A couple of years ago, my grandmother passed away, and I was given her binder of recipes. My grandmother Gita was a Russian Jewish immigrant (defector actually) who spent a good chunk of her childhood in Cuba before her family finally acquired visas to stay in the United States. On a side note, she ended up attending the very same high school in Atlanta that my other grandmother attended, although not at the same time. Later, both families relocated to the New York City area, my mother’s family later than my father’s. It is there that my parents met. While I did grow up with many classic Jewish foods, many of which are collected in an amazing cookbook that my mom made me for my wedding, others seem to have disappeared when my father became a cardiologist and then my grandfather unfortunately suffered a heart attack (from which he thankfully recovered). This was also in the 1980s when all forms of dietary fat and cholesterol were being demonized, and my grandfather was advised to stick to a completely fat free diet, which he did for the next 20 years. I still marvel at how diligently he kept this up. So, for example, chopped liver spread is a classic Ashkenazi dish which, I believe I have never actually tried. I have only eaten “fake chopped liver” a tasty combination of peas and nuts that my mom has been making for years to replace it. I am not saying that I would necessarily prefer real chopped liver, especially given how casually Jews seem to dismiss its value, with the expression “What am I, chopped liver?” Ha ha. I do feel though, that while they may not be good daily food choices, at least not for those of us who do not reap wheat for a living, these recipes at least deserve to be preserved and tasted on occasion. This is one of the reasons I was eager to look back on some of my family’s recipes from before I was born. There is just one problem. Thanks perhaps to my grandmother’s muddled linguistic past, clarity of expression was not something she was known for, and this comes through in her recipes. So as I enthusiastically set out to uncover some of her old recipes, I quickly realized that between the penmanship and the language, I could barely make sense of many of them. I found one, however, that inspired me to give it a try. It is for something called Yeast Cake, and I think it is representative of many recipes in the binder and also typical of Ashkenazi (Eastern European Jewish) pastries in general. Cinnamon, nuts, butter, sometimes sour cream, these are traditional ingredients in many sweet treats, including rugelach, mandelbrot, and kugel. More on those in future posts, perhaps. I gave it a try today and have to say that it was wonderful. It might be described as halfway between a sweet bread like challah and a cake, in terms of texture. It is actually quite airy, thanks to the yeast. Definitely reminiscent of a cinnamon bun but not as sweet and not as dense. The dough is actually not very sweet, but it is laced with a cinnamon sugar filling and studded with raisins and nuts. Just the aroma that will fill your house, with hints of cinnamon and homemade bread, is worth the time. It will make you nostlagic even if your grandmother never made such things when you were a child. So here it is. My grandmother’s Yeast Cake, interpreted to the best of my ability. I cut the recipe in half, and will offer the proportions I used. If you are one of those people who shuts down when you see the word “yeast,” or, like my mom, “soft peaks,” you are missing out. As for using yeast, it is EASY, it just takes time. But don’t care because you are busy doing any number of other things while it rises. Great for days when you will be home or in and out during the day. The worst part about making bread is cleaning the bowl (and for that I recommend getting a Scotch Brite Clean Rinse sponge that is designed to not stick to things like cheese and dough). So stop kvetching, buy a little packet of yeast, and give this a try. 
Yeast Cake
- 1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 packet of live powdered yeast
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts and/or almonds (walnuts are traditional)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar or 1/2 cup granulated sugar for the filling, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar for the dough
- 1 tsp cinnamon or to taste
- 2 pinches of salt
Melt the butter with the milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a hole in the middle. Pour the butter/milk mixture, followed by 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites in the refrigerator), 2 tbps sugar (add an extra tablespoon if you think you might like it sweeter), pinch of salt, yeast, and 2 tbsp water. Mix well and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot and leave for 4-6 hours or until the dough gets air bubbles. It can be kept overnight in the refrigerator. Later, or the next day, make the filling. Put the whites in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. With an electric mixer, beat the whites, slowly adding the sugar until the whites form soft peaks. Next roll out the dough. First choose your baking dish and grease lightly. I used a standard loaf pan and would recommend this option. My grandmother’s recipe calls for a bundt pan, but this requires double the dough to make two sides of the ring. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll into a rectangle of which the short side is about the length of the loaf pan. Spread some egg whites onto the dough leaving a margin (don’t overdo it or it will squeeze out) and sprinkle cinnamon and nuts on top. Carefully roll the dough and try to seal the edges once you get to the end. Gently place into the pan, seem side up. Glaze the top with a bit of any remaining egg whites in the bowl and sprinkle more nuts on top. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot until risen and puffy (2-3 hours). If it’s 100 degrees outside like it is here, outside is a great place to rise your dough. Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 30 min. Remove from the pan to cool. This bread is wonderful for breakfast, brunch, or for an afternoon snack. Oh, and my son liked it too! 
