Writing by Cathy Deutsch
Photography by Justin Negard
Hayfields Market in North Salem is a farm-stand-turned-gourmet-emporium offering meals and baked goods. Ronny Torres has served as the pastry chef since they opened eight years ago. Their Christmas tree cake features layers of light sponge with Swiss pastry cream in between each layer and coating the outside.
“I recommend enjoying a slice of this cake with a cup of hot cocoa,” Torres says.
What makes it so distinctive are the spikes of clipped pine twigs on top, which are cut from the trees they sell on-site during the holiday season. It’s as eco-friendly and local as you can get. Add some fresh cranberries and edible silver balls on top to create your own snowy winter scene.
Christmas tree cake
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. table salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla paste
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup yogurt
1 cup whole milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about eight minutes.
Add the eggs, two at a time, beating until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula when necessary.Add the yogurt.
Add the flour mixture in four parts, alternating with the milk in three parts, beating just until each addition is incorporated before adding the next; do not overmix.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan or pans and spread it so that it is smooth in the pan(s).
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes for the 9” x 12” pan.
Decorate with pine sprigs, cranberries or seasonal accents of your choice.
This article was published in the November/December 2023 print edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Cathy Deutsch
Cathy Deutsch is a resident of South Salem and a former local shopkeeper in Katonah and Mount Kisco. She previously wrote a restaurant column for The Country Shopper and is currently a contributor to several local publications. Additionally, Cathy’s personal essays have been published on noted on-line platforms including Dorothy Parker’s Ashes. “Writing has always been my passion, and I’m very excited to be writing for Connect to Northern Westchester,'' she says.
