Rose's Heavenly Cakes (8 page)
Read Rose's Heavenly Cakes Online
Authors: Rose Levy Beranbaum
Volume | Ounce | Gram | |
cake flour (or bleached all-purpose flour) | 2¼ cups (or 2 cups), sifted into the cup and leveled off | 8 | 225 |
baking powder | 2 teaspoons | . | . |
salt | ¾ teaspoon | . | . |
heavy cream, cold (see | 1½ cups (12 fluid ounces) | 12.3 | 348 |
3 large eggs, at room temperature | ½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons (4.7 fluid ounces) | 5.3 | 150 |
pure vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | . | . |
superfine sugar | 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons | 8 | 225 |
Special Equipment
One 10-cup fluted metal tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour
Preheat the Oven
Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C (350°F/175°C if using a dark pan).
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt and then sift them together to make the mixture easier to incorporate.
Mix the Liquid Ingredients
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, whip the cream, starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla just until lightly combined.
On medium-high speed, gradually beat the egg mixture into the whipped cream. The mixture will thicken into mayonnaise consistency (unless high-butterfat cream is used). Gradually beat in the sugar. It should take about 30 seconds to incorporate it.
Make the Batter
Add half the flour mixture to the cream mixture and, with a large silicone spatula, stir and fold in the flour until most of it disappears. Add the rest of the flour mixture and continue folding and mixing until all traces of flour have disappeared. Using a silicone spatula or spoon, scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Run a small metal spatula or dull knife blade through the batter to prevent large air bubbles, avoiding the bottom of the pan. Smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula.
Bake the Cake
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted between the tube and the side comes out completely clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
Cool and Unmold the Cake
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. With a small metal spatula, loosen the top edges of the cake and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Cool completely. The cake requires no adornment, but I love to serve it with a light dusting of powdered sugar or a large dollop of lightly sweetened
Whipped Cream
.
Notes
Do not chill the bowl and beaters for the heavy cream because the eggs will not emulsify as readily if the whipped cream is too cold.
High-butterfat (40 percent) heavy cream produces a finer, more tender crumb. This cream is generally available only to bakeries and restaurants, but it is certainly worth asking your local baker to sell you a container.
8 to 10
25 to 35 minutes
This caramel cake is dedicated to one of my dearest friends, Elizabeth Karmel, a grilling expert and author of
my
grilling bible:
Taming the Flame.
Soft textured and deeply flavorful, the cake has the most golden brown, smooth crust of any cake I know. (The caramel makes the top crust sticky, so it helps to spray a thin sharp knife with nonstick cooking spray before cutting.) To feature the beauty of the crust, I leave it unfrosted and top each piece with a cloud of
Coffee Cream
—a perfect synergy of flavors and textures.
Volume | Ounce | Gram | |
light brown sugar, preferably Muscovado | 1 cup, firmly packed | 7.6 | 217 |
milk | 1¼ cups (10 fluid ounces), divided | 10.6 | 302 |
unsalted butter (65° to 75°F/19° to 23°C) | 2 tablespoons | 1 | 28 |
Special Equipment
One 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, encircled with a cake strip, bottom coated with shortening, topped with a parchment round, then coated with baking spray with flour
Preheat the Oven
Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Make the Caramel
Have ready a 2-cup or larger heatproof glass measure, coated with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium heavy saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the brown sugar, ¾ cup of the milk, and the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring and boil until an instant-read thermometer registers 238°F/114°C (the soft-ball stage). (Tilt the pan to get enough depth for an accurate reading.) It will take about 10 minutes or more to reach this stage, and the mixture will look slightly curdled. When the sugar reaches temperature—or a few degrees lower because the temperature will continue to climb—immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the prepared glass measure to stop the cooking. You should have 1 cup (if less, add cold water to equal 1 cup). Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and gently whisk in the remaining milk. (Don't worry if some of the liquid crystallizes on the bottom, it will dissolve during baking.)
Place the bowl on a wire rack and allow the mixture to cool until it is no longer warm to the touch. It will take about an hour, but to speed cooling, it's fine to set the glass measure in a bowl of ice water. If desired, stir the mixture a few times while cooling in order to equalize the temperature.
Volume | Ounce | Gram | |
2 large eggs, at room temperature | ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces) | 3.5 | 100 |
pure vanilla extract | 1¼ teaspoons | . | . |
cake flour (or bleached all-purpose flour) | 2 cups (or 1¾ cups), sifted into the cup and leveled off | 7 | 200 |
baking powder | 3 teaspoons | . | . |
salt | ½ teaspoon | . | . |
unsalted butter (65° to 75°F/19° to 23°C) | 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) | 3 | 85 |
Caramel for the batter | . | . | . |
Mix the Liquid Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla just until lightly combined.
Make the Batter
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the cooled caramel. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.
Bake the Cake
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
Cool and Unmold the Cake
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so that the top side is up. Cool completely.
8 to 10
30 to 40 minutes
The interplay of earthy peanut buttercream and velvety tender cake with a mildly spicy edge is as delightful as it is unusual. Make the cake a day ahead to give the spices a chance to evolve to their fullest.
Volume | Ounce | Gram | |
2 large eggs, at room temperature | ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces) | 3.5 | 100 |
low-fat buttermilk | 2/3 cup (5.3 fluid ounces), divided | 5.6 | 160 |
pure vanilla extract | 1½ teaspoons | . | . |
cake flour (or bleached all-purpose flour) | 2 cups (or 1¾ cups), sifted into the cup and leveled off | 7 | 200 |
superfine sugar | 1 cup | 7 | 200 |
unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder | 1½ teaspoons | . | . |
baking powder | 3 teaspoons | . | . |
salt | ½ teaspoon | . | . |
cinnamon | ½ teaspoon | . | . |
cloves | ¼ teaspoon | . | . |
unsalted butter (65° to 75°F/19° to 23°C) | 8 tablespoons (1 stick) | 4 | 113 |
Special Equipment
One 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, encircled with a cake strip, bottom coated with shortening, topped with a parchment round, then coated with baking spray with flour
Preheat the Oven
Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Mix the Liquid Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk, and the vanilla just until lightly combined.
Make the Batter
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining buttermilk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.
