Birthday Tart-Cake - K Paul St Germain, Jr

**A Translucent “Cinnamon-Pear Tart Ocean”**
crowns an orange and pear yellow cake
surrounded by shores of rum cream cheese icing.

This two layer, egg-laden, very sweet yellow cake is a versatile favorite – basically a remake of an “upside down cake” using various fruits, syrups, liquors, sugars, and other preparations to insure a firm tart “set” on a finished fluffy cake. By dressing the tops of both cake layers in the same way, the best looking layer may be chosen to go on top – and the lesser layer hidden between the two as an extremely sweet flavorful surprise...

My grandfather – Pépère (or “Pepé” in French-Canadian) – was a Master of Cakes and Pies. A baker by profession, those skills (together with hard work and a gift for wallpaper and decorating) saw his family through the Great Depression. As a sense of normality returned, he enjoyed cooking with a full range of ingredients once again. No more “Win-the-War Pie” with vegetables from his Victory Garden – sugar rationing – or Vermont’s infamous “green butter substitute”.

Every year Pepé would take a request from each grandchild to create – and bake from scratch – a special cake for their birthday.

My ideas involved the sea and ships so frequently that the sailors and ship in the feature cake (pictured here) were purchased at an early age – to be used in all my subsequent designs . Inspired by the first cake I ever learned to cook, this recipe remembers him.

Ingredients:

Cake:

Cream together:

3/4 cup butter
1/4 cup of oil
2 cups granulated white sugar (or part palm sugar)
3 Large eggs – room temperature
2 Large egg yokes – room temperature

Add:

1 Tbs. Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Buttermilk

Incorporate together:

2 2/3 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Power

When well mixed, slowly add:

1/2 cup liquid (total) comprised of orange (or other fruit juice) – or any syrup leftover from topping preparation (preferred).

**Rum Apple-Raison Cake**
*with Orange-zest frosting*

Method:

Add all ingredients in the above steps to make a batter. Line (with parchment paper) and liberally grease two 9″ bake pans. Press 1/4 inch layer of brown sugar onto the bottom of each pan.

Prepare desired “topping” below. Arrange fruit pieces on the sugar. Excess syrup may be incorporated into the batter as above. Carefully pour batter onto the fruit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes (or until toothpick test indicates firm). Begin cooling on baking rack. Invert and remove parchment paper while still slightly warm.

Cake “Tart” Topping:

Traditional method:

sliced fresh fruit (pear, peach, pineapple)
2 tbs. Butter
1/4 cup brown or palm sugar (for cooking)
3/4 cup brown sugar to press into the bottom of each pan

Saute sliced fresh fruit (pear, peach, pineapple) in butter, brown sugar, and a drizzle of sherry (optional) until fruit has browned and rendered juice – but is still quite firm and well-defined.

Arrange fruit – in a single layer covering about half the surface of the pan – pressed into the brown sugar. Save excess cooked syrup to incorporate into the batter as above.

Simple “No Cook” method:

sliced canned fruit (pear or pineapple)
3/4 cup brown sugar to press into the bottom of each pan

Substitutes canned fruit slices (pineapple or pear) – saving the liquid for above step. Press individual pieces into a paper towel to remove excess juices.

Arrange fruit – in a single layer covering about half the surface of the pan – pressed into the brown sugar.

Cream Cheese or Butter Frosting:

Combine:

1/4 cup softened cream cheese or butter or combination (cream cheese requires refrigerating cake for fresh storage).
1 cup confectionary sugar (or more) until desired quantity and consistency is achieved. *
Drop of vanilla extract
Drop of good spiced rum extract (or a splash of Captain Morgan’s spiced rum).

* Add additional confectionary sugar to reach desire consistency (to spread, drizzle, create a “flow which hardens”, etc. Using real liquor requires additional sugar.)

Place both cakes with fruit-topping side up. Select the most attractive to be the top cake. Lightly frost the top of the bottom cake. Stack the cakes together. Heavily frost the sides of combined cakes in “waves” – leaving the “tart-ocean” exposed.

Arrange candles and decorations on top – or garnish with nuts or shredded coconut.