Heaven Cake

Sometimes, cakes come from heaven.

Glowing with a halo of sparkling sugar.

An angelic marshmallow-ey, white chocolaty frosting, lighter (and I assume far tastier) than a cumulus cloud.

Enrobing a cake that deserves its own religion.

Not to mention its very own place of worship.  Although a plate and fork will do just fine.

And a devout group of followers, but that’s implied with the heavenliness of this cake.

Make this cake, and you shall be converted – your life shall be guided by a new light – this cake.  Which goes marvelously with strawberries for breakfast I might add.

The Whiteout Cake from the super marvelous guys at BAKED

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 3 large egg whites, at room temp
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice)

For the White Chocolate Frosting

• 6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 1 /2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Making the Cake

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper (important!) and butter the parchment and cake pans.  Dust with flour.
2. Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl.  Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl, add the egg, and beat until just combined.
4. Turn the mixer to low.  Add the flour mixture, alternating with the ice water, in three separate additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar (or vinegar or lemon juice) until soft peaks form.  Do not overbeat.  Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
6. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.  Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes.  Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely.  Remove the parchment.

Make the White Chocolate Frosting

1. Using either a double boiler or a microwave oven, melt the white chocolate and set it aside to cool.
2. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together.  Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.  THE MIXTURE MIGHT SEEM THICK AFTER 5 OR SO MINUTES, BUT KEEP COOKING AND STIRRING, IT WILL GET MUCH THICKER.  DO NOT LOSE FAITH IN THIS ODD MIXTURE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FROSTING AT SOME POINT.
3. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on high speed until cool – this may take a while, like 10 minutes or so.  Reduce the speed to low and add the butter (MAKE SURE THE MIXTURE IS COOL – YOU DO NOT WANT THE BUTTER TO MELT!), mix until thoroughly incorporated.  Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.  This part is magical.
4. Add the vanilla and white chocolate and continue mixing until combined.  IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR WHITE CHOCOLATE IS COOL BEFORE YOU ADD IT.  If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly (although this may be difficult if your refrigerator is filled to the brim with various easter food items and preparations), then beat again until it is the proper consistency.  If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until is it the proper consistency.  And what exactly is the proper consistency?  I say it’s whatever consistency you feel comfortable frosting your cake with.  Trust the cake baker instincts deep inside you.

Assemble the Cake

1. Refrigerate the frosting for a few minutes (but no more) until it can hold its shape.  Place on cake layer on a serving platter.  Trim the top to create a flat surface, and evenly spread about 1 1/4 cups of the frosting on top. Add the next layer, trim and frost it.  Then add the third layer.
2. Crumb coat the cake and put the cake in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to firm up the frosting.
3. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting.
4. Garnish with whatever and however you desire.
5. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up the finished cake.
6. This cake will keep marvelously in a cake server at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days.  If your room is not cool, place the cake in a cake saver and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

I also really highly recommend this cake for breakfast in a bowl topped with sliced strawberries.  Really go for the spoonfuls of frosting with a couple of strawberry slices.  It’s pure heavenly indulgence.

Daring Bakers – White Chocolate “Panna Cotta” and Florentine Cookies

What began as a challenge to make panna cotta turned into a lazy attempt to make pudding seem like panna cotta.  With no gelatin or any substance of the kind to be found in the house, I was forced to resort to good ol’ cornstarch.  Which meant I was making pudding.  Not panna cotta.  Woops.

Regardless, it made for a fruity, sweet, creamy, and relatively firm pudding, albeit with a few lumps dispersed here and there (I told you it was a lazy attempt).  Thankfully, I was feeding this lumpy pudding to my best friends.  Best friends will still love you even if you give them lumpy pudding.

The Florentine cookies were the perfect accompaniment to the pudding.  As I was melting the butter to make the cookies, I figured, why not brown it?  My philosophy is, if a recipe calls for melted butter, you might as well brown it for that extra layer of flavor.  The nuttiness of the browned butter matched the oats wondrously and what resulted was a sweet, crispy, slightly nutty, buttery cookies sandwiched with a layer of bittersweet chocolate (I love how something sweet, like bittersweet chocolate, can cut the sweetness of something even sweeter, like a Florentine cookie).

Panna cotta or pudding, lumps or not, browned butter or not, I can check another delicious daring bakers challenge off the list.  Thank you Mallory of A Sofa in the Kitchen!

White Chocolate “Panna Cotta” – but actually pudding

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3.5 ounces good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed into 1/4 cup of the milk and set aside)

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Heat until the chocolate melts and reduce the heat to medium.
3. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.
4. Pour pudding into four ramekins or other serving glasses of your choice.
5. Cover and chill overnight.

Florentine Cookies

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light or dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips or 11.5 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Line two baking sheets.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, continue stirring over medium heat until the butter browns and the milk solids separate (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and stir in oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
4. Drop by level teaspoons, about 3 inches apart onto lined baking sheets.
5. Bake 5 to 7 minutes until medium brown.
6. Let cool completely on baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
7. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stopping every 30 seconds or so to stir so that the chocolate doesn’t burn.
8. Spread the chocolate on one cookie half and then sandwich together with another cookie.

Salted Cashew Crunch Cookies

Crunch.

There are some days that a soft, gooey, chocolate chip cookie will just not suffice.  Noodles cooked to al dente will not satisfy.  Once crispy sauteed green beans leave much to be desired.  And even the snap of a fresh cucumber will just not do.