Man Catcher Cake (Inspired by THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO)

This book-inspired recipe was kind of a no-brainer. Evelyn Hugo has seven husbands. Clearly, this woman is a knock-out and needs no help catching a man — or a woman, for that matter.

So, I figured it was only fitting that I should pair my review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the Man Catcher Cake.

Full disclosure: This is by no means an original CJ recipe. I’ve been making this cake for years after first discovering it in All Cakes Considered by NPR’s producer and “Cake Lady,” Melissa Gray. It’s one of my favorite cakes, both for its delicious flavor and for how incredibly easy it is to whip up for any occasion.

I did think about tweaking the recipe to make it more my own. In fact, I seriously debated with swapping in juice from a blood orange for the orange extract, as this would give it a slightly different flavor and a pretty rosy hue.

However, I quickly nixed that idea when I realized that a bright pink cake probably wouldn’t be incredibly man-catching, and that would therefore defeat the purpose of this book/recipe pairing.

Also, this recipe is perfect just the way the Cake Lady wrote it. As I’ve said before, why mess with perfection?

[A small aside about All Cakes Considered – this is one of the first baking books I read when I embarked upon my culinary adventures. Half my baking prowess is owed to my grandmother; the other half is owed to Melissa Gray. Her book is a veritable bible for making all kinds of cakes, both simple and complex, and her advice and instructions for this Man Catcher Cake, as well as so many others, are invaluable. If you’re a novice baker, I highly recommend picking up All Cakes Considered. I’m not being paid to say this, by the way. I’ve used my copy of this beloved book so often that the binding is coming apart.]

The Man Catcher is true to its name — I’ve yet to meet a man (or woman, or child) who can resist this cake’s sugary sweet charms. If you’re wondering what’s in this darn thing, you should know that the Man Catcher could also go by the less provocative name of “Citrus Sour Cream Pound Cake.”

At first glance, it just looks like a regular ol’ Bundt cake. Take one taste, though, and you’re treated to hints of vanilla, orange, and lemon. The flavors are subtle, mingling together perfectly in each bite, and the cake’s lemon glaze lends a welcome tartness to the sugary citrus crumb.

This cake is dense, as are all pound cakes, which means it’s great to serve to a crowd; one slice goes a long way. I’ve brought this cake to pot lucks, to parties as a hostess gift, and, in true All Cakes Considered fashion, into the office for my co-workers. It’s a workhorse and is pretty much the perfect cake to bring to any gathering.

I used a traditional Bundt pan for this post, but I’ve also made the Man Catcher in fancier cake pans; as long as you liberally grease the pan, the finished cake slides out just fine. Decorate it how you like, and feel free to use a vanilla or orange glaze instead of the lemon. The flavors in this cake are easily customizable. I sprinkled my cake with white and gold sanding sugars, and pearlized white sprinkles.

I haven’t written my own version of the Man Catcher recipe below because, thanks to the interwebs, the recipe and instructions from All Cakes Considered are already online. I highly recommend reading the full article since it gives you so many of those helpful baking tips I referenced earlier. Plus, Gray’s writing will give you a good chuckle as you bake.

For the Man Catcher Cake recipe and instructions, please click here.

Update: A friend recently told me that the link above gives you the recipe for the cake, but not for the delicious glaze that goes on top of it. I hope Gray won’t mind me including it here for you all.

Recipe for Lemon Glaze: Whisk together 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar with 1.5 tbsp milk and 2 tsp lemon extract until smooth and combined. Then drizzle or pour glaze over the cooled cake; let glaze harden before serving.