MANGO CAKE (Saturday)
Obviously the cake doesn't look its best here; it disappeared too quickly for me to get a good picture beforehand! This is the leftovers in the fridge. Still delicious :)
The MANGO CURD* (this made more than enough for two 8" cakes):
-A little bit less than 2 cups cubed mango. I used Haitian mangoes, and they worked out great.
-Approximately 1/3 cup sugar
-3 T fresh lime juice (lemon juice can be substituted for some or all of this)
-4 large egg yolks (save the whites for the frosting!)
-1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1. Puree the first three ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Add yolks; puree 15 seconds more.
3. Strain through sieve set over large metal bowl; discard solids**
4. Set metal bowl over pot of simmering water, not allowing the bowl to touch the water.
5. Whisk puree until thickened and 170°F, about 10-13 minutes.
6. Remove from over water; whisk butter in one piece at a time.
7. Cover and refrigerate OVERNIGHT
8. Spread on delicious cake. Yum.
*Adapted from here
**Note: with the Haitian mangoes (small, yellow, tear-shaped) I had almost no solids, so next time I probably wouldn't strain them. But other types of mangoes, especially the big ones you normally get at grocery stores, tend to be stringier, so they need to be strained.
VANILLA BUTTERMILK CAKE (not from a mix!!!)
This recipe made enough to fill four 8-inch cake pans with approximately 2 cups of batter in each pan
-3 3/4 cups cake flour (I substituted 3 cups all-purpose flour and 6 T corn starch)
-2 1/2 cups sugar
-1 T plus 2.75 t baking powder
-2 1/2 sticks butter
-1 1/4 plus 1/3 cup buttermilk, divided
-5 whole eggs
-2 egg yolks (save the whites for the frosting!)
-2.5 t vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 325. Butter two* (if you want to do it in two batches, four if you plan to bake them all in one batch) 8" pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter again.
2. Combine cake flour, sugar, and baking powder in large mixing bowl; mix for 30 seconds, or until well blended.
3. Add butter and 1 1/4 cup buttermilk; mix on low until blended, then mix on medium for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, and the remaining 1/3 cup of buttermilk. Add to the flour mixture in three additions.
5. Bake for 26-28 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack, then chill in the fridge.
*I made four 8" pans full. The original recipe calls for three 9" pans to make one cake.
SWISS BUTTERCREAM* (made enough for my two cakes plus some left over. It's addicting, so watch out.
-1 cup sugar
-4 large egg whites
-3 sticks plus 2 T butter, softened (this is why it's so good)
-1 t vanilla extract
1. Whisk egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water (as before, don't let the water touch the bowl. Whisk occasionally until you can't feel sugar granules when you rub the mixture between your fingers.
2. Transfer mixture into mixer (DO NOT let any water get into the mix from condensation on the bottom of the bowl!); mix until white and about doubled in size.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Add butter one stick at a time.
5. Whip, whip, whip. It can take up to 12 minutes to form up. Stop when it's a spreading, mayo-like consistency. I know that sounds gross, but it's so not.
*Original recipe here
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Put one cake layer on your desired cake plate. Put a border of frosting around the inside circle like this and then add the mango curd to the middle. Put the other layer of cake on top, and frost! Try to keep from eating it all in one night.
And now, the
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake! (Made and consumed on Monday; LEVI's birthday cake!)
The finished cake. Yes, it was as delicious as it looks.
Cool candles, mom!
I know, I know. It looks like double-stuffed mint oreos. But it's so much more...
The birthday boy and I.
MINT-CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK CAKE*
With this recipe I made six 8" pans of chocolate cake. That's enough for two triple-layer ice cream cakes... One is still waiting to be assembled!
-3 cups cake flour (or substitute 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 6 T cornstarch)
-3 cups sugar
-1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
-3 t baking soda
-3 sticks butter, at room temperature
-1 1/2 cups buttermilk
-3 eggs
-1 1/2 cups hot chocolate, cooled to room temperature
-Approximately 10 drops mint extract
1. Preheat the over to 350. Butter the 8" pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and then butter the parchment paper.
2. In large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Blend 30 seconds.
3. Add butter and buttermilk; blend on low until moistened. Then increase power to medium and mix 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Whisk eggs, hot chocolate, and mint extract; add to batter in 3 additions.
5. Add approximately 4/3 cup to each pan. You will make a total of six pans, but you can do them in separate batches if you don't have six 8" pans. (What?? You don't?!? A travesty!)
6. Bake about 33 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
7. Cool on wire racks; if making the whole ice cream cake, wrap and freeze them.
*The recipe is adapted from here. I added an optional mint flavor; leave it out if you just want chocolate cake.
THE ICE CREAM*
-Use good quality mint chocolate chip ice cream.
1. Line the pans you will use for the chocolate cake with seran wrap (use plenty; you'll want to have enough hanging off the side to wrap the ice cream completely)
2. Scoop slightly-softened (if it's been out of the freezer for 5-10 minutes, you should be fine) ice cream into the pan, to the desired height.
3. Put the seran wrap over the ice cream; press down to make the top smooth.
4. Remove and freeze on a flat surface; alternately, leave in the pans, if you don't need them for a while
*Do this process at least 3 hours before you plan to assemble the cake!
MINT-CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING*
At first I thought this would be good as plain chocolate frosting. Then I got adventurous and added mint. Then I was scared. Finally, I was relieved. It's an interesting flavor; kind of like a mint truffle. It's light and tart; good stuff!
Oh, and it makes at least enough frosting for one cake. I don't know whether it would have made enough for two cakes because people snitched so much of it that there's barely any left to put together the second cake!
-2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
-2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature (I used fat free, and it turned out fine)
-1/4 cup light corn syrup
-Approximately 10 drops mint extract
1. Melt chocolate in microwave (15-second segments of time, stirring between each, until melted); let cool until tepid.
2. Whisk together sour cream, corn syrup, and mint extract
3. Add chocolate slowly and stir until combined.
4. Taste. If not sweet enough add more corn syrup, in 1 t increments. Add mint as needed.
5. Let cool in the refrigerator until spreading consistency.
*Adapted loosely from this recipe
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
1. Put one chocolate cake layer on cake plate of choice.
2. Spread with a very light layer of frosting.
3. Put one frozen ice cream disk on top of frosting.
4. Frost another cake layer lightly, on both sides. Put on top.
5. Add another ice cream disk.
6. Add one more layer of cake with a thin layer of frosting on the bottom.
7. Take immediately to freezer; leave for at least one hour.
8. Remove from freezer; frost quickly. The frosting will freeze within a few seconds of application, so be fast!
9. Freeze again, for at least 30 minutes.
10. Remove and serve! Delicious!
This blog post showcases two entire days of my life. Now please excuse me while I go to the gym...
<3
Eliza
Love the pics and the last line (almost as much as the cakes). And it's taking incredible willpower not to eat everything. . .I'd like to propose a challenge. First one to lose ten pounds gets to use the teeth whitening system I bought at the WP auction. You up for it? (And if Luke gets his Eagle requirements finished before we lose the lbs, he gets the system. . .)
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