Brazilian Honey Cake Food

PãO DE MEL (BRAZILIAN HONEY CAKES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease and coat with cocoa powder or flour a mini or standard-size muffin tin. Reserve!
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the milk, spices, and honey and let come to a quick boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
• When the milk mixture is warm, pour into a blender and blend with eggs and yolk, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil just until homogeneous, about 15-20 seconds.
• Mix sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a large bowl. Pour blended liquid mixture into the bowl and whisk just until homogeneous.
• Spoon batter evenly into the muffin tin (halfway full) and bake on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes (mini ) or 18-20 minutes (standard) - or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Slide a knife around the edges to loosen the bread loaves and invert them onto a large flat platter or a clean baking sheet while they are still hot. Make sure their puffy tops are upside down.
• Place another baking sheet on top of all of them and then something heavy, such as a cast-iron skillet. This simple technique will help to flatten their puffy tops. It works best while they are still hot.
• Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes. Then cut each in half horizontally.
• Spread or pipe dulce de leche onto one of the halves and sandwich them like whoopie pies.
• Place chocolate in a large bowl and melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted (about 1 ½-2 minutes). Stir until smooth. If needed, stir in 1 tbsp of oil to prevent melted chocolate from hardening quickly.
• Place each pão de mel on a fork and bathe in the melted chocolate. Smooth top and sides. Place on a rack with a baking sheet underneath or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let excess chocolate drain off of each cake. Let the chocolate set in the fridge for about 3-5 minutes.
• Using a paring knife, trim excess hardened chocolate from the bottom edges. Either serve as is or decorate each pão de mel as desired. I drizzled mine with melted white chocolate and topped them with sprinkles.

BOURBON HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch angel food cake pan with a nonremovable bottom with oil, line the bottom with parchment paper, then oil and flour the pan.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil, granulated sugar, honey, brown sugar, eggs, orange zest, and vanilla on medium speed for one minute. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, allspice, and ginger and blend. Combine the coffee, orange juice, and bourbon in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour and liquid mixtures to the oil-sugar mixture in thirds, beginning and ending with flour, until combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Don't worry; the batter will be very liquid!
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Rap the pan 5 times on the counter to get rid of any bubbles in the batter. Sprinkle the top with the almonds. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then remove from the pan and place almond side up on a flat serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

RUSTIC HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9-in. cast-iron skillet., In a large bowl, beat butter and honey until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yogurt and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture. Transfer batter to prepared skillet., Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Serve with fruit, additional honey and, if desired, chopped pistachios., Freeze option: Securely wrap cooled cake in foil; freeze. To use, thaw at room temperature and top as directed.

HONEY CAKE III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, honey, oil, eggs and orange zest. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

PACOCA

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. square baking pan with parchment, letting ends extend up sides. Place graham crackers and peanuts in a food processor; pulse until just ground. Add sugar; process 10 seconds. Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt; pulse until dough comes together., Press dough into prepared pan. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours or overnight. Lifting with parchment, remove from pan. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

BRAZILIAN HONEY CAKES (PãO DE MEL)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and dust 24 4-ounce ramekins with cocoa powder. Reserve.
• Combine the milk, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a small saucepan. Heat it, over medium heat, until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and add the honey, stirring until the honey has dissolved. The milk fats might separate, that is ok. Cover and reserve until cooled to room temperature.
• Once the infused milk has cooled, transfer to the jar of a blender and add the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt and vegetable oil. Blend until well combined.
• Pour the liquid mixture into a large bowl. Start adding the dry ingredients, sifting them into the bowl with the aid of a fine mesh sieve. Start with the cocoa powder, followed by baking soda, baking powder and flour. Whisk to combine, being careful not to overmix.
• Pour the batter into the prepared ramekins. Place them in baking sheets and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 15-20 minutes.
• When cakes are done, remove from oven and let them cool. Then, run a butter knife along the circumference and unmold the cakes.
• Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half. Spread about 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche in the cut side of one of the halves. Top with the second half, creating a sandwich. Repeat with all the cakes. Reserve.
• Temper the chocolate: Place two-thirds of the chopped chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler or in a large bowl set over a smaller saucepan filled with barely simmering water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and it reaches a temperature of 118°F (see notes). Remove from the double boiler and add the remaining chocolate, stirring until dissolved and cooled to a temperature of 88 - 89° F. That could take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. The chocolate is now tempered and ready to use.
• Dip each cake into the tempered chocolate, with the aid of two forks, and set them into parchment paper to set.
• Once set, enjoy right away or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 weeks, in the fridge for up to one month or freeze for up to 3 months.

HONEY CAKE (LEKACH)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease and flour or line with parchment paper two 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.
• In the bowl of a mixer, combine the brown sugar, salt, eggs, oil, honey, cinnamon, cloves and allspice and mix, using the flat (paddle) beater at low-medium speed until well blended, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the water and baking soda and continue mixing until blended.
• Add the flour 1 cup at a time, letting each addition blend before adding the next. Continue beating for about 10 minutes. The batter will be loose, stringy and very, very sticky.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans, top with nuts and/or fruit, if desired.
• Bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until done.
• Remove to a rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning the cakes out of the pans.

SPICED HONEY CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9" cake pan with nonstick spray and line bottom with a parchment paper round. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a large bowl to combine.
• Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, honey, egg, and egg yolk in another large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard pod. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat mixture until pale and thickened, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually pour in orange juice and whey. Beat until frothy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; beat just until smooth and homogenous (it will be thin, like pancake batter).
• Pour into prepared pan and bake until cake is golden brown and center springs back when gently pressed (a cake tester will not come out clean), 45-55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in pan, 20 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cake to loosen and invert onto rack; let cool completely.
• Do Ahead
• Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• Frosting and Assembly:
• Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest, and salt and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard pod. Beat on low speed until mixture is very light and thickened, about 2 minutes; scrape down sides of bowl. With motor running, add coconut cream by the tablespoonful and beat until very soft peaks form (save coconut milk for another use).
• Pile frosting on top of cake and spread to edges (it's okay if it cascades over the sides). Decorate with bee pollen, fennel fronds, flowers, and berries, if desired.

QUICK AND EASY HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C (375F).
• Place flour and sugar in a bowl.
• In another bowl combine butter, eggs, honey and sour cream mix until well combined.
• Add butter mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Spoon mix into ring tin and bake 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

GLUTEN-FREE HONEY CAKE (TRADITIONAL FOR ROSH HASHANAH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cover the bottom of a 9" circular baking pan with parchment paper, then spray the inside of the pan lightly with baking spray.
• Stir together the flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Separate the eggs. In one bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. In another bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, honey, oil, applesauce and orange zest.
• Using a whisk or hand beater, add the flour mixture and orange juice to the wet mixture slowly. When mixed thoroughly, fold the egg whites carefully into the batter, stirring just until ingredients are fully combined.
• Pour batter into pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Remove from oven and allow to cool before carefully removing from pan and placing onto a cooling rack.