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I’ll admit, I used to be skeptical after I first took this buttermilk cake out of the oven; visually, there’s little or no to differentiate it from a mean pound cake. However there’s extra to this dessert than meets the attention.
I unexpectedly got here throughout a model of this recipe in Tales From the Dodger Dugout, a e book written by former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine that’s full of colourful anecdotes from his 12 years with the staff. As a baseball fan who additionally occurs to be knowledgeable chef, one story stood out: how an unassuming buttermilk cake from Oklahoma turned the staff’s good luck appeal throughout their unforgettable 1955 championship season.
Sharp and witty at 96 years outdated, Erskine is one among solely two residing gamers from the Dodgers’ 1955 World Sequence-winning roster. His e book gives a glimpse of what it was prefer to play alongside Jackie Robinson for a beloved staff—remembered by followers because the “Boys of Summer time”—that personified the borough of Brooklyn by means of their range, grit, and perseverance. I not too long ago had the prospect to talk with Erskine, who defined that the buttermilk cake first appeared as a present within the mail, despatched by teammate Frank Kellert’s household in Oklahoma. The story goes that the staff snacked on the cake for just a few days in a row, profitable every sport throughout that stretch of time. When the cake ran out, the Dodgers went on a shedding streak. Superstition has lengthy performed a job in Main League Baseball, so Kellert was requested to request extra cake, and it quickly turned a fixture within the clubhouse.
“It appeared like that buttermilk cake was some form of magic for us, to maintain profitable,” Erskine stated. “They despatched desserts in for the remainder of that season. I couldn’t inform you what number of completely different desserts got here in, however there have been greater than just some. It turned a really large superstition. We didn’t wish to go into the World Sequence and not using a provide of buttermilk cake.”
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Outfitted with ample quantities of their good luck appeal, the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees within the seventh sport of the 1955 World Sequence—the staff’s first-ever championship, and their just one in Brooklyn earlier than completely shifting to Los Angeles in 1958. “These Brooklyn Dodger groups of that period are probably the most storied groups within the historical past of baseball,” legendary sportscaster Bob Costas instructed me. “That staff had come so shut so many occasions, with close to misses in opposition to the Yankees (all the time the Yankees) within the World Sequence, and at last in ‘55 they break via. So did the buttermilk cake actually assist them do it? There are plenty of superstitions in baseball—I would by no means heard of that one, but when it labored, then it was a good suggestion.”
Fortunately, the cake is greater than only a enjoyable anecdote; it’s completely scrumptious, too. The aromas of vanilla and buttery pecan fill the air because it bakes within the oven. That first heat style is completely candy (however not overly so) and nutty, with a delicate tang that invitations chunk after chunk. A crisp exterior provides approach to a lightweight, but tender inside that continues to be moist even days later. Whether or not you’re slathering a slice with softened butter and a pinch of Maldon salt or toasting it underneath the broiler and serving it with a dollop of whipped cream and berries, you possibly can simply snack on this cake for every week straight and by no means develop bored with it.
“The buttermilk cake was the only most vital meals merchandise that had something to do with our success,” Erskine stated. “It was symbolic of profitable. It’s an odd approach to have it occur, but it surely did occur.”
Substances
1 | cup unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan |
2 | cups granulated sugar |
4 | massive eggs |
3 | cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for lining pan |
1/4 | teaspoon kosher salt |
1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
1 | cup buttermilk |
1/4 | cup vanilla extract |
1 | cup chopped pecans |
1 | cup unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing pan |
2 | cups granulated sugar |
4 | massive eggs |
3 | cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for lining pan |
1/4 | teaspoon kosher salt |
1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
1 | cup buttermilk |
1/4 | cup vanilla extract |
1 | cup chopped pecans |
Do you could have a recipe that’s a great luck appeal? Inform us within the feedback beneath!
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