On Magic Cake

I've been interested in the intersection of food and games for a long time. Because of this, I raptly follow the recipes posted on Gourmet Gaming and I've tried cooking a few myself. When I got the chance from Ctrl+Alt+Defeat to write a regular column, he suggested it be about the relationship between games and... something else. I volunteered to write about food.

I'll never be a regular games/food blogger, because my schedule is too varied; fitting in a new recipe every week would be tough for me and my focus. But the idea of eating my way through a game is so appealing to me that I couldn't resist...

My article in Ctrl+Alt+Defeat is about Earthbound, and I actually concocted several recipes to match. If you haven't read the article, read that first!  I spent a couple weeks eating, and taking a few pictures of, the Earthboundiest foods I could find. This, for example, is my all-Earthbound-inspired lunch. Peanut Cheese Bar recipe courtesy Snack or Die. Gourmet Gaming also has a version, with chocolate, but I used these in the photographs.

Another resort delicacy is the Magic Cake, a special cake with powers that can transport you to another place. Only one cook in Summers can make the Magic Cake, and recreating it precisely would be a bit of a challenge. I have no idea what one puts in a cake to give it psychic enhancement powers, but, aside from that, official sources are fairly confusing on what goes in to a Magic Cake. The Earthbound Players Guide mentions that the cake is chocolate. But the accompanying picture that, should illustrate the cake in theory, looks more like a cheesecake with raspberry sauce.

Here, I split the difference, creating a raspberry-filled cake with a white-chocolate flavor. The white cake batter allowed for the addition of a little “magic” in the form of multi-color sprinkles.

Magic Cake

2 ¼ cups cake flour

1 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup milk

4 egg whites

½ cup butter

8 oz white chocolate chips

Colored sprinkles (optional)

Fillings and frosting:

¾ cup raspberry preserves (seedless)

Fresh raspberries, colored sprinkles

White or cream cheese frosting

1.       Use 2 8-inch cake pans. Spread the insides with shortening, and lightly flour. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Put dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt – in a large bowl.

3.       Add almond extract, shortening, and milk, and mix.

4.       Melt the chocolate chips with the butter in the microwave, and stir together. (8oz is somewhat less than a full bag. You can reserve the rest for decorations or another recipe).

5.       Add chocolate mixture to the cake batter. Using a stand or hand-mixer, beat on medium until the batter is homogenous.

6.       Add egg whites slowly, beating on low speed.

7.       If desired, add colored sprinkles at this part of the process and stir in, to add some magic to the cake!

8.       Pour cake batter in to prepared pans. Bake for 25-28 minutes.

9.       Remove cake, and allow to cool before decorating.

To decorate the cake, put a layer of raspberry jam between the two cake layers, and stack. Spread with white or cream cheese frosting: mine was store-bought this time, but a basic home-made cream cheese buttercream would go well here (Just butter, powdered sugar, and cream cheese softened and mixed together until they are the proper consistency).  Decorate with reserved chocolate chips, fresh berries, and/or sprinkles.

If you have a major sweet tooth, serve with some Gelato De Resort.

Thanks for reading and another big thanks to Gourmet Gaming and other food bloggers everywhere.