Why is baking so relaxing? (Plus, a rhubarb cake recipe!)
Suddenly everyone is baking bread, cookies, even elaborate cakes. You can’t scan social media without seeing countless images of sourdough starters, which begs the question: Why?
What is about mixing ingredients and seeing bread rise that is just so calming at this time? Could it be that there’s something to the physicality of working with our hands—or perhaps the sense of accomplishment of making something from scratch?
Bon Appétit Test Kitchen chef Claire Saffitz, star of the show Gourmet Makes, has some insights on the baking phenomenon.
In our audio series, Calm Together Conversations, Claire explains the allure of baking and offers tips for getting started in the kitchen. Plus, she shares her tasty recipe for rhubarb custard cake below.
Rhubarb Custard Cake
(Courtesy of Bon Appétit magazine) 8 servings
This cake is designed to be mixed by hand. Using an electric mixer works more air into the eggs, which lightens the batter and makes it less dense, so the fruit is more prone to sinking. Also, make sure you leave the stalks whole, as chopped rhubarb is more likely to be swallowed up by the batter and sink to the bottom.
INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter, cooled, plus more room-temperature for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1½ cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
¼ cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. dark rum
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
13 oz. rhubarb stalks, halved lengthwise if thick
*Special Equipment: A 9"-diameter springform pan
RECIPE PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour pan. Whisk baking powder, salt, and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, egg yolk, and 1½ cups sugar in a large bowl until very pale and thick, about 1 minute. Whisk melted butter, sour cream, rum, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Whisk butter mixture into egg mixture just to combine. Add dry ingredients and fold in until batter is smooth; scrape into prepared pan. Chill 10 minutes to let batter set.
Arrange rhubarb over batter however you like, trimming as needed. Don’t press fruit into batter—just place over top and let it rest on the surface. Sprinkle with more sugar and bake until cake is golden on top and browned around the sides, 45–55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Slide a knife around sides of cake to loosen and unmold. Slide directly onto rack and let cool completely.
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