Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
At Providence Divine Cakes & Pastries, you won’t find the typical York County array of baked goods. Here, beautifully glazed fresh fruit tarts and the bakery’s signature crème brulee muffins seem to call your name, and key lime creations beg to be sampled. Besides the 39 varieties on the official cake list, you’re welcome to use your imagination to request a new flavor. The owner, Providence Spotts, is flexible as well as creative. And when it comes to the holidays, you’ll find some new ideas for entertaining that your guests will love.
This year start some new holiday traditions with cookies like Providence’s amarettis and macaroons. The latter, sometimes spelled “macaron” to differentiate it from the coconut-based cookie, is popular in both France and Italy and, more recently, in New York City. Often connected with holidays, cookies were given to guests on New Year’s Day in ancient Rome to fill the coming year with sweetness. And in another Italian tradition, holiday recipes must contain nuts, so these two cookies
qualify.
To try making either of these tempting treats for your next party simply follow Spotts' recipes included on this page. Or, for a fresh take on Thanksgiving dessert, consider baking a Pumpkin Mousse Torte (see page 92).
Rather than offering mostly traditional items, especially during the holidays, Providence likes to pair unexpected ingredients. One example is a rich white cake layered with ricotta cheese mousse-dotted with chunks of dried apricot and crowned with shavings of white and dark chocolate. Called the Ricotta Cassada, it’s one of Providence’s favorites.
Baking out of her own kitchen for 20 years worked well for Providence until recently. Even with an unlisted number, business became so brisk that she knew it was time to take the next step. When she opened her bakery two years ago, the orders quickly multiplied. When asked how many hours Providence works, an assistant quipped, “All of them.”
These days, with more room—2,500 square feet—Providence is happy to be doing what she loves. In addition to the bakery shop, she supplies several restaurants with a few classic desserts and is given free rein on the rest. “Whatever you feel like trying” is what she usually hears. That kind of trust comes only when even your experimental cakes are consistently awesome. Part of Providence’s success could be the high security surrounding her closely-guarded icing recipe: She’s the only one allowed to make it.
Amaretti Cookies (above)
8 oz almond paste 1 cup sugar (use superfine) 2 egg whites from large eggs Pine nuts or sliced blanched almonds
Preheat oven to 375 degrees; line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip of 1/2 inch.
Place sugar in blender or food processor; add almond paste, breaking into small pieces. Blend on low or pulse until the mixture is very fine. Add egg whites, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition; process for one minute (dough should be very smooth). Hint: Be careful when separating the eggs; if you get any yolk at all into the whites, start over.
Place almond mixture into pastry bag. Pipe mounds about 1 ½ inch diameter onto parchment about an inch apart. Smooth the surface of each mound by lightly pressing the tops with a damp paper towel. Sprinkle with nuts and bake for 10 minutes, checking every two minutes, as these will easily burn. Cookies and nuts should be lightly toasted.
*Amarettis can easily be made gluten-free since they contain no flour. Just check the almond paste ingredients.
Macaroons
Recipe courtesy: Providence Spotts, Providence Divine Cakes & Pastries Yield: About 16 macaroons 1 ¼ cups plus 1 tsp confectioners’ sugar 1 cup (4 oz) finely ground almonds 6 Tbs egg whites (use about 3 extra-large eggs) ¼ cup granulated sugar Pinch of salt
Macaroons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high; gradually add sugar. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the almond mixture until completely incorporated. Add flavoring and coloring as desired (see variations); set aside.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a ³/8-inch (or number 4) round tip; fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch mounds onto baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, about 15 minutes. A soft skin will form on the tops of the macaroons and the shiny surface will turn dull.
Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macaroons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macaroons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. The tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macaroons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.
Filling: Add desired flavor and color (see variations) to ½ cup macaroon filling and place in pastry bag. Turn macaroons so their flat bottoms face up. On half of them, pipe about 1 tsp filling. Sandwich these with the remaining macaroons, flat-side down, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Variations: Try espresso, cassis or pistachio flavors. For color, add two drops of food coloring (such as brown for coffee, purple for cassis, green for pistachio) to the egg whites after they are whipped. For flavor, blend ½ cup macaroon filling with either 1 ½ tsp espresso powder dissolved in ½ teaspoon warm water, ¹/³ cup cassis jam, or 1 tablespoon pistachio paste.
Pumpkin Mousse Torte
Recipe courtesy: Providence Spotts, Providence Divine Cakes & Pastries
4 cups canned pumpkin (or 4 cups fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes) 1 ¾ cups unfiltered apple juice 1 cinnamon stick ½ tsp allspice ¼ tsp ground cardamom ¼ tsp ground clove ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 2 Tbs agar agar flakes* 1 Tbs kuzu** ½ cup maple syrup ¼ cup tahini 1 ½ Tbs vanilla extract
For mousse, if using fresh pumpkin, boil in water until tender; drain. Add cooked or canned pumpkin to rest of ingredients in a large pot. Boil 20 minutes or until thickened to a paste. Meanwhile, prepare cake and frosting. Cool pumpkin mixture, then whip with mixer until completely combined.
For the White Cake: 2 ¹/³ cups flour 3 ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt ²/³ cup butter or shortening or half butter, half shortening 1 ²/³ cups sugar 1 ¼ cups milk 3 eggs 1 ½ tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour two 8-inch baking pans. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients, combine and pour into baking pans. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Layer cakes with pumpkin mousse; add pumpkin butter to layers for additional flavor. Ice with your favorite butter cream icing.
*Agar agar flakes are a vegetarian alternative to gelatin; agar agar is made from nutrient-rich sea vegetables and is an odorless, flavorless, low-sodium thickener. It sets more firmly than regular gelatin.
**Kuzu (also known as kudzu) comes from the root of a Japanese plant. Containing no fat, it is very low in calories and is a strong starch, ideal for icing, pie filling and custards as well as sauces and stews.
Agar agar and Kuzu are both available in health food or Asian grocery stores.
