SYLVIA + CREAM CAKE

After seeing her onscreen bakes, I was excited to learn that Sylvia Plath loved to bake in real life. One of her specialties was tomato soup cake and she also made a “damn good” lemon-meringue pie. (CW: this movie does contain suicidal content).

Directed by: Christine Jeffs

Screenplay by: John Brownlow

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig

Sylvia Plath: “I look a bit…messy because I started baking and I made one real cream cake but it went a bit funny in the center. I just decided to throw it out and start over. But the funny thing is, the second one looks nicer than the first one anyway.”

Whipped Cream Cake with Whipped Cream Filling (recipes from The American Woman’s Cook Book by Ruth Berolzheimer)

For the cake:

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 eggs, beaten until thick and lemon colored

1 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. sifted cake flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Whip the cream until it holds its shape. Add the eggs and whip until light as foam. Add the sugar and beat again. Add the vanilla. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together, and then add to the egg mixture. Bake in two greased layer cake pans (8 inch) at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool and then spread Whipped Cream Filling (recipe follows) in between the layers.

For the filling:

1/2 tbsp. gelatin powder

1/4 c. cold water

2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. boiling water

Chill mixing bowl and whisk. Soak the gelatin in the cold water until softened. Whip the cream in the chilled bowl and then sift the sugar over it. Add the vanilla. Pour the boiling water over the gelatin. When the gelatin is dissolved and cool, add it to the whipped cream. Beat rapidly until blended and then cool until nearly stiff.