Recipe: Cinnamon sour cream cake by Amy Sedaris from I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence @Not Quite Nigella

Amy Sedaris – Cinnamon Sour Cream cake

July 30, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Amy, Amy why hast thou forsaken me? This caketh didn’t turneth outeth!

I approached this recipe with some trepidation. The first line states ” You will be putting the cake into a cold oven and then setting the temperature to 180c/350F/Gas 4 and baking for 55 minutes” which goes against most cake baking handbooks and experience where the first third or half of the time in the oven are crucial. I thought that perhaps Amy was being a bit too nutty and was playing a joke but I played along with it and placed it in the cold oven and turned it up. The cake did indeed sink in the middle in a very bad way.

Not only that, any Amy can’t fully be blamed for this, the top of the cake did not come out of the tin. The cake itself is just too soft and airy to be able to be baked in a fluted or fancy tin. I did butter and flour the tin so it should have come out just fine-should have! Another problem was that the chopped nuts sank to the bottom and even though I had filled the cake with half of the mix, the sinking meant that there was only one quarter of the cake at the top that stuck as the nut mixture sank to the bottom (ie the top).

I tried to tart it up with some cinnamon sticks and flaked almonds to distract you. So let’s pretend it was supposed to look completely rustic. Oh and if you’d like to see how the resultant cake is supposed to look like when baked in the special tin, you can see one that I made here.

But this doesn’t mean that the recipe isn’t worth making. The actual cake taste is airy and light (a result of the sour cream and baking soda) and incredibly moist. You might want to avoid the same fate as that of my cake with these tips:

1. Don’t use a fancy pants pan like I did, just a springform or loaf tin lined with baking paper. You need the paper.

2. Toss the nuts lightly in flour to prevent them sinking.

3. Preheat the oven to 180c and bake like a normal cake to avoid the middle sinking.

4. Don’t make this for a special occasion as it may cause you anxiety.

Amy Sedaris’ Cinnamon Sour Cream cake

You will be putting the cake into a cold oven and then setting the temperature to 180c/350F/Gas 4 and baking for 55 minutes. You will a 9 inch greased tube pan. This is a pan that creates a ring shaped cake

Beat until light and fluffy

250g unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups/280g sugar
2 eggs

Blend in:

1 cup/250ml sour cream
2 cups /220g sifted bread flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Add into butter mixture

Add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Blend well

Spoon half the mixture into the tube pan (this batter will be thick)

Sprinkle half the nut mixture (below) over the batter.

Then spoon the rest of the thick batter on top of that and top with remaining nut mixture. I just put the nut mixture in the middle, I didn’t really see any point in having the sugary nut mixture on the bottom of the cake.

For the nut mixture I use a small hand nut grinder. Grind 120g of finely chopped walnut meats and mix with 1 1/4 teaspoons of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Recipe from Amy Sedaris’ I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

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1. SydneyGal | July 30, 2008 at 8:30 am | #

Oh I feel for you, there’s nothing worse than putting all that effort in and then it doesn’t turn out!

Disguise is good, as is chopping it up and slathering it with cream or something and calling it a trifle.

As grandma (RIP) used to say, it all tastes the same going down.
2. Carolyn | July 30, 2008 at 9:27 am | #

I agree with SydneyGal – nothing worse than putting all that effort in and then it not turning out!

Though I must say NQN, if you hadn’t mentioned that it wasn’t suppose to turn out that way, it actually looks really good! I’m sure it still tastes amazing anyhow. It’s making me hungry!
3. Maria T | July 30, 2008 at 9:34 am | #

I would still eat it. I think i would smell great too.
4. Y | July 30, 2008 at 11:17 am | #

I don’t really get the point of not preheating. Is that meant to make it an easier recipe somehow? Anyway, kudos to you for rescuing it with a bit of decor
5. Mel | July 30, 2008 at 11:38 am | #

I agree with Carolyn, at first glance, that cake looks really good – the fact that you could salvage a disaster probably says more about you decorating skills that anything else!
6. Iron Chef Shellie | July 30, 2008 at 12:31 pm | #

Well it sounds nice, pitty it didn’t go to plan…. I’m not sure if I would have trusted the cold oven instruction either!!

I’d still eat it!
x
7. grace | July 31, 2008 at 2:55 am | #

perhaps amy should just stick to comedy.
i love the idea of this–heck, there’s cinnamon in the name of the recipe, so i’m clearly smitten. i’ll take your warnings under advisement.
8. howtoeatacupcake | July 31, 2008 at 3:59 am | #

I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work. It looks fantastic though!

And isn’t Amy Sedaris the cutest? Her cupcakes are delicious!
9. Patricia Scarpin | July 31, 2008 at 4:22 am | #

Oh, sweetie! I was so scared reading that the cake would have to go into a cold oven… Yikes!
Even though the top didn’t come off as a whole, I think it looks delicious. One can’t go wrong with cinnamon, Lorraine!
10. Lore | July 31, 2008 at 4:29 am | #

The end result IS gorgeous. I’d definitely try it!
11. Not Quite Nigella | July 31, 2008 at 10:35 pm | #

Hi SydneyGal-Thanks! I did consider making a trifle but after that the thought of making jelly and custard was too much…

Hi Carolyn-Oh cool! I was hoping to do that through throwing everything I had at it I considered flashing lights but that might have been too much…

Hi Maria-Actually you’re right, the smell was amazing!

Hi Y-I’m not sure either. She’s a bit kooky so perhaps it’s the recipe for those that are a bit forgetful

Hi Mel-Why thankyou! That’s sweet of you to say

Hi Iron Chef Shellie-Perhaps it sensed my distrust? Thanks, it did taste good which was good!

Hi grace-if you’re a cinnamon fan, you’ll definitely like this. Apparently Amy has her own cupcake business!

Hi howtoeatacupcake-Oh wow, you’ve had one of her cupcakes? What were they like? What flavour did you have?

Hi Patricia-Thanks! Hehe yes cinnamon saves the day again

Hi Lore-Thankyou!
12. Maria | August 12, 2008 at 5:23 pm | #

I’m glad you still chose to write about the cake despite it being a challenging experience! The ‘tarted up’ picture looks fine! I hope the taste didn’t disappoint?
13. Not Quite Nigella | August 12, 2008 at 11:45 pm | #

Hi Maria-I wasn’t sure to publish it or not but figured others might encounter the same fate with the recipe. The taste was great actually, pity it was all in bits and pieces
14. howtoeatacupcake | February 10, 2009 at 11:14 am | #

This reply is SO late. I made her recipe for vanilla cupcakes. They’re my favorite vanilla cupcakes ever!
15. Not Quite Nigella | February 10, 2009 at 9:27 pm | #

Hi howtoeatacupcake-Oh cool, I should really try those!