FOOD & WINE Holiday Baking

By The Editors of Food & Wine

Food & Wine Magazine presents Food & Wine Holiday Baking.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Food & Wine
• Release date: Oct 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9780848760557

Book preview

CAKES AND BREADS

For a south-of-the-border riff on almond cake, add ground pumpkin seeds, Mexican chocolate, and tequila to the batter.

Mexican Chocolate Chip–Pumpkin Seed Cake

ACTIVE 10 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 10 MIN; SERVES 8

For this south-of-the-border take on almond cake, chef Rick Bayless of Topolobampo in Chicago mixes the batter with ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds), vanilla-scented Mexican chocolate, and a hit of tequila. The result is a fluffy texture on the inside plus a delicately crisp crust.

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 12-inch pieces and softened, plus more for greasing

1 ¾ cups salted roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. tequila

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

3 oz. Mexican chocolate, finely chopped (about ¾ cup)

2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Butter paper. Sprinkle ½ cup of pumpkin seeds in pan and dust with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.

2. In a food processor, pulse remaining 1 ¼ cups of pumpkin seeds and 1 cup of sugar until mixture resembles wet sand. Add eggs, tequila, and 1 stick of butter and pulse until smooth. Add flour and baking powder and pulse just until incorporated. Add chocolate and pulse until mixed, about 4 pulses.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake in lower third of oven for about 50 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean; rotate pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes.

4. Invert the cake plate and peel off parchment paper. Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

A SWEET, FUDGE-LIKE CARAMEL FROSTING IS THE KEY TO THIS OUTSTANDING CAKE.

Caramel Layer Cake

ACTIVE 1 HR 10 MIN; TOTAL 3 HR 55 MIN; SERVES 16

Nashville pastry chef Lisa Donovan’s sweet, fudge-like caramel frosting is the key to this outstanding cake, which is adapted from a recipe by the iconic Southern chef Edna Lewis. Be sure to apply the frosting as soon as you’re done beating it, or it will harden.

CAKE

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 Tbsp. baking powder

2 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. baking soda

2 ½ cups sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

4 large eggs

3 cups buttermilk

FROSTING

3 sticks unsalted butter

3 cups sugar

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 Tbsp. baking soda

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Make the cake Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 10-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk 4 cups flour with baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat 2 sticks butter with sugar and vanilla seeds at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time until incorporated, then beat until very pale and billowy, 3 minutes. At low speed, alternately beat in dry ingredients and buttermilk until just combined.

2. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake for about 35 minutes, until cakes are golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean. Transfer to a rack; let cool in pans for 30 minutes. Unmold cakes, peel off parchment and let cool. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving platter.

3. Make the frosting In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, melt butter over moderately high heat. Stir in sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture foams up, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring steadily, until caramel mixture is very dark brown and reaches 240° on a candy thermometer, about 15 to 20 minutes. Pour mixture into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle, add vanilla and beat at low speed for 3 minutes, until thickened but still pourable.

4. Using a rubber spatula and working quickly, scrape about 1 cup of frosting onto cake layer on stand and spread it to edge. Top with second cake layer. Pour remaining frosting on top. Using an offset spatula, quickly spread frosting over and around cake to cover it completely. Let frosting cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Crumb Cake with Pear Preserves

ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 20 MIN; SERVES 8

Pastry chef Stacy Amble makes this streusel-topped crumb cake using Quince & Apple small-batch pear preserves laced with honey and ginger. The preserves are available at specialty food shops and online from quinceandapple.com.

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, diced, plus more for greasing

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¾ tsp. kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup pear preserves (4 oz.)

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 9-inch square metal baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar with flour, cinnamon and salt. Add 4 tablespoons of diced butter and, using your fingers, pinch it into dry ingredients until evenly moistened, then press mixture into clumps. Refrigerate streusel until chilled, about 15 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour with baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat butter with granulated sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl, then beat in dry ingredients and milk in 3 alternating batches, starting and ending with dry ingredients, until just incorporated.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, spreading it in an even layer. Dollop pear preserves evenly on batter and sprinkle streusel evenly on top. Bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. (Some of streusel will sink into the cake.) Transfer pan to a rack and let cake cool completely, about 1 hour. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, cut into squares, and serve.

Cardamom-Spiced Crumb Cake

ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 30 MIN; SERVES 15

This cake is topped with a generous layer of spiced, pecan-studded crumbs, since—let’s face it—that’s everyone’s favorite part. We suggest bringing it to a dinner party, along with coffee beans and a jar of heavy cream for hosts to serve at breakfast the next day.

CRUMB TOPPING

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing

2 cups pecans

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. salt

2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

GLAZE

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp. whole milk

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Make the crumb topping Preheat oven to 350°. Position a rack in center of oven. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan.

2. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until browned. Let cool, then coarsely chop nuts.

3. In a medium bowl, stir melted butter with both sugars, cardamom, and salt. Add flour and stir until clumpy. Stir in chopped nuts.

4. Make the cake In a large bowl, whisk flour with granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing surface. Scatter crumbs in large clumps over cake; the crumb layer will be quite deep.

5. Bake for about 55 minutes, until crumbs are golden and firm and a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. If crumbs brown before cake is done, cover cake loosely with foil. Transfer to a rack to cool.