Ina Garten Makes Julia Louis-Dreyfus a Yummy Chocolate Cake

What’s better than a Country French Omelet made especially for you by Ina Garten at her Hamptons home? How about following it up with some chocolate cake? Julia Louis-Dreyfus was privy to exactly that treatment when she became the centerpiece of the newest episode of Garten’s Be My Guest, now in its sixth season. The show is available for viewing on Food Network, and can also be streamed on Max.

The show opened with Garten preparing the omelet for the Seinfeld and Veep star by crisping up bacon, then frying up diced potatoes in the remaining fat. The five eggs were enhanced with three tablespoons of milk, and after the omelet was cooked, it was finished with the bacon, potatoes and fresh chives.

“Can I have the big half?” Louis-Dreyfus asked when she was greeted with the fluffy omelet. Garten remarked that she knew of the comedian’s affection for salt. “If you want to just pour the salt on the plate, I’ll eat the salt,” Louis-Dreyfus joked. While we perhaps recommend a bit less salt than that, there are many ways to make a memorable omelet, with fillings that range from pimento cheese to lobster.

Before indulging in a masterclass in frosting and piping a cake, the pair sat down for a conversation in which Garten continued to prove that her interview chops match her mettle in the kitchen. They discussed the blessing in disguise when Louis-Dreyfus’ contract at Saturday Night Live was not renewed, where she was a cast member from 1982 to 1985. In addition to her work as an actor, Louis-Dreyfus has her own podcast, Wiser Than Me, which first brought the two together. Louis-Dreyfus said that the common thread between all the women she has interviewed for the podcast is “complete comfort in their own skin.” Garten agreed, saying, “It’s like rocket fuel — it really gives you freedom to do exactly what you want to do.” But the best takeaway? When asked what sharing a laugh with an audience feels like, Louis-Dreyfus said, “It’s like endorphins you can taste.”

And the tasting wasn’t over. Using her recipe for Beatty’s Chocolate Cake, Garten presented two cooled layers to Louis-Dreyfus to be frosted. It turns out that the actress is no slouch in the kitchen herself. Earlier in the episode, she gave Garten a hostess gift of a blood orange preserves made from the fruits of her own tree. She excelled at frosting the cake with chocolate buttercream, as well.

Garten provided the useful tip of lining the turning cake stand with paper before decorating. This allowed the pair to get messy with dollops of frosting, while keeping the cake stand clean. When they were done, Garten simply slipped the paper out from under the frosted cake, resulting in a picture-perfect dessert.

The secret to the richly chocolaty flavor of the buttercream was 1 tablespoon of instant coffee powder, along with 6 ounces of high-quality chocolate. After touching up Louis-Dreyfus’ work just a bit, she praised her acumen, saying she could go into business in her spare time. “I’ve got all the paperwork drawn up,” Louis-Dreyfus teased.

The episode ended with tasting the cake. “First of all, the cake part is off the chain, don’t you think?” Louis-Dreyfus said. “And the frosting is yummy to the 10th power.”