marzipan

Princess Cake

March 4, 2015 by Carol Arroyo

Princess Cake

Princess Cake, or Prinsesstarta, is a beautiful Swedish cake served for most any special occasion. It is recognizable by its dome shape covered with a blanket of green marzipan, a bit of chocolate decoration, and a marzipan flower in the center.

Watching this cake being made on the Great British Baking Show, I had to try my hand at making this beautiful cake. My marzipan may not look at refined as it should, but this cake is oh-so delicious.

A Princess Cake is made with 3 layers of sponge cake filled with pastry cream, whipped cream, and fruit filling, a dome of whipped cream, and finally covered with green marzipan. Add a bit of chocolate decoration on top of the marzipan and place a marzipan rose in the center for the completed look. I also choose to add marzipan leaves around the base of the cake to give the bottom edge of finished look.

This cake has several components and I recommend making the Pastry Cream, Raspberry Filling and Marzipan the day before to have ready to assemble the following day.

Recipe type: Dessert | Sponge Cake | Marzipan

Serves: 10 to 12 Servings

Prep time: 48 hours

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 48 hours 25 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: One 9" Springform Pan Prep: Greased and Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and refrigerate

Help: Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Melting Chocolate

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen

accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.

Ingredients

Marzipan:

See recipe for Marzipan
Green and Pink food coloring

Pastry Cream:

See recipe for Pastry Cream

Raspberry Filling:

12 ounces (about 2 heaping cups) fresh raspberries
½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon water, divided
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sponge Cake:

½ cup cake flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk (preferably whole milk)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar

Whipped Cream:

2½ cups whipping (heavy) cream
½ cup confectioner’s’ (powdered) sugar

Chocolate Decoration:

About 2 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate

Instructions

Marzipan:

See recipe for Marzipan. I recommend making the Marzipan the day before final cake assembly. Refrigerate until ready to assemble cake.

Pastry Cream:

See recipe for Pastry Cream. I recommend making the Pastry Cream the day before final cake assembly. Refrigerate until ready to assemble cake.

Raspberry Filling:

I recommend making the Raspberry Filling the day before final cake assembly. In a medium size, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, combine the raspberries, ½ cup water, and sugar. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, about 15 minutes or until the raspberries have broken down. Remove from the heat.
Immediately pour the hot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the raspberry seeds. You should have about 1 to 1¼ cups of raspberry mixture. Return the strained raspberry mixture to the pan.
In a small bowl stir the remaining 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch together to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch mixture to the raspberry mixture and stir to combine. Bring the raspberry mixture back to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Pour raspberry filling into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight and ready to assemble the cake

Cake Batter:

Preheat oven to 350o degrees F. Prepare one 9-inch springform pan with 3 inch sides; lightly grease the pan with shortening, line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and then dust the pan with flour.
In a small mixing bowl, combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
In a small heavy-bottomed pan over low heat combine milk and butter. Heat until the butter melts. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cover the pan to keep the mixture warm. Set aside.
Separate 3 of the eggs, placing the egg whites in a medium mixing bowl. Tip: a copper bowl is ideal for beating egg whites. Place the 3 egg yolks along with the remaining 2 whole eggs in a large bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat the egg whites to stiff moist peaks (do not overbeat.) Set aside.
Beat the egg yolks and whole eggs with an electric mixer on low speed about 1 minute to blend, add the sugar and beat another minute to blend the eggs and sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mixture is very thick and drops in ribbons when the beater is lifted. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
Place the flour mixture into a wire mesh strainer and sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time over the egg mixture. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the eggs, using about 3 to 4 turns with each addition of flour, and making sure to reach to the bottom of the bowl as you fold. Do not worry about incorporating all the flour until the last addition, as too much handling will deflate the batter. The flour should be added quickly in about 4 to 5 additions.
Before the last addition of flour, quickly pour the warm milk mixture in a stream over the batter. Immediately sprinkle in the remaining flour mixture, and fold into the batter taking about 12 to 15 more turns to completely incorporate the ingredients, and taking no more than 15 to 20 seconds as the batter can deflate quickly.
Using a rubber spatula, immediately push the batter into the prepared pan. If any butter remains in the bottom of the bowl, do not add to the batter as this could prevent the cake from rising. Smooth the top of the batter with a small offset spatula or the back of a large spoon.
Bake: Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles, and place the pan in the oven. Bake 23 to 25 minutes or until the cake is golden brown, springy to the touch, and has come away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand 10 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Run a thin sharp knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Remove cake from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Tip: Lightly grease the cooling rack with vegetable oil or a nonstick cooking spray to prevent the cake from sticking.

Whipped Cream:

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until soft mounds form; gradually add the powdered sugar, continue beating until thick and stiff. Tip: the cream will whip easier if the mixing bowl and beaters are first chilled; place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to whip the cream. Set the whipped cream aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Assembly:

Using a long serrated kitchen knife, split the sponge cake into 3 horizontal layers. Place the bottom cake layer on a cake plate.
Bottom Layer: Using an offset spatula spread a thin layer of the chilled Pastry Cream over the bottom cake layer.
Spoon about one quarter of the remaining Pastry Cream into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch plain tip, or simply insert a standard ½ inch diameter coupler into the bag and pipe without using a metal tip. Pipe a border of Pastry Cream around the top edge of the bottom cake layer to contain the Raspberry Filling. Push any remaining Pastry Cream out of the pastry bag and back with the unused Pastry Cream.
Give the chilled Raspberry Filling a quick stir to loosen it, and then spoon the filling over the bottom cake layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula within the piped Pastry Cream border.
Using a large rubber spatula or wire whisk, fold one half of the Whipped Cream into the remaining Pastry Cream.
Spread about one third of the Pastry Cream/Whipped Cream mixture over the Raspberry Filling.
Middle Layer: Place the middle layer of the sponge cake on top. Spread the remaining Pastry Cream/Whipped Cream mixture over the top.
Top Layer: Place the top layer of the sponge cake on top. Spoon the remaining one half of Whipped Cream onto the top layer. Use an offset spatula to spread some of the Whipped Cream to cover the sides of the cake, spreading the cream as smooth as possible. Smooth the top into a dome shape.
Refrigerate the cake at least one hour to stabilize the whipped cream before covering with Marzipan.
Marzipan: Remove a 2-inch ball of marzipan and set aside for the flower and leaf decoration.
Use green food coloring to tint the remaining marzipan a pastel green color.
Sprinkle a large marble board, or large pastry mat with powdered sugar. Using a rolling pin, roll out the marzipan to about a 16 inch circle, or large enough to cover the cake.
Gently drape the marzipan over the top of the cake and using your hands, shape the marzipan around the sides of the cake to get a smooth finish. If the marzipan is folded or creased, gently stretch it flat. Using a sharp kitchen knife, trim the marzipan even with the bottom of the cake.

Chocolate Decoration:

In top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate, gently stirring with a rubber spatula until melted. Set aside to cool. Or, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, use 50% power and stir frequently just until the chocolate is melted; do not overheat as chocolate will burn easily. Set aside to cool slightly. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Turn the heat off and place a glass bowl, stainless steel bowl, or ceramic bowl on top of the hot water; the upper pan should not touch the water.
Spoon melted chocolate into a pastry bag with a small round decorating tip or a small plastic bag with a ziplock top. If using a plastic bag, cut off a very small corner of the bag.
Pipe the chocolate in a decorative pattern over the top of the cake.

Flower and Leaf Decoration:

Divide the reserved 2-inch ball of marzipan in half. Use pink food coloring to tint one of the halves pink for the flower. Roll the pink marzipan into about 10 small balls and flatten each ball with your fingers to form the petals. Roll the first petal up like a sausage to form the bud, and then wrap the remaining petals around the bud to make a rose. Bend and curl the edges of the petals to make them look more realistic. Place the marzipan flower on top of the cake. Tip: brush a small bit of corn syrup on the bottom of the rose to adhere to the cake.
Tint the remaining marzipan with green for the leaves. Roll out the leaf marzipan to about a 1/16 inch thickness and cut three leaf shapes. Score the leaves with a knife to create veins. Bend each leaf slightly to look more realistic. Place the leaves around the flower. Tip: brush a small bit of corn syrup on the bottom of each leaf to adhere to the cake.
Optional: Use the marzipan trimmed from the bottom of the cake to make additional leaves and place around the bottom edge. I brushed these leaves with a bit of gold disco dust.
Cover cake loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate Leftovers.

Source: PBS.org; Castella, Drystina, A World of Cake, Storey Publishing, MA, 2010

Carrot Cupcakes

May 28, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Carrot Cupcakes

These carrot cupcakes are lightly spiced with cinnamon along with raisins for an extra touch of sweetness. Carrot cake normally has nuts which I chose to leave out, but feel free to add some chopped walnuts or pecans if you want. Instead of traditional cream cheese frosting, I chose mascarpone cheese frosting for these cakes. Mascarpone cheese when whipped with cream makes a heavenly frosting, not too heavy and not too sweet, more like a richly flavored whipped cream with a hint of the mild cheese flavor. The quirky marzipan carrots are easy to make and a whimsical way to let everyone know you are serving carrot cupcakes.

Recipe type: Dessert | Oil Cakes | Cupcakes

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 2 hours 25 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: Two Standard 12-Cup Muffin Pans Pan Prep: Paper Liners Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 28 Cupcakes Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Marzipan

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Batter:

1 cup raisins
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated raw carrots

Marzipan Carrots:

See recipe for Marzipan
Orange Food Coloring
Green Food Coloring

Mascarpone Cheese Frosting:

16 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream

Topping (Optional):

1 to 2 tablespoons gold sugar sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two standard 12-cup muffin pans; line with paper cupcake liners.

Batter:

Plump the raisins by steaming in a colander in a double boiler; steam the raisins about 1 minute or until softened. Thoroughly drain, or spread the raisins on paper toweling to dry. Tip: Create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a simmer. Place the fruit in a steamer or plastic or wire mesh colander on top of the simmering water, the upper pan should not touch the water.
In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes or until the eggs are a light yellow color and thickened. With the mixer still on medium-high speed, slowly add the sugar to the eggs, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking 3 to 4 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the eggs and sugar are fully incorporated, and the mixture looks light in color and thickened. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
Reduce mixer speed to medium, slowly pour the oil into the batter in a slow steady stream, and then beat for 1 minute longer.
Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, and blend in the flour mixture all at once, mixing just until incorporated.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a large rubber spatula, fold in the drained raisins and carrots.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill ⅔ full, using about ¼ cup of batter per cup. Tip: Avoid over-filling the liners which may cause the batter to run-over the sides when baking. It is better to bake any remaining batter separately after the first pan of cupcakes has finished baking.
Bake: Bake, rotating pan halfway through, 25 minutes, or until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in cupcake pan, and turn out of pan when cool enough to handle. Repeat process with any remaining batter. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting and decorating.

Marzipan Carrots:

See recipe for Marzipan.
Use about ⅓ of the marzipan recipe to make the carrots, depending on the size and number of carrots you want to make. Reserve the remainder of the marzipan for another use.
Separate a small portion of the marzipan to use for the leaves. Tint the larger portion a carrot orange color and tint the smaller portion green for the carrot tops.
Form small amounts of the orange marzipan into balls, and then roll the balls between your palms, elongating them into a tube shape and tapering one end to make a carrot shape. Use the long edge of a toothpick to press horizontal indentations all along the length of the carrot to create shallow creases. Form small bits of green marzipan for the tops and press onto the top of the carrot. Flatten the top and use a small sharp knife to separate into strips.
Cover carrots with plastic wrap or place in a sealed container to keep them from drying out until ready to use.

Mascarpone Cheese Frosting:

In a large bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar, and whipping cream; use an electric mixer and beat together until mixture is smooth and stiff peaks form, about 2 to 4 minutes. Do not overbeat.
Use a pastry bag and decorating tip to pipe the frosting. Place a marzipan carrot on top of the frosting.

Topping (Optional):

Sprinkle with gold sugar sprinkles.
Refrigerate frosted cupcakes until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Ladybug Cupcakes

May 28, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Ladybug Cupcakes

Cute as a bug, Marzipan ladybugs are nestled in Swiss Buttercream grass. This cupcake is made with a Yellow Butter Cake; however any flavor cupcake may be used. A pastry bag and #233 decorating tip are used to pipe the blades of “grass.”

Recipe type: Dessert | Cupcakes | Butter Cakes

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 3 hours 20 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: Two Standard 12-Cup Muffin Pans Pan Prep: Paper Liners Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 20 to 22 Cupcakes Storage: Covered, Room Temperature or Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Buttercream Tips, Marzipan

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Batter:

3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, room temperature (preferably whole milk)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
6 large egg yolks

Marzipan Ladybugs:

See recipe for Marzipan
Red Food Coloring
Black Food Coloring

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

5 large egg whites
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1/16 teaspoon salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Grass Green Food Coloring

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two standard 12-cup muffin pans; line with paper cupcake liners.

Batter:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, stir the milk and vanilla together. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed.
With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill ⅔ full, using about ¼ cup of batter per cup. Tip: Avoid over-filling the liners which may cause the batter to run-over the sides when baking. It is better to bake any remaining batter separately after the first pan of cupcakes has finished baking.
Bake: Bake, rotating pan halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cakes are just firm and spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in cupcake pan, and turn out of pan when cool enough to handle. Repeat process with any remaining batter. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

Marzipan Ladybugs:

Divide the marzipan in half so that one half is slightly larger than the other. Tint the larger portion red and tint the smaller portion black.
Form a ½ inch ball of red marzipan for each ladybug body; flatten the ball slightly into an oval shape. Form a ball, less than ¼ inch of black marzipan for each head; press onto the body. Form small bits of black marzipan for the spots; press onto the body.
Cover ladybugs with plastic wrap or place in a sealed container to keep them from drying out until ready to use.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting:

In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer combine egg whites, sugar, and salt; place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a wire whisk, whisk constantly by hand until the mixture is hot, about 3 to 5 minutes. Tip: the mixture should reach about 130 degrees using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature, or feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips. Remove from heat.
Attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture forms a thick fluffy meringue and is cool. Tip: Touch the meringue and make sure it has cooled to room temperature. Also the outside of the bowl should feel cool to the touch.
Stop the mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. With the mixer on medium speed add the butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time and mixing 20 to 30 seconds after each addition. While adding the butter, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add the vanilla and continue beating until the Buttercream is thick and smooth, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
Add green food coloring, a drop at a time and blend with the mixer. Add additional food coloring if necessary to reach the desired shade.
Use a pastry bag with small multi-opening decorating tip #233 to pipe the frosting. Start in the middle and work outwards, piping rows of grass on top of the cupcake; With the tip on the surface of the cupcake, squeeze the pastry bag, then release while quickly pulling up to form ¼ inch long blades, making some slightly longer than others.
Cover unused frosting tightly or place in an airtight container. Frosting can be stored in the refrigerator up to one or two weeks. Rewhip frosting when ready to use to bring it back to a fluffy texture.

Decorate:

Place one or two ladybugs on top of each frosted cupcake, sitting them in the Buttercream grass.

Adapted From: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes, Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York, 2009

Whiskey Date Walnut Cake

May 27, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Whiskey Date Walnut Cake

A lovely and delicious marzipan covered cake, full of walnuts, dates, spices, and flavored with whiskey. This is a perfect cake to serve at Easter, but when served with a cup of tea or coffee this dessert will entice your guests anytime of year. After baking the top of the cake is covered with sweet marzipan and then decorated with gold dragees and walnut halves “painted” with gold luster dust, making a stunning presentation that is really very easy to do.

Recipe type: Dessert | Cake | Marzipan

Serves: 8 to 10

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 70 mins

Total time: 4 hours 10 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: One8x8x2 inch square Pan Prep: Greased, Floured, Parchment Oven Temp: 325° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Toasting Nuts and Seeds, Marzipan

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Batter:

1½ cups toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
⅓ cup whiskey or bourbon

Topping:

About 1¼ pounds marzipan. See recipe for Marzipan
Confectioners’ (powdered) sugar for rolling
2 tablespoons apricot jam

Decoration:

4 walnut halves
Clear alcohol such as vodka or gin or kirshwasser
Gold Luster Dust
Small artist paintbrush
Gold dragees

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare one 8x8x2 inch square pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.

Batter:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine chopped walnuts and chopped dates. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the fruit and nuts; mix well. Set aside. Tip: Since the dates get very sticky when chopping, sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon of flour before chopping to help cut down on the stickiness.
In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the bourbon, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and bourbon, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the date and walnut mixture into the batter.
Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 70 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pan and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Topping:

See recipe for Marzipan.
Place cake upside down on a cake plate. Tip: You can leave the cake right-side up, however the top normally has a bumpy texture. Turning the cake upside down provides a smooth surface for the marzipan.
Heat apricot jam in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the cake with the jam. The apricot forms a sticky surface for the marzipan to adhere to.
Sprinkle a marble board or pastry mat with a small amount of powdered sugar. Roll the marzipan ½ inch thick. Use a sharp kitchen knife to trim the marzipan to the exact size as the top of the cake, using the cake pan as a guide.
Use the back of a long kitchen knife to press shallow indentations in the marzipan to form lines. Make the first line from corner to corner, and then make parallel lines about 1½ inch apart. Repeat in the other direction to form a criss-cross pattern. Gently lift the marzipan and place on top of the cake.

Decoration:

In a small dish stir a small amount of clear alcohol and gold luster dust together; use this mixture to paint the top of the walnut halves using the small artist paintbrush. Set aside a few minutes to let dry.
Lightly press a walnut half in the marzipan at each corner. Lightly press a gold dragee in the marzipan where the lines meet in the criss-cross pattern.
Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cake Decoration Inspired by: Cairns, Fiona, Bake & Decorate, Quadrille Publishing Limited, London, 2010

Simnel Cake

May 27, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Simnel Cake

A plethora of flavors abound in this traditional Easter cake. The cake, brimming with raisins, currants, spices, and overtones of orange liqueur, is layered with apricot glaze and delicious marzipan. Traditional Simnel cake is topped with 11 marzipan balls, meant to represent the eleven favored apostles, excluding Judas. My version of Simnel includes Flour Buttercream and a few colorful Jordan Almonds. If you prefer to keep to a traditional Simnel, simply layer the cake layers with the marzipan and top with the marzipan balls.

Recipe type: Dessert | Butter Cake | Marzipan

Serves: 8 to 10

Prep time: 5 hours

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 5 hours 35 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: Two 9" Round Layers Oven Temp: 350o Storage: Cover, cool place or refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Blanching Almonds

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Batter:

2 cups currants
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅓ cup blanched almonds, finely ground
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
1 cup granulated sugar
6 large eggs

Marzipan:

See recipe for Marzipan

Apricot Glaze:

¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅓ cup apricot jam

Flour Buttercream:

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1⅓ cups milk (preferably whole milk)
1⅓ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1⅓ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Decoration:

Jordan Almonds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two 9 inch round layer cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.

Batter:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine currants, raisins, and orange liqueur; stir to thoroughly mix the fruit and liqueur. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ground almonds; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, orange zest, lemon zest, and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter, orange zest, and lemon zest in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter and zests about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. The batter may be curdled but this will be corrected when the flour is added.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add about half of the flour mixture, mix just until blended, and then add the remaining half, mix just until blended.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the raisin and currant mixture into the batter.
Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Marzipan:

Prepare Marzipan. Divide the marzipan into thirds. On a pastry board sprinkled with a small amount of confectioners’ sugar (to keep from sticking) roll two of the portions into 8 inch circles.
Use remaining marzipan to form 11 balls about 1 inch in diameter. Change the oven temperature to broil. Place marzipan balls on a baking sheet and place in the oven to brown under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds or until the marzipan is golden brown, watching carefully to prevent the marzipan from burning. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack to cool. Or, Lightly toast the marzipan balls with a kitchen torch. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from the marzipan and wave it back and forth until the marzipan is lightly browned all over. Tightly wrap and refrigerate any remaining marzipan for another project.

Apricot Glaze:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, lemon juice, and apricot jam. Heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Flour Buttercream:

In a medium heavy saucepan, add the flour, and using a wire whisk, slowly whisk in the milk, whisking until the sauce is smooth and free of lumps. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Boil and whisk for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature, or a tepid temperature. While cooling, whisk frequently to keep the sauce smooth. Tip: If the sauce is too warm when added to the creamed butter mixture it will melt the butter. If the sauce is too cold it will not blend smoothly.
Meanwhile, prepare the butter and sugar when the sauce is almost cooled to the right temperature, in a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the cooled sauce, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating about 20 seconds between each addition. Add the vanilla and continue to beat for another 1 to 2 minutes to thoroughly blend and the frosting in somewhat fluffy. The frosting should be used immediately, or refrigerate until needed.

Assembly:

Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Using a pastry brush, brush about ½ of the still warm apricot glaze over the cake. Place one of the marzipan circles on top of the apricot glaze. Place the second cake layer on top, brush with remaining glaze, and cover with the second marzipan circle.
Frost sized and top of cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Arrange the marzipan balls around the top edge of the cake, and decorate with Jordan almonds.

Marzipan

May 25, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Marzipan

Marzipan is a sweet almond and sugar paste used for candy making. This basic cooked marzipan recipe is easy to work with and mold into candies and can also be easily tinted with food color to use as decorations on cakes or cupcakes. This marzipan recipe tastes absolutely delicious and can be eaten as is, or formed into small candies, or made into treats such as wrapping around nuts or dried fruits, and dipping into chocolate. Marzipan is also commonly rolled out and used to cover cakes or fruitcakes. This recipe makes about 2 pounds of marzipan, but you can easily cut the recipe in half for smaller projects. A food processor or mini grinder is an easy way to process almonds until they are finely ground.

Recipe type: Dessert | Almond Candy

Prep time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour

Recipe Notes

Equipment: Large Nonstick Saucepan, Candy Thermometer Method: Stovetop Yield: About 2 Pounds Storage: Tightly Covered, Room Temperature or Refrigerate

Help: Blanching Almonds, Sugar and Caramel Stages

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Marzipan:

2 cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup water
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
4 cups blanched, finely ground almonds
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

For Kneading:

About ½ cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

Instructions

Marzipan:

In a large-size heavy-bottomed pan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir gently to avoid splashing the mixture onto the sides of the pan. Stir in the cream of tartar. When the mixture begins to simmer, cover the pan tightly with a lid for 3 to 4 minutes to allow condensation to form and run down the inside of the pan to help wash away stray sugar crystals.
Remove the lid, and return the pan to medium high heat and bring the syrup to a boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches a temperature of 240 degrees F, a soft-ball stage, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. While the syrup is cooking, wash away any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan by wiping upwards with a damp pastry brush so the sugar crystals don’t fall back into the syrup. Remove pan from the heat. Be careful, the sugar is extremely hot and will burn your skin if you touch it. Tip: Lower the heat when the temperature reaches about 235 degrees to slow the cooking because at this point it will quickly reach 240 degrees. In addition, remove the pan from the heat just before the syrup reaches 240 degrees to prevent it from going over 240 degrees.
Dip the bottom of the saucepan in a large bowl of cold water, and beat the syrup with a wooden spoon until the syrup cools and becomes thick and creamy and starts turning white.
Stir in the ground almonds and egg whites; the mixture may seem dry and crumbly at this point. Place the pan over low heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is well mixed. The heat will help to soften the mixture making it easier to mix.

Kneading:

Sprinkle a large marble board, or large pastry mat with powdered sugar. Turn the marzipan mixture out onto the board.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, begin lifting and folding the edges of the marzipan into the center until it is cool enough to handle with your hands.
Gather the entire mixture up with your hands or dough scraper into a ball and begin kneading until the marzipan becomes smooth and pliable, 5 to 6 minutes, adding additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time if the marzipan is too sticky. You will probably knead the entire ½ cup powdered sugar into the marzipan; however it is ok to add additional powdered sugar if needed.
The marzipan can be used immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and place in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Source: Walden, Hilary, The Complete Home Confectioner, Chartwell Books, New Jersey, 1986

Sugarplums

May 25, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Sugarplums

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads."

Just as this delightful Christmas poem written by Clement Clarke Moore most likely evokes different visions of sugarplums for each person, I offer you three versions of Sugarplums to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, Fruit and Nut, Chocolate, and Marzipan coated.

The Fruit and Nut Sugarplums are reminiscent of a rich fruitcake filled with fruits, nuts, honey, spices and a splash of brandy. The Chocolate Sugarplums combine dates, almonds and chocolate and honey, just a hint of cinnamon, and are absolutely scrumptious. Or better yet, cover them with sweet marzipan to make sparkly little plum “fruits” for an extra special magical holiday treat. (Remove the clove pieces before eating the marzipan Sugarplums.)

Sugarplums are the timeless Christmas confection that everyone loves. Rolled in balls and coated with sparkling sugar, Sugarplums make wonderful delicacies to serve or give as gifts.

Recipe type: Dessert | Nut Candy | Fruit Candy | Marzipan

Prep time: 8 hours

Total time: 8 hours

Recipe Notes

Equipment: Large Nonstick Saucepan, Candy Thermometer Method: Stove top Pan: One Large Rimmed Baking Sheet Pan Prep: Parchment Lined Yield: Two to Three Dozen 1-Inch Balls Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature

Help: Chocolate Types, Toasting Nuts and Seeds, Marzipan

Ingredients

Fruit and Nut Sugarplums:

1 cup (about 5 ounces) unblanched almonds, toasted
1 cup (about 8 ounces) dried apricots
1 cup (about 6 ounces) pitted dates
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or brandy or freshly squeezed orange juice
5 tablespoons honey (preferably clover honey)
Large-crystal sparkling sugar or coarse sugar

Chocolate Sugarplums:

1 cup (about 5 ounces) unblanched almonds, toasted
1 cup (about 6 ounces) pitted dates
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup honey (preferably clover honey)
Large-crystal sparkling sugar or coarse sugar

Marzipan Coating:

About 2 pounds marzipan

Plum Decoration:

Violet food coloring
Any clear alcohol such as vodka or gin or kirschwasser
Large-crystal sparkling sugar or coarse sugar

Leaf Decoration:

Leaf green food coloring
Electric green food coloring
Gold Luster dust
Whole cloves

Equipment:

Small rolling pin
Small artist paintbrush
Leaf shaped cutter
Toothpick

Instructions

Fruit and Nut Sugarplums:

Line a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
Place the toasted almonds, apricots, dates, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and orange zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse into a finely ground mixture. Tip: The mixture should be finely ground but still crumbly; do not pulse into a puree or paste consistency.
Remove the fruit and nut mixture from the processor and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the Grand Marnier or brandy and honey and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
Shape mixture into small balls, about 1” in diameter, using about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each ball. Tip: A small ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized candies.
The balls will be moist and sticky until they sit and dry out a bit. Let sit at room temperature, or cover balls and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours to firm up and loose some of their stickiness. Roll in large-crystal sparkling sugar or coarse sugar. Or, cover with marzipan coating.
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one month. Makes about three dozen 1-inch balls.

Chocolate Sugarplums:

Line a large baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
Place the toasted almonds, dates, cocoa, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse into a finely ground mixture. Tip: The mixture should be finely ground but still crumbly; do not pulse into a puree or paste consistency.
Remove the fruit and nut mixture from the processor and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the honey and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
Shape mixture into small balls, about 1” in diameter, using about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each ball. Tip: A small ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized candies.
The balls will be moist and sticky until they sit and dry out a bit. Let sit at room temperature, or cover balls and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours to firm up and loose some of their stickiness. Roll in large-crystal sparkling sugar or coarse sugar. Or, cover with marzipan coating.
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one month. Makes about two dozen 1-inch balls.

Marzipan Coating:

Prepare marzipan.
Determine how many Sugarplums you want to wrap with the marzipan coating. You will need about 1 ounce of marzipan for each sugarplum. Tip: To cover 12 Sugarplums, I used 12 ounces of marzipan. Use 2 to 4 ounces of marzipan for the leaves, depending on how many leaves you desire. Use 2 ounces marzipan for about 12 leaves. Use 3 to 4 ounces marzipan if you want extra leaves.
Tint the larger portion of marzipan to wrap the Sugarplums with violet food coloring. Tint the smaller portion of marzipan for the leaves with leaf green plus electric green food coloring. Knead the marzipan until you get a consistent color with no streaks. Keep un-used marzipan covered to prevent drying out.
Dust a work surface with powdered sugar. Divide the violet colored marzipan into 1 ounce pieces. For each Sugarplum use a small rolling pin to roll the marzipan into a 4 inch circle, about ⅛ inch thickness. Fold the marzipan around the Sugarplum to completely enclose it. Pinch the marzipan edges together and mold into a plum shape, with the top slightly pointed and the bottom slightly rounded. Flatten the bottom slightly if you wish the plums to stand up-right, otherwise let them lay on their sides. Make a crease vertically down the center of each Sugarplum with the back of a knife.
Lightly brush the marzipan plum with clear alcohol and roll in decorative or coarse sugar. Set aside. Tip: I first sprinkled a light coating of coarse organic sugar on the Sugarplum, and then rolled in decorative sparkling sugar crystals to get maximum sparkle.
Roll the green marzipan about ⅛ thick. Using a leaf cutter or cut freehand, cut out 1 or 2 leaves for each Sugarplum. Use the back of the knife to press lines into each leaf to resemble the leaf veins. Using a dry artist paintbrush, lightly brush each leaf with gold luster dust. Use the tip of a toothpick to make a small hole in the top of each leaf. Push the tip of a whole clove through the hole you just made and then push the tip of the clove into the top of a Sugarplum to adhere the leaf, using 1 or 2 leaves for each Sugarplum.

Battenberg Cake

May 12, 2013 by Carol Arroyo

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Battenberg Cake

It is said that Battenberg Cake was created to celebrate the marriage of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Victoria to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884, with each square possibly representing one of the four Battenberg princes; Louis, Alexander, Henry, and Francis Joseph. It has since become a classic and elegant English tea cake.

Battenberg cake is made with an almond flavored butter or sponge cake stacked to form a pink and white checkerboard pattern. The cake is held together with apricot filling and then wrapped in marzipan. I have added a bit of cherry juice to the pink cake to give it just a mild fruity flavor. This cake blends the flavors of cherry, vanilla, almond, and apricot in each flavorful sweet bite.

As a final touch, I dressed the cake in Vanilla Butter Frosting and added pink and white pearl dragees to continue the checkerboard color scheme.

Tip: There are a few steps in making this cake and you will want to allow enough time to make and assemble the cake. The cakes can be baked ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. The marzipan and frosting can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Once all the components are made it is easy to assemble the finished cakes.

Recipe type: Dessert | Layer Butter Cake | Marzipan

Prep time: 6 hours

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 6 hours 25 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: Two 9" Square Pan Prep: Greased and Floured Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips, Marzipan

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Batter:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk (preferably whole milk)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
¼ cup red cherry juice, such as maraschino cherry
Few drops red food coloring (optional)

Filling:

About ¾ cup apricot jam

Vanilla Butter Frosting:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
2 tablespoons milk, plus additional if needed

Marzipan:

2 cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup water
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
4 cups blanched, finely ground almonds
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
About ½ cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar (for kneading)

Garnish (optional):

Pink and white Pearl Dragees

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350o degrees F. Prepare two 9 inch square cake pans; lightly grease the pans with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pans with flour.

Batter:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, stir the milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract together. Set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color. With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.
With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended. Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the milk mixture, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
Remove ½ of the batter and place in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the cherry juice to this batter; using a rubber spatula stir until well blended. Add a few drops of red food color if desired to make the batter pinker; stir until well blended.
Bake: Spoon the white and pink batters separately into the prepared pans and smooth the surface with a small offset spatula or the back of a large spoon. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Assembly:

Trim the tops of the cooled cakes, if necessary, to make a flat top. On a work surface, stack the two cakes on top of each other. Trim off the outer hard edges and trim so both cakes are the same size. Cut the cakes lengthwise in half, and then cut each half in half lengthwise to make 4 strips of each cake, 8 strips total. Each finished cake uses 4 strips. At this point you can cover the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month if desired. Tip: For a classic Battenberg cake, each strip is cut just as wide as they are high to make square. Or you can leave the pieces more rectangular in shape to reduce wasted cake.
Coat one side of one white strip with apricot jam, spreading the jam about ⅛ inch thick. Set a pink cake strip on top of the jam coated white strip, forming a white and pink sandwich. Repeat with another white and pink strip. Lay one of the cake sandwiches on its side, and spread jam over the top of both strips. Place the other cake sandwich on top of the bottom cake sandwich with the pink strip lying on top of the white strip, and the white strip lying on top of the pink strip, forming the checkerboard pattern. Repeat with the remaining 4 cake strips to make a second checkerboard cake. Cover checkerboard cakes and refrigerate while making frosting.

Vanilla Butter Frosting:

In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or wooden spoon and beat the butter and shortening until smooth. Add vanilla and beat until well mixed. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will appear dry after all the sugar has been added. Add milk and beat until frosting is smooth, creamy, and fluffy. Add additional milk if necessary to make a good spreading consistency.
Remove cakes from refrigerator. Using an offset spatula, crumb coat one long side of each checkerboard cake by covering with a thin layer of frosting. Let the cake sit, or refrigerate a few minutes, until the crumb coat is dried to the touch. When dry, turn the cakes over so the crumb coated side is on the bottom, and crumb coat the remaining 3 long sides. You do not need to crumb coat the ends of the cake. At this point you can cover the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if desired. Tip: the crumb coat is a thin layer. Don’t worry if the cake shows through in places, it will be covered again with the marzipan layer.
Cover unused frosting tightly or place in an airtight container until ready to finish frosting the cakes. Frosting can be stored in the refrigerator up to two weeks. Re-whip frosting when ready to use to bring it back to a fluffy texture, adding a small amount of milk if necessary.

Marzipan:

In a large size heavy saucepan, preferably non-stick, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the cream of tartar, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes.
Remove the lid, and return the pan to medium high heat. Bring the syrup to a boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches a temperature of 240 degrees F, a soft-ball stage, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. While the syrup is cooking, wash away any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan by wiping upwards with a damp pastry brush so the sugar crystals don’t fall back into the syrup. Remove pan from the heat.
Dip the bottom of the saucepan in a large bowl of cold water, and beat the syrup with a wooden spoon until the syrup cools and becomes thick and creamy and starts turning white.
Stir in the ground almonds and egg whites; the mixture may seem dry and crumbly at this point. Place the pan over low heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is well mixed. The heat will help to soften the mixture making it easier to mix.
Kneading: Sprinkle a large marble board, or large pastry mat with powdered sugar. Turn the marzipan mixture out onto the board.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, begin lifting and folding the edges of the marzipan into the center until it is cool enough to handle with your hands.
Gather the entire mixture up with your hands or dough scraper into a ball and begin kneading until the marzipan becomes smooth and pliable, 5 to 6 minutes, adding additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time if the marzipan is too sticky. You will probably knead the entire ½ cup powdered sugar into the marzipan; however it is ok to add additional powdered sugar if needed.
The marzipan can be used immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and place in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container and store in a cool place or refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembly:

Divide the marzipan in half. Dust a work surface with powdered sugar. Roll out one of the marzipan halves about ⅛ inch thick and large enough that it will wrap entirely around one checkerboard cake with about ½ inch overlap, about 9 inches by 13 inches.
Set one crumb coated checkerboard cake in the middle of the rolled marzipan, and gently wrap the marzipan around the cake, leaving the ends of the cake exposed. Use your hands to smooth the marzipan so it lies firmly against the sides of the cake. Pinch together the ends of the marzipan to seal the seam. Use a pastry brush to brush excess powdered sugar from the marzipan. Turn the cake over so the seam is on the bottom. Using a sharp or serrated kitchen knife and using a gentle sawing motion, slice off the ends of the cake to make a neat edge. Repeat with other marzipan half and remaining checkerboard cake.
Using an offset spatula, frost the marzipan covered cakes with remaining Vanilla Butter Frosting.
If desired, decorate the cakes using a pastry bag and decorating tip. I used a #48 tip to make a basket weave pattern on one cake and used the back of a large kitchen knife to press a criss-cross pattern in the top of the second cake and pressed a pearl dragee where the lines cross.

Source: Barker, Alex, Essential Guide to Cake Decorating, Parragon, UK, 2010;
Cairns, Fiona, Bake & Decorate, Quadrille Publishing Limited, London, 2010;
Castella, Drystina, A World of Cake, Storey Publishing, MA, 2010

Almond Apple Gateau

March 22, 2013 by mike4ta

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Almond Apple Gateau

A Madeira sponge cake flavored with lemon zest, spices, and grated apples is the basis for this elegant dessert. The gateau is layered with marzipan and apricot jam, and then covered with a thick coat of sweetened whipped cream made with ground almonds. Don’t let the apples fool you; they aren’t picked from a tree. Each apple is a sweet confection made with marzipan, a whole clove for the apple stem and sepal, and painted with food color. I quickly realized I should have made a bushel of apples; everyone I served this to delighted in eating the sweet marzipan apples as much as the cake.

You can make the marzipan up to a week ahead of time and refrigerate; the marzipan is easier to work with when chilled. Also make the marzipan apples one or two days beforehand so they are ready to use once the cake is completed and ready to serve. Remove the clove pieces before eating the apples.

Recipe type: Dessert | Genoise Cake | Apple | Marzipan

Serves: 12 to 16

Prep time: 8 hours

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 8 hours 40 mins

Recipe Notes

Pan: One 9" Round Oven Temp: 350° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate

Help: Cake Hints and Tips

TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup corn starch
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (to clarify)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 medium sized Granny Smith baking apple
1 medium sized sweet apple (such as Braeburn or Fuji)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
2 ounces finely ground blanched almonds (about ½ cup)

Marzipan:

2 cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup water
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
4 cups blanched, finely ground almonds
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
About ½ cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar (for kneading)

Filling:

½ cup apricot jam

Whipped Cream Topping:

1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces finely ground blanched almonds (about ½ cup)

Garnish:

About 1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon ground allspice
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves

Marzipan Apples:

About 12 ounces marzipan for marzipan apples
Whole cloves
Food Coloring
Clear alcohol such as vodka or gin or kirschwasser
Small artist paintbrush
Edible glitter (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 9 inch round layer cake pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening and dust with flour. Tip: to make baked cake easier to remove from pan, lightly grease the pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly grease the top of the parchment paper and dust the pan with flour.

Wrap the outside of the pan with a cake strip to help ensure the cake rises evenly. Tip: Make a cake strip with a length of aluminum foil long enough to encircle the pan with a little overlap. Fold the strip lengthwise until it is 2 to 3 inches wide. Wrap the strip around the outside of the pan and secure it with a metal paper clip or tape.

Cake Batter:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, corn starch, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
Clarify Butter: Melt and simmer the butter in a saucepan over low heat for a few minutes. Skim off and discard the white layer that forms on top. Let the butter sit and cool for about 5 minutes to allow the milk solids to sink to the bottom of the pan. Carefully spoon out the clear (clarified) butter into a small bowl. If you think you’ve accidentally scooped out some of the milk solids from the bottom, strain the clarified butter through a piece of cheesecloth to remove the solids. Discard the milk solids.
Measure ¼ cup clarified butter to use, discarding any remaining butter or save for another project. Stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.
Peel, core, and coarsely grate the apples, Sprinkle 2 teaspoons lemon juice over the grated apples, stir until well mixed. Place apples in a colander and place in your kitchen sink to let apples juices drain out while preparing the rest of the batter.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, use a wire whisk to whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and one tablespoon lemon juice just until blended. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl, and heat the egg mixture 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture is a deep golden color and warm to the touch, 115 to 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Tip: it is important to whisk constantly while heating the mixture so the eggs don’t start cooking, creating scrambled eggs.
Remove the bowl from the simmering water and dry the bottom. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg mixture on medium-high speed until cool and the mixture has tripled in volume and is thick and light in color, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
Place the flour mixture into a wire mesh strainer and sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time over the egg mixture. Using a balloon type whisk or large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the eggs, using about 3 to 4 turns with each addition of flour, and making sure to reach to the bottom of the bowl as you fold. Do not worry about incorporating all the flour until the last addition, as too much handling will deflate the batter. The flour should be added quickly in about 5 to 6 additions.
Before the last addition of flour, quickly pour the warm butter in a stream over the batter. Immediately sprinkle in the remaining flour mixture, and fold into the batter using another 3 to 4 turns. Gently add the grated apples and ground almonds and fold into the batter taking about 12 to 15 more turns to completely incorporate the ingredients, and taking no more than 15 to 20 seconds as the batter can deflate quickly.
Using a rubber spatula, immediately push the batter into the prepared pan. If any butter remains in the bottom of the bowl, do not add to the batter as this could prevent the cake from rising. Smooth the top of the batter with a small offset spatula or the back of a large spoon.
Bake: Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles, and place the pan in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and has come away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand 10 minutes on a wire cooling rack. Run a thin sharp knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Remove cake from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Tip: Lightly grease the cooling rack with vegetable oil or a nonstick cooking spray to prevent the cake from sticking.

Marzipan:

In a large size heavy saucepan, preferably non-stick, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the cream of tartar, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes.
Remove the lid, and return the pan to medium high heat. Bring the syrup to a boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches a temperature of 240 degrees F, a soft-ball stage, using a candy or instant read thermometer to gauge the temperature. While the syrup is cooking, wash away any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan by wiping upwards with a damp pastry brush so the sugar crystals don’t fall back into the syrup. Remove pan from the heat.
Dip the bottom of the saucepan in a large bowl of cold water, and beat the syrup with a wooden spoon until the syrup cools and becomes thick and creamy and starts turning white.
Stir in the ground almonds and egg whites; the mixture may seem dry and crumbly at this point. Place the pan over low heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is well mixed. The heat will help to soften the mixture making it easier to mix.
Kneading: Sprinkle a large marble board, or large pastry mat with powdered sugar. Turn the marzipan mixture out onto the board.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, begin lifting and folding the edges of the marzipan into the center until it is cool enough to handle with your hands.
Gather the entire mixture up with your hands or dough scraper into a ball and begin kneading until the marzipan becomes smooth and pliable, 5 to 6 minutes, adding additional powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time if the marzipan is too sticky. You will probably knead the entire ½ cup powdered sugar into the marzipan; however it is ok to add additional powdered sugar if needed.
The marzipan can be used immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and place in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container and store in a cool place or refrigerate until ready to use.
This recipe makes about 2 pounds of marzipan; 1 pound is used to assemble the cake, and a portion of the other pound is used to make the marzipan apples.

Assembly and Filling:

Divide 1 pound of marzipan in half. Sprinkle a large marble board, or large pastry mat with powdered sugar. Using a rolling pin, roll out each of the ½ pound portions of marzipan into a 9 inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick. Set aside.
Use a long serrated kitchen knife to split the cake into 3 horizontal layers. Place the first layer cut side up on a cake plate. Using a pastry brush, brush ¼ cup of the apricot jam over the cake layer. Lay one of the rolled marzipan circles on the apricot jam. Tip: The marzipan layer should be the same size as the cake layer. If the marzipan is larger you can gently press in on the edges of the marzipan until it is even with the cake layer.
Place the middle layer over the first and brush ¼ cup of the apricot jam over the cake layer. Lay the remaining rolled marzipan circle on the apricot jam, making sure the edges of the marzipan are even with the cake layer.
Place the third layer cut side down on top of the cake. Refrigerate while preparing the Whipped Cream Topping.

Whipped Cream Topping:

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until soft mounds form; gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla, continue beating until thick and stiff. Remove bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the ground almonds. Tip: the cream will whip easier if the mixing bowl and beaters are first chilled; place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to whip the cream.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the whipped cream topping.

Garnish:

Gently press the toasted sliced almonds around the sides of the cake, covering the sides completely.
Use the back of a large kitchen knife to press lines into the top of the cake, marking the cake into 16 portions.
In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Use a fine-mesh sieve to dust the top of cake with the spice mixture. Tip: you don’t need to use all the spice mixture, just a light sprinkling is best.
Refrigerate the cake at least one hour to stabilize the whipped cream before serving.
Arrange the marzipan apples around the top of the cake just before serving.

Marzipan Apples:

Use about 12 ounces of the remaining marzipan to make about 25 marzipan apples, or use the whole remaining 1 pound portion to add extra apples when serving.
Use about ½ ounce of marzipan for each apple, and form into a small ball about ¾ to 1 inch in diameter.
Use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors and cut off the round end of a clove and press into the marzipan ball for the apple’s sepal. Press the stem of the clove into the opposite side of the marzipan ball to make the apple stem.
Use a small artist paintbrush to paint the apples with diluted red and green food color mixed with clear alcohol, then sprinkle[/url] with edible glitter, if desired. Tip: I painted the apples with a thin coat of electric green food color diluted with the clear alcohol and let dry. Then I lightly brushed a reddish color over parts of the apples, made with red, pink, and terracotta food color diluted with the clear alcohol. Before the apples were completely dry I lightly dusted a small amount of ruby red disco dust, or edible glitter, onto the red portions of the apples. Let sit to dry completely.