Boot-iful Cake. Back to HOME
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for pans
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 6-inch round cake pans. Dust with cocoa powder, and tap out excess; set aside. Alternatively, line six mini muffin tins with paper liners.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Mix until just combined. Divide batter evenly among pans (about 2 cups batter per pan) or lined muffin cups (about 1 tablespoon batter per cup).
Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes for cake layers and 14 to 16 minutes for mini cupcakes. Let cool in pans or muffin tins on a wire rack.
To frost the ghost cake, cover each of two layers with two-thirds cup Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, and stack the layers; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of assembled cake. To frost the mini cupcakes, use the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (for vanilla frosting, omit the chocolate).
To make the ghosts, you will need a miniature marshmallow, 2 regular marshmallows, and 2 chocolate sprinkles. Twist top of miniature marshmallow into a point by rolling it between your thumb and index finger. Trim all 3 marshmallows, and stick together. Twist top 2 slightly to shape. With a toothpick, poke holes, and insert sprinkle eyes.
Spider cake
INGREDIENTS
Unsalted butter, room temperature for molds
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for molds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Black Swiss Meringue
1/4 cup black sprinkles
Black Italian Meringue Buttercream
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 1 1/2-by-3-inch dome flexible baking molds, and dust with cocoa, tapping out any excess. Set aside on a baking sheet.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add egg yolk, the warm water, the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom as necessary.
Pour batter to within 1/4 inch from the top of each mold. Bake, rotating once, until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Invert and unmold cakes onto a wire rack; set aside until completely cool, about 30 minutes. Trim cakes flush with the top of the molds, using a serrated knife.
To create the heads and legs: Fill a medium pastry bag fitted with a coupler with black meringue. Using a #7 pastry tip for the heads and a #4 pastry tip for the legs, pipe directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping the pastry bag at a 45-degree angle to the baking sheet. After piping the heads, carefully affix sprinkles for eyes and mouths. Transfer to oven, bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes; set aside.
Using an offset spatula, spread black buttercream over each cake to evenly coat. Cover with black sprinkles; set aside.
Transfer the remaining buttercream to a small disposable pastry bag; snip off the end to make a small hole for piping. Carefully pipe a small amount of icing onto the end of one of the spider legs, and attach to one of the spider-body cakes; apply a small amount of pressure to insert the leg into the frosted body. Repeat with remaining legs and cakes.
Pipe a small amount of buttercream onto the front of one of the bodies, and carefully attach the head. Allow to set; carefully transfer to serving plate by sliding a large spatula under the body from the back of the cake. Repeat with remaining cakes and heads.
Goulish petite fours
INGREDIENTS
White Sheet Cake
Powdered-Sugar Icing
Butter Glaze
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, for eyes and mouth
DIRECTIONS
Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from cake. Brush off any crumbs with a pastry brush.
Fit a pastry bag with a plastic coupler, and top cake rounds with icing in a ghost or hat shape,about 1 inch high.
Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Set an iced cake round on a fork; hold over bowl of glaze. Using a large spoon, drizzle glaze evenly over cake and icing until completely covered. Transfer to wire rack. Repeat with remaining rounds. Let set, about 5 minutes.
Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water; stir chocolate until melted. Transfer to a disposable pastry bag or resealable plastic bag; snip off tip with scissors. Pipe eyes and a mouth onto ghosts.
Jackolantern tarts
INGREDIENTS
All-purpose flour, for work surface
Tart Dough
1 can (15 ounces) solid-packed pumpkin
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
DIRECTIONS
Place one disk of dough on a lightly floured work surface; roll out to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out six 6-inch rounds, gathering scraps and rerolling dough once if needed. Fit rounds into six 3 3/4-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms. Trim dough flush with tops. Refrigerate on baking sheets 30 minutes. Repeat with second disk of dough.
Roll out remaining dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk pumpkin, 1 cup cream, whole eggs, honey, sugar, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Divide among tart shells. Bake tarts on baking sheets until edges are golden brown and filling has set, about 30 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. Keep oven on.
Using a paring knife, cut out jack-o-lantern features from the chilled dough; transfer cutouts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in freezer 15 minutes. Whisk yolk and remaining 2 tablespoons cream in a small bowl. Brush cutouts with the egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 9 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Arrange cutouts on top of cooled tarts, and serve.
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