Poteca Cake — The Old Recipes and the New Ones, Both Equally Mine

Jack's garden operation grows more ambitious every year. The greenhouse, the market sales, the Farm Fund jar that now holds over three hundred dollars. He's 13 and he farms the way some kids play video games — obsessively, joyfully, with the deep understanding that this is not a hobby but a vocation wearing a hobby's clothes.

The recipe this week: meatloaf Rogers recipe. Standing at the stove, Marlene's wooden spoon in my hand (the cracked one, the one that will outlast us all), the recipe either from the card box or from my own expanding collection, both equally real, both equally mine. The kitchen holds all of it — the old recipes and the new ones, the teacher's food and the student's food, the grief and the joy and the cinnamon. All of it. Always.

January. The real winter. Dark and cold, the wind off the prairie personal in its grudge. We endure with soup and blankets and the belief that spring comes eventually. I made bread — sourdough from the starter named Marlene, the bread rising in a warm kitchen while Iowa does its worst outside.

There’s something about a January kitchen — the wind doing its worst outside, the starter named Marlene rising quietly on the counter — that makes you want a recipe with layers, one that asks something of you and gives back more. Poteca felt right this week: a rolled, filled cake with the patience of an old hand and the warmth of something passed down without being asked. It belongs in the same card box as all the others, right next to the cracked wooden spoon.

Poteca Cake

Prep Time: 40 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 25 min (plus 1 hr rise) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
• 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• Walnut Filling:
• 2 cups finely ground walnuts
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

1. Proof the yeast. Dissolve yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar and let stand 5–8 minutes until foamy.
2. Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine warm milk, sugar, salt, eggs, and softened butter. Stir in the yeast mixture. Gradually add flour, mixing until a soft dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. First rise. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.
4. Make the filling. Combine ground walnuts, honey, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and heavy cream in a bowl. Stir until a spreadable paste forms. Taste and adjust sweetness.
5. Roll and fill. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll into a rectangle approximately 12 x 18 inches. Spread the walnut filling evenly to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
6. Shape the roll. Starting at a long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam and ends to seal. Coil the log into a greased 10-inch tube or bundt pan, or shape into a U and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Second rise. Cover loosely and let rest 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F.
8. Bake. Bake for 40–45 minutes until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F. Tent with foil after 25 minutes if browning too quickly.
9. Cool and serve. Let rest in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 115mg