ON THIS WEEK’S episode of Dinner SOS, food director and host Chris Morocco is joined by food editor Jesse Szewczyk to help actress and author Maria Bamford bring her farm cake fantasy to life.
You might be asking the same question Chris and Jesse asked—what is farm cake? It’s Maria’s vision of a vegetable-cake hybrid, a savory cake filled with vegetables that isn’t quite a quiche, way more veggie-packed than a muffin, and definitely ISN’T carrot cake. Maria and her husband once tried to make these vegetable cakes a reality on the stove [editor’s note: stove?] in multiple pots, but ultimately failed.
For context, Maria asserts that she was on the Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America, and she recently released a book titled Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, her memoir about belonging and mental illness. And yes, the book does have recipes—like one for a scoop of peanut butter, which quite literally directs readers to eat their favorite peanut butter off a spoon (her favorite is Skippy Super Chunk straight from the refrigerator).
To help Maria bring her farm cake from zero to hero, Jesse steps in and does something we haven’t done before on Dinner SOS—he develops an original recipe. Technically, he really just adapts Extra Corny Cornbread Muffins to fit Maria’s fantasy by adding cauliflower, curry powder, and cheese. This is how Jesse tweaks the recipe: he prepares the batter as written but folds in 2 tsp. curry powder, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and 1 cup frozen peas. He then precooks 6 medium cauliflower florets in the microwave to soften them slightly. He fills a prepared muffin tin half full of batter, then sets a cauliflower upright in each one, topping up with the remaining batter.
Listen now to hear if Chris and Jesse can help Maria bring her farm cake dreams to life and if she gains a bit more courage in the kitchen.