Valerie Jarvie, special contributor
Published in The Dallas Morning News on 2008-09-08

pretty good. Okay, you’re just going to have to trust me on this….
I hate to be bossy, but sometimes you just have to yield to fussiness for really good results.
Once you’ve finished assembling all the layers, you then cover the whole thing with a thin layer of icing.
This is called the “crumb layer”.
Put it in the fridge for about an hour to harden up.
This means that when you do the final layer, there will be no crumbs ruining the finished result.
Much as I hate to admit it……it actually does make a difference.

Triple the recipe for the rainbow cake… Basic Cake Mixture:
I use this for everything from bar cakes, cupcakes, to this cake. I add cocoa to it for chocolate cake, orange zest for orange cake. It’s the recipe my Mum has used all her married life and the first cake I ever cooked. It’s the best.

*This recipe can be halved and baked in an 8 × 8-inch baking pan with a slightly reduced baking time.

easy and yum

So yummy. Julia Childs recommends baking this twice (briefly baking a think layer on the bottom and adding the fruit on topwiht the remaining batter and baking until done). But the French parents I know use the “express” method with wonderful results.
Serve the clafoutis in teh baking dish, as it is quite wobbly and won’t transfer well. Fresh out of the oven it is puffed and golden. It will settle and sag a bit, but that’s exactly what it is supposed to do.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 × 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

• May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

so easy to make vegan