Caramel Almond Cake Toscatårta Food

CARAMEL ALMOND CAKE (TOSCATåRTA)

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix almond paste and butter on low speed, 1 minute. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a small bowl. Turn mixer up to medium and add the eggs one at a time to the almond paste mixture. Allow each egg to completely incorporate into the batter, about 30 seconds, before adding the next one; this will ensure a smooth batter. Slowly add flour and continue mixing just to incorporate, 10-15 seconds.
• Prepare a springform pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper (this will prevent the cake from sticking). Pour batter into the pan, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Parbake until lightly golden, 10 minutes.
• Caramel topping: While cake is in the oven, add ½ cup cream, sugar, glucose, and butter to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook undisturbed until caramel is light brown and registers 244 F on a kitchen thermometer, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almonds to combine. As you stir, avoid scraping up any browned caramel that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Remove cake from the oven; it will be gooey and not fully cooked. Carefully pour the warm caramel onto the cake; spread evenly. Return to the oven; bake until the caramel is golden brown and bubbly, 10 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven and let cool, 10-15 minutes. The top will firm up as it cools. Remove cake from pan by running a knife around the edge, then remove the sides from the base. (Keep the cake on the base for serving.) While the cake is cooling, whip cream for serving: Place remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form, 30 seconds. Slice cooled cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

STUFFED CABBAGE (KåLDOLMAR)

Steps:

• Cabbage and rice: Cut out the core of the cabbage with a sharp knife. Remove the large, bitter outer leaves from the cabbage and discard. Carefully pull off the remaining larger leaves (about 10 of them), keeping them whole and as undamaged as possible. (Reserve the remaining cabbage for another use, such as Hugh Acheson's Apple-Cabbage Slaw). Meanwhile, add rice, milk, and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low simmer and cook uncovered until the grains absorb the milk, stirring occasionally, 10-20 minutes.
• Onion and potatoes: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; sauté onions until soft, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes. Set aside for the meat filling. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover. Add a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until soft, 10-12 minutes. While the potatoes are simmering, check the rice. The mixture should begin to look like a porridge, with the grains intact. (This will act as a binder for the meat, as well as providing moisture.)
• Cabbage: Prepare an ice bath. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; blanch the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or until pliable. Remove leaves and immediately plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Set aside on paper towels to dry. Meanwhile, check the rice mixture. When the rice has absorbed all the milk, spread it on a plate to quickly cool, 5 minutes. (Note: Rice can be prepared up to 1 day ahead.)
• Meat filling: In a large mixing bowl, add beef, pork, eggs, sautéed onions, milk, a big pinch salt (about 1 teaspoon) and white pepper (about 1 teaspoon), and the cooled rice. Combine well with your hands, a whisk, or wooden spoon. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed.) To check the seasoning, fry a small bit of the meat mixture and taste it.
• Assemble rolls: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Carefully cut out 1 inch of the thick center vein from the leaves, so they will be easier to roll up. Place 3-4 tablespoons of the meat filling (depending on the size of the cabbage leaf) into the center of a leaf and, starting at what was the stem-end, fold the sides in and roll up the cabbage to enclose the filling (like a burrito). Place the roll seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining leaves and meat, arranging the rolls side by side in rows. Drizzle agave syrup over rolls and bake, 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, remove dish from oven. Pour enough broth over the rolls to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Place back in oven for another 20 minutes.
• Sauce: Cabbage rolls are done when brown on top and the meat is cooked through. Remove cabbage rolls from the dish and strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a skillet. Bring liquid to a boil and reduce by half, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Whisk in cream, add a pinch of salt, and continue boiling to thicken slightly, 1 more minute. (Sauce will be on the brothy side.) Meanwhile, drain the potatoes and place in a bowl; add 1 tablespoon butter and salt to taste.
• Place cabbage rolls and potatoes on a plate; add a few dollops of lingonberry jam on the side. Drizzle sauce over everything. Serve.

FUDGY CHOCOLATE CAKE (KLADDKAKA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, sift the flour and cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve onto a sheet of parchment, to remove any lumps. Set aside. Crack the eggs into a bowl; add the sugar and whisk well to combine. As soon as the butter has melted, add the chocolate; stir with a wooden spoon to combine as the chocolate melts, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the flour and cocoa mixture to the eggs, little by little, stirring well between additions to prevent lumps. Once the batter is well mixed and smooth, add the melted butter and chocolate; stir well to combine. Spray the bottom and sides of a springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour in the batter; place in the oven to bake, 20-25 minutes.
• Cake is done when a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake before removing from pan, 10-15 minutes. (Note: In the meantime, make the whipped cream. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip heavy cream on medium speed, 30 seconds. Turn to high and whip until medium peaks form, 1 minute.) When cake has cooled, cut into slices and garnish with whipped cream, fresh berries, and a dusting of confectioner's sugar before serving.

TOSCAKAKA / TOSCA CAKE (SWEDISH ALMOND CAKE)

Steps:

• For Cake:.
• Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
• Sift 1 cup plus 1 tablespoons of flour with baking powder and salt.
• Stir in flour mixture alternately with cream, stir until well blended.
• Add melted butter or margarine, blend until smooth.
• Butter a pie plate and sprinkle with fine, dry breadcrumbs or flour; coat well. Spoon batter into 9" pie plate. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until middle of cake is firm.
• For Almond Sugar Topping:.
• Combine almonds with remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring until mixture begins to bubble.
• Remove from heat and stir briskly a few times.
• Spread top of cake very gently with Topping.
• Turn up heat to 375 degrees, return cake to oven and bake 5-10 minutes longer, with a cookie sheet under the pan to prevent the bottom of cake from getting overdone. bake cake until topping is brown and bubbly.