We at GoodFoodSTL are celebrating our fourth birthday. Time to enjoy a slice of cake!

I don’t know whether to call the occasion a birthday or a “blog-iversary.” Whichever.  Four years in the blogosphere is a long time! Such Internet occasions are noteworthy, because 95% of new sites last only a few months. So I’m thrilled to be among the 30 million bloggers still pecking away on a keyboard.

In the Beginning

I was concerned from the beginning about having enough topics to post regularly. I soon discovered that almost everything has a food aspect to it, and if it doesn’t, I can always categorize it as “Food for Thought.” 🙂

I wanted to launch in August 2014. That’s Julia Child’s birthday month, so I thought it would be an auspicious time in which to start a food blog. But I didn’t get all my “ducks in a row” until that September.

While food blogging during the last four years, I’ve made so many new friends.  Some I run onto in the grocery stores or restaurants around town. Others—though I’ve never met them—have familiar names, because they visit my Facebook page and leave an encouraging word.

Yes, we’ve all had a lot of fun online “playing with our food,” so to speak. I know I have. (If you enjoy the blog, click the Subscribe button in the sidebar and each new post will be sent free to your email box.)

More Candles on the Cake

Tempting though it was to run out to a local “patisseries” for a birthday cake, I made this simple one-layer cake, that I’ve been meaning to bake for some time. I found it on Food52. It’s the signature cake of the writer’s Italian mother, Louisa, who lives in the Chianti region of Italy. It doesn’t have any chianti wine in it, but the beverage makes an nice accompaniment. 

This simple cake is light and refreshing—qualities I like in both a cake and a blog. It’s best served with fresh fruit or a dab of ice cream or whipped cream. I was surprised that more of the lemon flavor came through than the apple. Next time I might up the apple a bit. 

Sniffing this cake is almost as satisfying as eating it.

Mama Louisa’s Italian Cake

Ingredients:

• 9 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 1 cup, plus 2 Tbs. sugar
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 pinch salt
  
• 1 cup fresh ricotta
  
• Zest of 1 lemon
  
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
  
• 1 apple, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
  
• Confectioners’ sugar for serving
  

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°. Butter and flour a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. (I used a 10″ pan.)
2. Cream butter and sugar in a standing mixer until light and fluffy.
3. On the lowest speed, add eggs one at a time.
4. Slowly add flour, salt, ricotta, lemon zest, baking powder, and apple.
5. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake is golden brown and sides start to pull away from pan.
6. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake out of pan and cool completely on rack. Sift confectioners’ sugar over top or serve with your favorite seasonal fruit.