PARTY LINE : You <i> Can</i> Eat City Hall
Elin Katz can construct a six-story building in just hours. In fact, it took Katz and her crew only a week to build 13 L. A. landmarks--among them the Bradbury Building, El Capitan Theater, Tail o’ the Pup, Mann’s Chinese Theater, the Roosevelt Building, Central Library, City Hall, Angel’s Flight, even May Co. Wilshire. You could say it was a piece of cake . . . literally.
Katz’s reproductions, created for the L. A. Conservancy’s 15th anniversary celebration earlier this month, were nothing but pastry and icing (with, in some cases, a few other elements for structural support).
Held in the former Fred Harvey restaurant in downtown’s classic Spanish Moderne Union Station, the Conservancy’s “Crossroads L.A.,” open to the public, included an afternoon of exhibits by local preservation organizations, tours of Union Station, food booths, live entertainment, cake cutting, and live and silent auctions.
For Katz, who owns Rosebud Cakes in Beverly Hills, constructing the landmark buildings was not nearly as difficult as the cake she baked a few years ago for the Jane’s Addiction rock group. That one was a 6x4-foot altar celebrating Day of the Dead, the Mexican holiday on which families offer food to their dead relatives. The characters in the band were depicted on the altar playing their various instruments--sculpted in white chocolate. “The hardest part about that cake,” says Katz, “was getting it there.”
For the most part, Katz has adjusted to the idea that her best creations get eaten up. “I rather like temporary art,” she says.
Well, up to a point. One guest at the Conservancy party asked Katz what kind of cake she’d made. Hazelnut with marzipan cream and apricot, Katz replied. “Well, I want some,” the woman demanded.
She meant immediately. As Katz turned to get a knife, the woman started yanking one of the historic landmarks off the top. “She couldn’t get at it fast enough,” says Katz. “It was weird.”
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It probably takes an expert--or at least someone who has taken a few cake - decorating courses--to make the Tail o’ the Pup cake like the picture. If you omit the window art, the cake might not look exactly like the L.A. landmark, but it will at least look like a hot dog. For those who don’t decorate, this buttery poundcake recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Cake Bible” is still worth making. The tart lemon syrup helps keep the cake fresh longer, and the poppy seeds give it added texture.
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TAIL O’ THE PUP LEMON POPPY-SEED POUNDCAKE
6 tablespoons milk 6 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 3 cups sifted cake flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 6 tablespoons poppy seeds 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsalted softened butter Lemon Syrup Basic Butter Cream Icing Brown, yellow and red food coloring 2 tea cookies 1 graham cracker 2 plastic straws
Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in medium bowl.
In separate large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds. Mix on low speed 30 seconds. Add butter and 1/2 milk-egg mixture. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat 1 minute. Scrape down sides. Gradually add remaining milk-egg mixture in 2 batches, beating 20 seconds and scraping down sides after each addition.
Pour batter into 2 greased 8 x 4-inch loaf pans and smooth surface with spatula. Bake at 350 degrees until wood pick comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Remove pans from oven and place on rack. Pierce top of cakes all over with wire cake tester and brush with 1/2 Lemon Syrup. Cool in pans 10 minutes.
Loosen sides with spatula and invert cakes onto greased wire rack. Pierce bottoms of cakes all over with wire tester, brush with Lemon Syrup and turn upright again on rack. Brush sides with remaining Lemon Syrup and allow to cool before wrapping airtight. Store 24 hours before decorating so syrup distributes evenly.
When ready to assemble, place 1 cake on serving plate upside down, so that sides of cake slope inward toward top. Spread top surface of cake with just enough Basic Butter Cream Icing to cover. Place other cake on top of butter cream, right-side-up. Shape both cakes with sharp, serrated knife until they resemble 2 cylinders, 1 resting on top of other. Coat structure with thin layer of Basic Butter Cream Icing and refrigerate until firm.
Mix small amount brown and yellow food coloring into 1 cup Basic Butter Cream Icing to make “bun” color, then spread on entire structure, smoothing with wet knife from 1 end of cake to other to give smooth, rounded surface. Mix enough yellow food coloring into small amount Butter Cream Icing to make mustard color and spread on “hot dog” where appropriate.
Using 2 cookies, form hot dog protruding from ends of bun. Mix small amount brown and red food coloring into small amount Butter Cream Icing to make “hot dog” color, then pipe onto cookies to make more tubular.
Cut wedge out of side of cake to form window. If desired, mix food coloring of choice with small amount Basic Butter Cream Icing to pipe in window scene with counter, man leaning out of window, doughnuts and napkins. Scene can be as simple or complex as desired.
Push 1 long graham cracker into cake above window to make awning. Support with straws running length of either side of cracker and into cake. Ice graham cracker with plain Butter Cream Icing, then make red stripes with Butter Cream Icing mixed with red food coloring to make bright red color. Pipe straws and front of awning with white icing, then stripe with red icing. Makes 16 to 20 servings.
Each serving contains about:
724 calories; 182 mg sodium; 149 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 102 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.25 gram fiber.
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Lemon Syrup
3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
In small pan over medium heat, stir sugar and lemon juice until dissolved. Remove from heat.
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Basic Butter Cream Icing
1/2 cup vegetable shortening 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 pounds powdered sugar
Combine shortening, butter, salt, vanilla and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl. Mix at slow speed until smooth. If stiffer icing is needed or weather is very warm, add extra sugar. Makes 5 cups.
