Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook (28 page)

Set one layer, trimmed side up, on a rack set over a baking sheet. Use a small offset spatula to spread the
strawberry
jam evenly over the top. Repeat with two more layers. Cover with the final layer, top side up, so that there is a smooth surface on which to pour the caramel. Slowly pour the warm glaze over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Sprinkle the top with fleur de sel. Leave the cake alone for at least 30 minutes to allow the glaze to set before attempting to move the cake. Transfer to a platter and serve.

STRAWBERRY JAM

MAKES A SCANT QUART / LITER

2 pounds 910 grams hulled
strawberries,
quartered

2 cups 400 grams
sugar

7 tablespoons 100 grams
fresh lime juice
(from about 3½ limes)

¾ teaspoon 4.5 grams
fine sea salt

In a large saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar, lime juice, and salt and set over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook, without stirring, until it reaches 219°F (104°C) and then transfer to a heatproof container to cool. The jam will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.

GLUTEN-FREE CHERRY PECAN CAKE

THIS IS AN EASY CAKE THAT’S PERFECT TO HAVE IN YOUR BACK
pocket: It comes together quickly from pantry (and freezer) ingredients and can be eaten warm, straight from the oven. You can easily swap out ingredients, substituting blueberries and walnuts, peaches and pistachios, or pineapples and toasted coconut, for example. Since the cake is not overly sweet, the only caveat is that one of the mix-ins (usually the fruit) must be sweet enough to make it a real dessert. We use our heartier Batch 2 gluten-free flour here, but you can easily substitute
What IiF Gluten-Free Flour
, all-purpose, or even white whole wheat. It’s a truly versatile cake that is always delicious.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH / 23 CM CAKE

1 cup 113 grams
cherries,
pitted, fresh or thawed frozen

1 cup 113 grams
pecan halves,
roasted

4 tablespoons 56 grams
unsalted butter

2 large
eggs

½ cup 100 grams
sugar

½ teaspoon 2 grams
vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon 1.5 grams
fine sea salt

1 cup 150 grams
Batch 2 Gluten-Free Flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan.

Scatter the cherries and pecans in the bottom of the prepared pan. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook it, swirling the pan, until the butter browns and gives off a nutty aroma, another 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the brown butter into the egg mixture and whisk to blend. Add the vanilla and salt and whisk to blend. Add the flour and use a rubber spatula to stir it into the batter. Mix until the batter is smooth and shiny with a fluid texture. When you lift the spatula, the batter should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon. Pour the batter over the cherries and pecans.

Bake until the top is golden brown and the cake is just firm when pressed with your fingers, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool. The cake may be served warm or at room temperature.

ORANGE MARMALADE CAKE

DURING COLD WINTER MONTHS, WHEN FRESH FRUITS ARE HARD
to come by, jams and jellies can be used to add flavor to cake batters. This incredibly moist, decadent cake has swirls of orange marmalade in the batter, making the layers beautiful and delicious. It then gets drenched in orange juice–bourbon syrup and finished off with bourbon buttercream. If orange isn’t your favorite flavor, you can easily substitute your favorite jelly and corresponding juice. Cherry makes for a pretty wonderful riff off this cake. Also, you can easily eliminate the bourbon to make the cake kid-friendly, but we like to have a few surprisingly sophisticated treats in our repertoire to pamper the adults in our life.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH / 23 CM LAYER CAKE

CAKE

8 ounces 225 grams
unsalted butter

1½ cups 300 grams
sugar

1 tablespoon 18 grams
baking powder

1 teaspoon 6 grams
fine sea salt

½ teaspoon 1 gram
ground ginger

¼ teaspoon 0.5 gram
ground cinnamon

3 cups 450 grams
all-purpose flour

4 large
eggs

1¼ cups 300 grams
cultured buttermilk
,
homemade or store-bought

¼ teaspoon 1 gram
Boyajian
orange oil,
orange extract, or orange essential oil

½ teaspoon 2 grams
blood orange bitters
(optional)

1 cup 300 grams
orange marmalade,
at room temperature

ORANGE SYRUP

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons 140 grams
fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons 30 grams good
bourbon,
preferably Knob Creek

¼ cup 50 grams
sugar

BOURBON BUTTERCREAM

4 cups 450 grams
confectioners’ sugar

8 ounces 225 grams
unsalted butter,
at room temperature

¼ teaspoon 1.5 grams
fine sea salt

2 tablespoons 30 grams good
bourbon,
preferably Knob Creek

2 to 3 tablespoons 30 to 45 grams
whole milk

MAKE THE CAKE:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon on low speed until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and add all of the flour. Mix on low until just blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, orange oil, and blood orange bitters (if using) until well blended and slightly frothy. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly drizzle the buttermilk mixture into the mixer and then mix until the batter is smooth and shiny. Stir the orange marmalade briefly to loosen it up and then use a rubber spatula to gently fold it into the batter, using 4 to 6 strokes, leaving streaks of marmalade running through it. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and rap the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.

Bake until the cakes feel firm when gently pressed in their centers and are just starting to pull back from the sides of the pan or reach an internal temperature of 190°–195°F (87°–90°C), 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE ORANGE SYRUP:
In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, bourbon, and sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Use a cake skewer or toothpick to pierce the cake layers, still in their pans, all over the top, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between holes. Spoon the syrup over the tops of the cakes, evenly dividing it between the pans. (Alternatively, if you have a brine injector or a stainless-steel turkey baster with an injection needle, you can use it to inject the syrup into the cake layers at 2-inch intervals, being careful not to push the tip all the way to the bottom of the cake.) Let the cakes cool completely in their pans.

ONCE THE CAKES ARE COOL, MAKE THE BOURBON BUTTERCREAM:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar, the butter, and salt on low speed until the sugar is completely absorbed. Add 1 more cup confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until it is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining 2 cups sugar, beating until the mixture is fairly thick. Add the bourbon and mix until it is fully absorbed. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting has reached a spreadable consistency that is to your liking.

TO FROST THE CAKE:
Invert one of the cooled layers onto a cake circle or serving platter. If necessary, use a large serrated knife to trim off the top of the cake so that it is flat. Use one-quarter of the frosting to cover the top of the layer, leaving a ¼-inch (6 mm) border around the circumference. Carefully invert the second layer onto a piece of parchment or wax paper. Put the second layer, top side up, over the bottom layer, being sure to line up the sides evenly. Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Chill for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting set up before serving.

RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

CHEESECAKE HAS BEEN ONE OF AKI’S FAVORITE DESSERTS SINCE
she was a kid. The very best versions have a crisp cookie crust to contrast with a lush, creamy exterior. Unlike the dense New York City version with cream cheese and sour cream and a somewhat dry, lightly browned exterior, this one is lighter and creamier and emphasizes the fresh flavor of the cheese. To do this, we bake the crust first and then cook the assembled cheesecake at a much lower temperature for a longer time so the custard has time to set throughout the cake and there is no chance of curdling or breaking. The result is silky smooth and close to perfection.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH / 23 CM CAKE

Nonstick cooking spray

8 ounces 225 grams
Bordeaux-Style Cookies

8 tablespoons 113 grams
unsalted butter,
melted

3 cups 735 grams fresh
ricotta cheese
,
homemade or store-bought

3 cups 720 grams
crème fraîche
,
homemade or store-bought

1½ cups 300 grams
sugar

1 teaspoon 6 grams
fine sea salt

3 large
eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with cooking spray and wipe it out with a paper towel, leaving a thin film behind.

Put the cookies in a food processor and pulse to crush them into a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times until the mixture clumps together. Pour the cookie crumbs into the prepared pan and use the bottom of a ½-cup measure to help press them in a uniform layer along the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the pan. Put the pan in the refrigerator to chill while the oven heats.

Put the springform pan on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper and bake until the crust is golden brown and just set, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool at room temperature.

Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C).

In a medium bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the ricotta, crème fraîche, sugar, and salt. Add the eggs to the ricotta mixture and mix with the rubber spatula to blend everything together until smooth. Pour into the cooled cake pan over the cookie crust.

Bake until the cake is set and the center is only slightly wobbly when you gently shake the pan, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours or up to 24 before serving.