princess cake

from Korena in the Kitchen

serves 8-16, depending on your slices

• Ingredients
• 
  
• vanilla custard
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, divided
• 4 egg yolks from large eggs
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) granulated white sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract)
• 
  
• sponge cake
• Fine dry breadcrumbs for the pan (such as crushed panko)
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) (65 gm) (2¼ oz) potato starch (or cornstarch)
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• marzipan
• 4 oz (115 gm) ground almonds
• 8 oz (225 gm) icing sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon (5 ml) almond extract
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice or water
• 
  
• marzipan covering and rose
• 10 oz (285 gm) marzipan
• Pink food colouring
• Icing sugar, for rolling
• Purple food colouring
• 
  
• prinsesstårta assembly
• 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream, chilled
• Sponge Cake, cooled
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) seedless raspberry jam (or regular jam pressed through a sieve to remove seeds)
• Vanilla Custard, chilled
• Marzipan Covering and Rose
• Icing sugar, for rolling and dusting
• Optional: melted chocolate, royal icing, or piping gel

For the Vanilla Custard:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of heavy cream until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) of heavy cream and the scraped vanilla bean and bring just to the boiling point. Remove the vanilla bean pod, leaving behind the seeds. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the bowl with the egg mixture to temper the eggs.

2. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it becomes thick like pudding and just comes to a boil. The mixture must hit a boil for the cornstarch to properly thicken the custard, and also to cook out any starchy taste. If it starts to look curdled or lumpy, remove it from the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth, then return to the heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. If using vanilla extract, add it now. If desired, pass the custard through a fine mesh sieve before continuing.

3. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold. Can be prepared a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

For the Sponge Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Thoroughly butter a 9” (23 cm) round springform pan, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, then butter the paper. Dust the buttered pan with enough breadcrumbs to coat the bottom and sides, just like flouring a cake pan. Set aside.

2. Place the eggs and granulated white sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment until the eggs are tripled in volume and very light coloured and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The mixture should fall from the beaters in thick ribbons. Don’t overbeat the eggs – once they form thick ribbons and stop growing in volume, stop beating.

3. Sift the all-purpose (plain) flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt into a bowl, then sift the flour mixture over the whipped eggs. With a balloon whisk, fold the flour into the eggs until blended, keeping as much air in the batter as possible. Use large, gentle yet confident strokes, bringing batter from the bottom of the bowl to the top. Once mixed, the batter should be quite thick and smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread it out evenly, and bake in the lower third of the preheated moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on top, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.

5. Let the cake cool in the pan for a few minutes then run a knife around the edge and remove the sides of the springform pan. Don’t worry if it sinks a bit in the middle.

6. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. If the cake is lopsided, press gently to make it level, then allow it to cool completely before continuing. The cake can be made a day ahead and stored, well-wrapped in plastic, at a cool room temperature.

For the Marzipan:

1. Place the ground almonds and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine and break up any lumps

2. Add the corn syrup and almond extract and pulse again to combine. The mixture should be quite dry and crumbly still.

3. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the lemon juice, stopping as soon as the mixture starts to clump together.

4. Scrape the marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it into a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill overnight in the refrigerator to let the flavours ripen. Makes just over 1 lb.

For the Marzipan Covering and Rose:

1. Set aside a small amount of plain marzipan (about the size of a walnut) to make a rose for decoration. Knead the remaining marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar until it becomes softer and smooth (the warmth from your hands will help this).

2. Add a small amount of green food colouring (I used 3 or 4 drops of liquid food colouring) and knead it into the marzipan to get the desired shade of green. You might need to add a little more green or yellow food colouring to get the right colour – anything from pastel green to bright spring green (just not neon green!) Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to cover the cake (or store as directed on the marzipan package).

3. To make the rose, tint the reserved plain marzipan with a tiny bit of red food colouring to make it pink. Dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll the marzipan into a log. With a rolling pin, roll it out into a long ribbon, about 1” (2 ½ cm) wide and 1/8” (3 mm) thick. Use plenty of icing sugar so that the marzipan doesn’t stick.

4. Press one long edge of the ribbon with your fingertip to thin it out slightly. Begin rolling up the ribbon, leaving the thin edge loose to form the petals of the rose. Start the roll off tightly, then loosen up as you go, pinching and gathering the marzipan to create creases and ruffles. Gently flare out the petals of the rose with your fingertip.

5. When the rose is large enough, cut off any remaining marzipan ribbon. Pinch off the excess marzipan from the bottom of the rose and set aside to dry slightly.

For the Prinsesstårta Assembly:

1. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar to taste (keep in mind that the rest of the cake components are sweet, so the whipped cream should be very lightly sweetened at most) and continue whipping the cream until stiff. You want it to be sturdy enough to provide structure to the cake, but not over-whipped enough to make butter. Set the whipped cream aside.

2. With a long serrated knife, slice the sponge cake into three even layers. This cake is very delicate, so do this as carefully as possible. Use a gentle sawing motion to move the knife through the cake instead of trying to pull it through the cake. Use a spatula to help you lift off each layer after you cut it. Set aside the middle layer – this will become the top layer of the assembled cake as it is the most flexible and therefore easiest to bend into a dome over the whipped cream.

3. Place one of remaining layers on a cake board or serving platter and spread it evenly with the raspberry jam. Spread or pipe half the chilled custard over the jam in an even layer, leaving enough room around the edges so that it doesn’t spill over the sides of the cake.

4. Top the custard with another layer of cake. Spread or pipe the remaining custard evenly over it, again leaving some room around the edges.

5. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the stiffly whipped cream. Pile the rest into a mound on top of the custard. Spread it into a thick layer with a thin, flexible spatula or off-set spatula, then hold the spatula at an angle to shape the whipped cream into a dome, piling it up in the middle of the cake as much as possible.

6. Place the final layer of sponge cake (the one cut from the middle of the cake) on top of the whipped cream. Do not press on the top of the cake – instead, gently tuck the edges of the cake layer into the whipped cream, so that they are flush with the cream. This will create a smooth, seamless dome on top of the cake.

7. Gently spread the reserved 1/2 cup (120 ml) of whipped cream over the entire cake to fill in any cracks and even out the surface. If necessary, refrigerate the cake to firm it up before continuing.

8. Dust your work surface with icing sugar and press the marzipan into a 6-inch (15 cm) disc (knead it a bit to warm it up first). Coat both sides with icing sugar and roll it out into a 14” (35½ cm) diameter circle less than 1/8” (3 mm) thick. Use plenty of icing sugar to prevent it from sticking. Alternatively, you can roll the marzipan out between two wide sheets of parchment paper (still use plenty of icing sugar).
9. Use the rolling pin to drape the rolled-out marzipan sheet over the cake and smooth it around the cake gently with your hands.

If it seems like it wants to fold or buckle around the cake, gently lift and stretch it away from the cake with one hand while smoothing it down with the other.

Trim the excess marzipan from the bottom of the cake with a paring knife or spatula blade.

10. If desired, cut leaves out of the scraps of green marzipan (you can knead in another drop of green food colouring to make the leaves a slightly darker green). Use a paring knife to score vein-like lines, then pinch one end of the leaf to give it some shape.

Dust the cake with icing sugar, then place the marzipan rose and leaves in the middle of the cake.
(You can also use melted chocolate, royal icing, or piping gel to pipe a design on top of the cake, if you wish.)

11. To serve, cut the cake into wedges with a large, sharp knife (run the blade under hot water and wipe it clean after every cut for neater slices). The cake can be served immediately but will be easier to slice after chilling in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:

The finished Prinsesstårta should be refrigerated until serving, and any leftovers refrigerated as well. Ideally the cake is eaten the day it is made, but will keep in the refrigerator for a day or so, after which it may lose its structural integrity and aesthetic appeal (but it will still taste good!) Note: Mine was able to keep in the fridge for 5 days without losing too much structure and still tasted awesome.

biscoff cookie bars

Melissa Klotzadapted from Lorie’s Mississippi Kitchen

serves 8

• Ingredients
• 
  
• Crust
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 6 Biscoff cookies, crushed (can easily be crushed between fingers)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 
  
• Filling
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup Biscoff Spread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a mixer, combine all the ingredients for the crust on low speed. Press into an even layer in the baking pan. Pierce a few times with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes.

Put all the ingredients for the filling into a mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, until filling is set. Allow to cool completely before slicing into bars.

*I recommend going for a 30 minute bake time, so the bars are a little gooey-er and chewier. Mine came out too cake-like for me.

snickerdoodle bars

from Betty Crocker

makes 24 bars

• Ingredients
• 
   
• bars
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
   
• FILLING
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 
   
• glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray.

Combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and salt, in a small bowl.

Cream the butter and sugars on high with a mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour, stirring to combine.

Scoop half of the batter out into the pan and spread evenly with a spatula. If the batter sticks to your spatula, scrape it all off, spray the spatula with nonstick spray, and continue spreading.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter in the pan.

Evenly dollop the remaining batter into the pan.

Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stir together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth. When bars have cooled, drizzle the glaze on top and enjoy.

black bean brownies

adapted from Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch

makes 18 2.5 inch x 2.5 inch brownies

• Ingredients
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tespoon baking powder
• One 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 cup brown sugar, not packed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray or coconut oil spray.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

In a blender or food processor, puree the black beans, adding a bit of water (no more than 2 tablespoons) if they stick to the sides before they’re pureed.

In a doubleboiler or a heatproof bowl over simmering water, add the butter and all but a handful of chocolate chips (set those aside for later). Melt and stir until combined. Remove from heat and add the black beans.

If your bowl can’t handle anymore ingredients (meaing it’s too small), transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.

Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Do not overmix.

Fold in all but a handful of the walnuts (set those aside for later).

Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips and walnuts.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and cut!

banana nut crunch muffins

adapted from Hummingbird Bakery

makes about 16 muffins

• Ingredients
• muffins
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups mashed banana, about 3 medium bananas
• 
   
• topping
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
• about 1 cup Banana Nut Crunch cereal

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Line 16 cups of two muffin pans with paper liners and spray with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.

In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat just until they’re incorporated.

Add the melted butter and beat. Stir in the mashed bananas.

Pour the batter evenly into the muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and salt together. Add the butter and rub into the mixture until clumps form. Add the cereal and toss.

Evenly sprinkle the granola topping onto the muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.