Tiramisu Crepe Cake

Tiramisu Crepe Cake

Crepes
1 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tab Cornstarch
¼ Cup granulated sugar
2 Teaspoon kosher salt
4 Large Eggs
5 Large Egg Yolks
1 Stick Butter, unsalted
2 Cups Milk, whole
3 Tbs Grand Marnier
Tiramisu Filling
1 ¼ Cups Confectioners' Sugar
4 Cups Mascarpone Cheese
½ Cup Espresso
¼ Cup Cocoa Powder

Make the crepe batter

1. In a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, cornstarch and sugar, 5 times (this is important to aerate the flour). Whisk in the salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth and webby (it will be very thick). In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the butter, then the milk and the Grand Marnier, until the batter is smooth (if there are any lumps, strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve and into a medium bowl). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Gently stir the crêpe batter, then pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet. Holding the skillet by the handle, tilt and turn the skillet to quickly disperse the batter. Cook the crepe until the underside is golden-brown, about 1½ minutes. Lightly jerk the skillet to loosen the crepe, then flip the crepe over using a spatula, a more vigorous jerking motion or your fingers. Cook on the other side until golden-brown, about 30 seconds, then slide the crepe onto the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all of the batter is used (you'll end up with about 20 crepes total, and will need 18 for the cake). Refrigerate the crepes on the baking sheet until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Make the tiramisu filling:

1. In a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl of a stand mixer, sift the confectioners' sugar. Add the mascarpone cheese and the Espresso. Use the paddle attachment to combine the mixture on low speed until well combined.

2. Remove the crepes from the refrigerator. Add 1 crepe to the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan so it lies flat. Add ¼ cup of the tiramisu filling to the center of the crepe and use a small offset spatula to evenly spread the filling over the crêpe. Repeat with the filling and 17 more crêpes. Refrigerate the leftover filling; you'll use it to finish the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, undo the springform pan and set set it on a cake plate or platter. Spread the remaining tiramisu cream on top of the cake. Add the cocoa powder to a fine-mesh sieve and sprinkle it over the top of the cake. Slice and serve

Servings: 12
Yield: 8" Cake

Tunnel-of-Fudge Cake

Ingredients

2 ½ cups Pecans, chopped2 tablespoons Butter, unsalted
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 ¼ cups Butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces.
1 cup Sugar
¾ cup Brown Sugar, packed
¾ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cup Vegetable Oil
2 large Egg Yolk
4 large Eggs
2 cups Confectioners Sugar
2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour

¾ cup Cocoa Powder

Procedure:

Place a heavy baking sheet or pizza stone on a shelf in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees .

On a large baking sheet, roast nuts in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep watch that they do not burn. Pour into a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss well and set aside.

Generously butter the inside of a large 12-cup Bundt cake pan.

In a mixer, beat butter to soften until it becomes fluffy. Add sugar, then the brown sugar and continue to beat until airy. While beating, if the bowl does not feel cool, place it in the freezer for five minutes, then resume beating.

Beat in 3/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and vegetable oil.

Beat in two egg yolks into the cake mix. 

Crack the four whole eggs into a large mixing bowl. With a small knife, cut yolks and barely stir the eggs, minimally blending the whites and yolks.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, beat the eggs into the batter in three batches. Mix in confectioners' sugar and the cocoa.

In a large mixing bowl, stir flour and nuts together. Then with a spatula stir the flour-nut mixture into the batter. Pour the batter into the Bundt Pan.

Bake for 40 minutes. You cannot use the toothpick test because the cake contains so much sugar that the center will not set but will remain a tunnel-of-fudge. You are dependent on a correct oven temperature and the 40-minute cooking time.

When removed from the oven, the cake will have a runny fudge core with an air pocket above the fudge. About 30 minutes after taking the cake out of the oven, press the inside and outside edge of the cake bottom down all the way around to minimize the air pocket. 

Let the cake, still in the pan, cool on a rack for 3 hours, this is important to keep the shape. Invert the cake onto a platter and let cool completely.

Note: Bundt Pan from William-Sonoma 

Dutch Baby

3 eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter
Syrup, preserves, confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar



Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar and nutmeg in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Batter may also be mixed by hand.

Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.

Remove pancake from oven, cut into wedges and serve at once topped with syrup, preserves, confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar with a pinch of nutmeg

Apple Cider Apple Fritter

For the Doughnuts:
2 ½ cups apple cider
2 ¼ tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
3/4  cup milk, at room temperature
14 2/3  oz (3 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour
1 oz (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz (2 tbsp) shortening
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 ½ quarts canola oil, for frying

For the Apple Filling:
2 lbs (4-5 medium) apples – I used SweeTango apples
2 oz (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
(1/4 cup) brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
? tsp salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

For the Glaze:
¼ cup apple cider concentrate (made during the doughnut preparation)
2 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

To Make the Doughnuts:

1. Pour the apple cider into a medium saucepan, place the pan on medium heat, and bring it to a low boil. Continue to cook the apple cider until it reduces down to ¾ cup, which might take 45-55 minutes. This step can be done ahead of time and the apple cider concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.

2. Divide up the ¾ cup apple cider concentrate: Pour ¼ cup of it into a small bowl. Pour another ¼ cup of it into the bowl of a large stand mixer, and reserve the remaining ¼ cup to make the glaze later.

3. Heat the small bowl of apple cider concentrate in the microwave in short 10-second bursts, until it is warm but not scalding—it should be around 105-110 F, so hotter than body temperature. Sprinkle the yeast on top, stir it in gently, and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast foams up.

4. To the large mixing bowl with the apple cider concentrate, add the milk, butter, shortening, sugar, yolks, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the yeast mixture into the large mixing bowl as well, then add half of the flour (7? oz, or 1? cups). Mix with the paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes, until very smooth.

5. Add the rest of the flour (7? oz, or 1? cups) and mix with the paddle for another 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and mix for 5-7 minutes, until the dough forms a soft, smooth ball around the hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it seems very sticky while it’s mixing, add a touch more flour, but only another tablespoon or two. Let the mixing do most of the work and resist the temptation to add too much flour, or else you will have tough doughnuts. When the dough is smooth, supple, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, turn off the mixer. It will still be a bit soft and sticky!

6. Generously oil a large bowl and turn the doughnut dough into the oiled bowl. Cover loosely with a cloth and set it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

To Make the Apple Filling:

1. While you wait for the dough to rise, prepare the apple filling. Peel, core, and chop the apples into small pieces about ½-3/4" wide. Place a large saucepan over medium heat, and melt the butter. Add the sugar, and stir it in until the sugar melts. (The mixture will be sandy and grainy.) Add the apples, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and apple cider vinegar.

2. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and caramelized, and almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. The time required depends on your pan and your apple variety, but 15-20 minutes is a rough cooking estimate. Scrape the apples into a shallow pan or bowl, and refrigerate them until they're room temperature or cooler. (Apples can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.)

To Assemble, Fry, and Finish:

1. After an hour, dust your work surface with flour, punch down the dough, and turn it out onto your work surface. Gently pat it or roll it into a thin layer about ½-inch thick. Spread half of the apples over half of the dough. Fold the dough over on itself, and press down gently to seal the apples into the middle of the dough.

2. Press the dough out into a thin rectangle again, flour it as necessary to keep it from sticking. Add the rest of the apples on half of the dough, and fold it over itself again. (This process helps distribute apples randomly throughout the dough layers.) Pat the dough back into a thin rectangle.

3. Use a bench scraper or large sharp knife to cut the dough into small squares, about 1½" or so. Line two baking sheets with parchment , and dust it lightly with flour. Gather together about 4-5 squares (total weight 2.5-3 oz) and press them together into a patty, pinching them at the top to help secure them. Don't worry if the patties seem to have a ragged appearance, or if apples poke out—this assembly method produces the beautifully craggy and randomly-shaped signature apple fritter appearance! Place a fritter on a baking sheet, then repeat until all of your fritters are formed. You should get about 15 fritters from this recipe.

4. Cover the fritters loosely with cloths and let them rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

5. Toward the end of the fritter rise time, pour the frying oil into a medium-large saucepan, and insert a deep fry thermometer. Turn the heat to medium and heat until the oil reaches 350 F. During the frying process, keep a close eye on the thermometer and monitor the temperature carefully.

6. Once the fritters have risen and the oil is the right temperature, gently place 2-3 fritters at a time in the oil and fry them for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are puffed and golden brown. Once cooked, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon or frying tool, and place them on a paper-towel lined wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining fritters. Periodically remove any stray apples or dough that's floating in the oil. If the oil gets too hot, turn the heat down or take the pan briefly off the heat, and if it gets too cool, pause your frying until it has a chance to heat up again.

7. To make the glaze, whisk together the reserved ¼ cup apple cider concentrate along with the rest of the ingredients. Try brushing some on a warm (but not super hot!) fritter. It should brush easily, and start to melt into the outside of the fritter. If it is too thick, and looks more like frosting than glaze, add a little apple cider or milk, a small spoonful at a time, to get the right consistency. Brush the glaze on the fritters, or spoon it on and spread it around with the spoon. Repeat until all of the fritters have been glazed.

8. Let the glaze set for about 20 minutes, then serve! These fritters are best on the day they are made, but they will keep for several days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Servings: 15
Yield: 4 hours

Cooking Times
Preparation Time: 4 hours

Cooking Time: 4 hours

Honey-Butter Bread

Honey-Butter Bread

1 cup Water, Lukewarm
1 Package Active dry yeast (2 1/4 Teaspoons)
2 Each Eggs
1 Each Egg, separated, egg white reserved
8 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted, cooled to room temperature, divided (1 Stick)
1/4 cup Honey
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Teaspoons fine sea salt
Flaked sea salt (optional)

1. Sprinkle yeast over the water in the bowl of a stand mixer and let stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the eggs, egg yolk, honey and 4 tablespoons butter to the yeast mixture in the bowl and beat until blended and frothy.
2. Add half of the flour and the salt to the yeast mixture and stir on medium speed until just blended. Add the remaining flour and mix until blended, stopping the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is smooth and forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl, about 7 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Brush a large bowl with the melted butter. Add the dough and turn gently to coat with butter. Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and cut into 5 even pieces. Form each piece into a smooth ball. Brush a 3.5-quart enameled cast iron pan generously with the melted butter. Arrange dough balls, spacing evenly, in the pan. Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let stand in a warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Re-melt the remaining butter if necessary and drizzle over the bread. Beat the egg white to blend. Gently and thoroughly brush the dough with the egg white and sprinkle with salt if desired. Bake until golden brown. About 40 min and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of bread registers 190°F to 200°F. Cool the bread in the cocotte on a rack. (Bread can be baked one day ahead. Cover with the lid and keep at room temperature.)
Servings: 12
Yield: 1 large loaf

Apple Fritter Bread

Apple Fritter Bread

Bread Loaf
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk or almond milk
2 apples, peeled and chopped (any kind), mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Old-Fashioned Creme Glaze
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1-3 tablespoons of milk or cream- (depending on thickness of glaze wanted)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray with non-stick spray or line with foil and spray with non-stick spray to get out easily for slicing.

2. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.

3. In another medium-sized bowl, beat white sugar and butter together using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

4. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended in; add in vanilla extract.

5. Combine & whisk flour and baking powder together in another bowl and add into creamed butter mixture and stir until blended.

6. Mix milk into batter until smooth.

7. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the apple mixture, then half the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

8. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.

9. Pour the remaining batter over apple layer and top with remaining apple mixture, then the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

10. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using knife or spoon.

11. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, approximately 50-60 minutes.

12. To make glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk or cream together until well mixed.

13. Let cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with glaze.

Servings: 8

Mirror Glaze

Mirror Glaze for Cakes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Water

1 1/2 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Sweetened Condense Milk

2 cups White Chocolate Chips

2 TAB Gelatin

1/4 Cup Water

Food Dye - Powder or Gel

Glitter

Instructions:

1. Bloom Gelatin in 1/4 cup of water. Set aside.

2. Over medium heat, water, sugar, and condensed milk until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally.

3. Once bubbling, stir in the gelatin and mix until it dissolves.

4. Turn off heat and gently pour in White Chocolate Chips. Stir slowly until the White Chocolate is fully melted and incorporated.

5. Pour through strainer, then divide evenly between 5 bowls. Color Pink, Purple, Blue and Black. Keep one White

6. Start with Black glaze, using only half the amount. The swirl in all the Blue, Purple and then Pink. Drizzle in some of the White.

7. Sprinkle some of the glitter on top.

8. Place frozen, smooth butter cream cake on top of a circular item, on a pan with edges (to catch the dripping's.)

9. Use leftover glaze for another cake

10. Allow to set a bit, then pop onto the refrigerator.

Mirror Glaze test cake.

A video posted by mymackandcheese (@mymackandcheese) on Sep 18, 2016 at 2:59pm PDT