March RS Birthday Celebration- CAKE

For the RS Birthday celebration we had a cake contest! Here are some of the cake recipes...

Lethal Peppermint Cake(submitted by Margaret M)

Devil’s Food Cake:

MAKES THREE 8-INCH CAKES

Regular, or natural, cocoa like Hershey's can be used with good results, though the cakes will bake up a bit drier, redder, and with slightly less chocolate flavor.

INGREDIENTS

            4
ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

            1/4
cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

            1 1/4
cups water (boiling)

            3/4
cup unbleached all-purpose flour

            3/4
cup cake flour

            1
teaspoon baking soda

            1/4
teaspoon table salt

            8
ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, plus extra for greasing pans

            1 1/2
cups packed dark brown sugar

            3
large eggs, room temperature

            1/2
cup sour cream

            1
teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

.    1. Adjust oven rack to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, grease three 8-inch cake pans with butter and line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round. Combine chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl; pour boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Sift together flours, baking soda, and salt onto large sheet parchment or waxed paper; set aside.

.    2. Place butter in bowl of standing mixer and beat at medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium-high and add eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Reduce speed to medium; add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, about 10 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape down bowl. With mixer on low, add about one third of flour mixture, followed by about one half of chocolate mixture. Repeat, ending with flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 15 seconds. Do not overbeat. Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix gently to thoroughly combine.

3. Divide batter evenly among cake pans, smooth batter to edges of pan with rubber spatula. If baking three 8-inch cakes, place two pans on lower-middle rack and one on upper-middle rack. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 23 minutes for 8-inch cakes. Cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around pan perimeter to loosen. Invert cakes onto large plate; peel off parchment, and reinvert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely before icing.

Peppermint Buttercream Filling:

4 T butter, at room temperature

¼ C finely crushed peppermint candy (about 7 peppermint sticks) optional

1.5 C confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1-2 T milk

¼ tsp. peppermint extract or more to taste

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine and add the peppermint candy, confectioners’ sugar, 1 T milk, and flavoring.  Blend with mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute.  Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more.  Blend in up to 1 T more milk if frosting seems too stiff. 

Chocolate Ganache Icing:

¾ C heavy cream

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. Please the cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring.  Meanwhile, place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl.  Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate is melted. 

2.  To use this ganache as a glaze, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before spooning over a cooled cake.  To use the ganache as a frosting or filling, let it stand at room temperature for 4 hours, or chill it until it thickens and is spreadable.

Angel Food Cake (submitted by Ellen P.)

1 cup sifted cake flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups (12) egg whites

1 1/2 t. cream of tartar

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

Sift flour with 3/4 cup sugar 2 times; set aside.  Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and vanilla till stiff enough to form soft peaks but still moist and glossy.  Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat till egg whites hold stiff peaks.

Sift about 1/4 of flour mixture over whites; fold in.  Repeat, folding in remaining flour by fourths.  Bake in ungreased 10-inch tube pan at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or till done.  Invert cake in pan; cool.

lemon curd

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 - 1 1/2 cups sugar
8 egg yolks
10 tablespoons butter, sliced into tablespoons

In a medium saucepan, combine the juice(s), zest, and sugar. Heat over medium heat until simmering. Turn heat to low.

Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl until smooth. Slowly pour half of the citrus mixture into the yolks while vigorously whisking. Return the amount in the bowl to the saucepan.

Continue to cook over low heat while whisking until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. About 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time.

Cool to room temperature, then store refrigerated in an airtight container for about a week.