Maddelena Serra is one of my favorite chefs. She founded her namesake restaurant, Café Maddelena in Dunsmuir. She sold her restaurant, and it’s still a place I love to visit.
But I do miss Maddelena Serra.
This is an adaptation of her recipe for Torta a Limone, a light and delicious lemon cake. I got the recipe from Melinda Van Doren, a Food for Thought reader who once worked at Café Maddelena.
The recipe included this note from Van Doren: ” ‘And now I’m gonna bake a cake.’ Those words go round and round in my head as that is exactly what Maddie would say at about 4 p.m. after all the prep was done,” Van Doren said.
“I cannot even think about making a cake without hearing her say that. Everyone always raved about this cake (including me). I’ve tried this recipe once. I didn’t rise as well as Maddie’s. Maybe I opened the oven door. I don’t know. Good luck. Let me know how it turns out. I think I will try it again.”
I tried the recipe. Many times. The first few efforts were flops.
I made a few changes to the recipe. For example, the recipe said to make it in a food processor, but I found the batter too soupy and too plentiful for a food processor, so I use my standing mixer to make it.
I cut down on the amount of milk (the original had 2 cups). I added lemon zest. I added some sugar to the graham cracker crust. One crucial step was to not beat the egg whites too much. Softly beaten whites worked better than stiffly beaten egg whites.
Finally, I learned that although the original recipe called for about 45 minutes in the oven, most often, it required more like 60 minutes, or I’d end up with Limone Zuppa.
And now I’m gonna make a cake, thanks to Maddelena for creating such a wonderful recipe and to Melinda for sharing it with us.
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Maddelena’s -Torta a Limone
1 cube softened butter
2 ½ cups fine sugar
7 egg yolks
7 egg whites
1 cup pastry flour
½ cup lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon
1 cup milk
2 cups graham cracker crumbs + 7 T. melted butter + ¼ cup granulated sugar
Mix the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and blend until soft. Add the flour and mix until well combined. Add the lemon juice and grated lemon. Mix until blended. Blend in the milk.
Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the batter until completely combined.
Butter and flour the sides of a 10-inch springform pan and line the sides with parchment paper, making sure the sides are an inch or so higher than the sides so the cake can rise.
Mix the graham crackers crumbs, melted butter and sugar.
Press into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the springform pan. Cover the entire pan in foil. Set the pan in the center of a preheated, 375-degree oven for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Un-mold cake after it has completely cooled.
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