Village Books, Pacific Palisades
Recently, high cholesterol got in the way and I have been doing less baking and feeling more stress. Baking is my salvation, my joy, my de-stressor. When my kids were little and I was baking up a storm in that tiny oven of ours, all those famous chocolate chip cookies daily, my kids called it my “bakenalysis.” Oliver, my oldest, coined the term. Do I love what I make? You bet I do. Today, I went back to this piece that I started to write about my baking (or lately, lack there-of) and wasn’t sure where I was going with it. What recipe was I going to share on my blog? Nope, just didn’t have one in mind. That’s when serendipity did its serendipitous thing.
I stopped into our local bookstore, Village Books, today, not for any real reason, but because I love to just stop in. While there, I checked on a book I’d ordered but it hadn’t come in yet. I love Village Books and now live in fear of it closing. We all love it (Mia, my BFF at the bookstore, who has worked there for years, came up with the catchy name for my new book club.) When an older man dropped by to ask if his order had arrived, they offered him a piece of freshly baked cake. Well, come on, I thought, my turn. So, I asked if I too could have a piece. I’m a bit of a snob and won’t eat something store bought, but Connie, another great woman who works there, assured me it was freshly baked and that she had made it herself. She added that every week the employees now bring in their baked goods.
Well, I just tried Connie’s cake and I cannot tell you how impressed I am. I’ll have to show up at the bookstore more often on baking day. And may I suggest you go to Village Books too — one of the last of the great independent bookstores, still at 1049 Swarthmore Avenue, Pacific Palisades. Go for cake, but better yet, go for books. Consider buying there instead of online and Village Books might be around a while longer for all of us to enjoy. Actually, you can even buy online from them at www.palivillagebooks.com
Tom Hanks, a local, has been extremely generous in helping to keep Village Books open. We have a lot of other celebs living here, I hope some others can do the same (refer to my piece conspiracy theories about bad restaurants and the Palisades).
Connie’s cake is really called All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake and the recipe for it can be found in “BAKING” by Dorie Greenspan, sold at the bookstore.
But I’ll call it Village Books’ Serendipitous Pumpkin Cake. Here’s how you make it:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (Connie did not add this)
1 ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger (Connie did not add this either)
Pinch salt
1 ¼ cup unsalted butter (10 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar (Connie used dark brown sugar )
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Small can or 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup cranberries (Connie did not add this and neither would I )
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (Connie added 2 cups of pecans )
Maple icing
6 tablespoons powdered sugar, mix in 2 tablespoons maple syrup but Connie did ½ cup powdered sugar and then fixed it to the right consistency
First mix butter and sugar, add eggs and pumpkin then add dry ingredients
Bake in a Bundt pan one hour at 350 degrees
Connie, the great baker from village books
Tags: baking, fredde duke, fredrica duke, independent bookstores, pumpkin cake, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Village Books
As your very loyal reader – another great story! I too fully support local book stores and will keep the web address and begin ordering my books from them. Next time I leave the ‘Orange Curtain’ to visit you, we must go to the store. I love pumpkin cake so i will try it too – agree about the cranberries – Not in a pumpkin cake!
Thanks again – keep writing…
Such a great bit of serendipity – I wish all bookstores were like Village Books and offered a bake day. Thanks for the helpful links to buy from them online – the cake sounds like a winner to me. Perfect for today’s rainy afternoon. I might try a bit of candied ginger bits in the glaze…
I think I’ve gained 5 pounds just reading your fabulous blog!!!!!
I wish I lived closer to Village Books. It’s really a shame that most of the great book stores of our time have had to close their doors due to online monsters etc…
to say nothing of baking from scratch! Yummmmmmmmmm.
Can’t wait to try this one!
xot
I just wanted to say that I have been privelaged to not only enjoy Connie’s delicious baked goodies for over 37 years, but her wonderful and loving friendship. She loves her family and friends, and expresses her love for us with delicious quisine when ever possible. She is the most amazing representative for not only her book store, but for books in general and all of us have benefitted from her knowledge and love for books. My children, her niece and nephews, have been especially blessed by their Aunt Connie’s generosity and persistance to find “just the right book” for the “right occassion” for them. Hope your wonderful book store stays open for many years to come, and that you all have the joy of eating Connie’s treats!
I have been privelaged to not only enjoy Connie’s delicious baked goodies for over 37 years, but her wonderful and loving friendship. She is the most amazing representative for not only her book store, but for books in general and all of us have benefitted from her knowledge and love for books. We have been blessed by her generosity and persistance to find “just the right book” for the “right occassion”. Hope your store stays open for many years to come, and that you all have the joy of eating Connie’s treats!
I too have enjoyed Connie’s delicious baked goods (for 37 yrs.), and her knowledge and generosity in being gifted wonderful books from your store. She always picks the right books for the occassion. I hope your store stays open for a long time and that you all have the joy of enjoying Connie’s heip with book choices, and her treats!
I have known Connie for over 40 years and have been so fortunate to have so many of her dinners and desserts. She has been such a dear friend and I am so proud of her. And I know how much she has loved working at the bookstore. Whenever I am in CA we always go to the bookstore for a visit. It’s such a wonderful bookstore and I enjoy the people that work there. Enjoy all of Connie’s wondrful bake goods!! She truly is an artist in the kitchen with food.
I, too, am an advocate for bake therapy! And I’m going to try this recipe … sounds very good. Glad the cranberries are optional since they are not available here.