers, beans, sunflowers, flax, turmeric, dahlias, onions, potatoes, butternut squash, and potatoes made it through the night without succumbing to ferocious slug and snail appetites. The tomatoes were happy, too. They seemed especially pleased with the improvised covering, which protected them from the endless rain. Two basil plants glistened below the first stems of the tomatoes. The morning dew evaporated from their broad leaves, creating an aromatized fog that filled my nostrils with that unmistakable sweet, peppery perfume. I was instantly transported to Tellaro, a small fishing village near the Golfo dei Poeti on the southern Ligurian coast. My right hand grabbed the wooden pestle and pounded the pine nuts, garlic, basil, and extra virgin olive oil into the base and sides of the giant marble mortar.

A car honked at the tourist bus blocking the street next to me. My momentary journey into an aroma-induced food memory ended. However, the brief escape into an experience brought new and curious thoughts. I began considering other foods that stimulated food memories, and suddenly, my list was quite long.

But cake was not on the list...even though I enjoy eating a well-made cake.

I don’t recall eating a lot of cake in my life. Like most people, I savored cake during celebrations, although I can’t be sure if I appreciated the buttercream frosting or sugary decorations more than the actual cake. I never defaulted to cake during low periods; cookies already filled that role. I wasn’t inspired to learn much about the art of making cakes during my four weeks of pastry courses in culinary school. At that time, life was too short to cream butter and sugar together when I was more interested in figuring out how to sauté a duck breast or temper chocolate. I even passed on many opportunities to make special celebratory cakes for clients during my catering days – I left that business to the professionals.

Cakes were not a priority on my wish list of culinary achievements until...

Until I decided to follow a plant-based diet, and then I realized how difficult it was to put together a decent cake that was free from animal products, hydrogenated fats, and tropical fats. My early attempts mostly failed. They were often dry...or too moist. They had a large dome middle...or sunk quickly. The crumb was sometimes too crumbly...or too stodgy.

I kept trying. Suddenly, I became obsessed with making a decent cake. And within all those attempts, hope emerged when I finally made a respectable cake – it wasn’t perfect, but I was okay with the minor imperfections.

Vegan Pisciotta (Olive Oil Cake) ¦ Photo by Jack McNulty