cake ELEGANCE and WHIMSY- high layered Recipe
This showy cake was created for a very special person on her celebratory Birthday. My Mommy's personality is screaming out of this cake. The flavours all came together divinely without an overpowering sweetness. It may have been longer to put together than the usual baking I do...however, seeing the look on my Mom's face, made it all worth while. A little patience and tons of love go a long way.
For a dedicated post...please refer to:
http://www.foodessa.com/2010/05/cake-elegance-and-whimsy-for-my.html
Ingredients
- . > (American / Metric measures) <
- . CAKE:..note: ingredients room temp.
- . 1-1/2 cup (225gr) unbleached, All-Purpose flour
- . 1 cup (130gr) Whole wheat flour
- . 1 small pkg. (100gr) Butterscotch pudding mix
- . 1 tsp. (5ml) baking powder
- . 1/2 tsp. (2.5ml) baking soda
- . 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) salt
- . 1/2 cup (110gr) brown sugar, packed
- . 1/2 cup (110gr) granulated sugar (half with egg whites)
- . 1/2 cup (120ml) unsalted butter (melted)
- . 1 cup (250ml) Buttermilk*
- . 3 tbsp. (45ml) vegetable oil
- . 2 tsp.(10ml) vanilla extract
- . 6 large egg yolks
- . 3 large egg whites
- . 1/2 cup (60gr) pecans, coarsely chopped
- . 1 orange zest (optional)
- . * Make homemade BUTTERMILK: For 1 cup (250ml) first add 1 tbsp. (15ml) of EITHER white vinegar or lemon juice. To that, add the rest in the amount of milk to complete the volume required. Let rest for 10 minutes. Stir.
- .
- . CREAMS and DECORATION:
- . Cream FILLING + TOPPING:
- . 1 small pkg. (100gr) Vanilla pudding mix
- . 2 cups (470ml) of milk (1% fat+)
- . 5 ounces (150gr) bittersweet 65-70% chocolate
- . 1 tsp. (5ml) unsalted butter
- . 1/8 cup (25ml) Maple syrup (or Agave Nectar)
- . 2 cups (500ml) 35% whipping cream
- . 1/2 cup (64gr) confectioner's sugar
- . GARNISH:
- . 1/2 cup (60gr) slivered almonds (lightly toasted)
- . 10 raw, pecan halves
- . 10 chocolate hazelnut cigar cookies
Directions
- . Position rack in the center of the oven. Use a 10 inch/(26cm) Bundt pan (which I used) OR a regular Tube cake pan. Oil-spray the pan and lightly dust with flour to coat all surfaces...knock out the excess. For a dark surface cake pan...Pre-heat oven to 325F/170C/. For a light colored surface pan...Pre-heat oven to 350F/180C/Gas4.
- . CAKE: In a large bowl: hand whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and the half the amount of granulated sugar. Make a well and set aside. In a small sized bowl: hand whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and the egg yolks. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl: with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form (about 60 seconds). Set aside.
- COMBINING the MIXES: Gradually pour butter mix into the flour mix as you beat on Low speed. Blend together while scraping the sides with a spatula. Beat until all is incorporated (about 30 seconds). Do not over mix. Afterwards, with a spatula...fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter. Add the remaining whites and continue to gently fold the batter until all streaks of white have disappeared. Now, the chopped pecans and the (optional orange zest) can be folded in. Pour the batter into the cake pan and lightly tap down the pan to remove air bubbles. BAKE for about 40-45 minutes or until the cake seems to pull away from the sides of the pan. Test it also by inserting a toothpick in the center to make sure it comes out clean. Once out of the oven, place the cake on a rack to cool for about ten minutes before loosening it from the sides. Once loosened, you can securely invert the cake onto another wire rack for another rest of 5 minutes. Revert the cake back again onto the rack. Cool the cake completely for a minimum of 2 hours before manipulating it. Note: My personal choice is to bake it the day before and covering it with a clean tea cloth. The day after, I'm ready to assemble and decorate.
- . CREAMS and final ASSEMBLY: Slightly toast the slivered almonds in the oven or skillet. Watch over them! Set aside to completely cool. VANILLA pudding TOPPING: In a medium bowl, using an electric beater...pour in the milk into the vanilla powder (follow package directions). Cover with plastic wrap (touching the cream) and refrigerate until ready to use. CHOCOLATE mousse-type CREAM: In a small bowl...place the chopped chocolate with butter and melt in microwave in increments of 40 seconds each. After the first time...give it a slight stir. After the next 40 seconds...let it sit for 5 minutes before stirring until fully melted. There will be a very shiny appearance. Once the chocolate has reached room temperature, add the Maple syrup into the melted chocolate and give it a stir. It will transform its texture...do not worry...this is what you want at this stage. Set aside. Whip the 35% Cream: (to be divided for two mixes). Take another medium bowl and whip the cream to reach the ribbon stage and a good peak is formed. Spoon and fold in a little into the chocolate mix. Continue putting in about half of the bowl contents into the chocolate. It will look like a thick mouse mixture with coarse pieces of chocolate. The remaining goes to the other vanilla based topping. Take the remaining whipped cream and add to it the confectioner's sugar. Whisk it in by hand. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you take care of the rest of the cake assembly.
- . CAKE base ASSEMBLY: Place cake on a large serving dish. Slice the cake in three even layers. Gently remove the two top layers and set aside. Spread half the chocolate mousse cream evenly throughout by leaving a little uncovered edge around the perimeter so that it will not spread out from the sides. Repeat for the next layer. Afterwards, when the cake has been completely mounted, take out both bowls of vanilla pudding and the whip cream mixes. Fold in a bit of whipped cream into the pudding to start and then fold in the rest. Don't over fold, keep it light. Set aside just for enough time to assemble the cake garnish.
- . FINAL decoration Assembly: SLOWLY spoon the cream over the top of the cake. This will create a lava flow outcome throughout the cake. Sprinkle the lightly toasted slivered almonds around the top and a little of the sides of the cake. Place your pecan halves evenly over the top. Finish off by placing your chocolate hazelnut cigar cookies standing upright in the middle of the cake.
- . Voila...you are finally done. Give yourself a great pat on the back for a job well executed. Now, all you need to do is wait for all the compliments coming your way ;o)...FOODESSA.com
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