Edward Kostyras Birthday Cake Food

EDWARD KOSTYRA'S BIRTHDAY CAKE

Steps:

• Make the frosting: Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Pour over chocolate and let sit, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Gently whisk until combined and smooth. Whisk in the corn syrup.
• Let cool to room temperature, then transfer ganache to refrigerator and chill, stirring frequently and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula, until slightly stiff and cool enough to spread, about 1 hour. If frosting becomes too firm, briefly place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until desired consistency is reached. Frosting should be smooth and spreadable, but not runny.
• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto the rack; peel off the parchment. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
• Make the orange curd: Combine yolks, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let mixture come to a vigorous simmer and cook, continually scraping sides of pan, for 2 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. If desired, strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until chilled and very firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 1/2 weeks.
• Assemble cake: Using a serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes to make level. Split each layer into two, for a total of four. Place bottom layer on a rotating cake stand and with an offset spatula, carefully top with 1/2 cup of orange curd, leaving a 1-inch border. Place the second cake layer on top, spread with another 3/4 cup of the orange curd. Repeat with the third layer; top with the final cake layer. Insert 3 wooden skewers into the top of the cake to secure.
• For the crumb coat, spread the entire cake with a thin coat of frosting using an offset spatula. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Spread the entire cake with remaining frosting, swirling to coat in a decorative fashion. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered with a cake dome. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.

SWEDISH MERINGUE CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES AND ORANGE FILLING

Steps:

• Line the bottoms of 3 buttered 9- by 2-inch cake pans with rounds of wax paper, butter the paper, and dust the pans with flour, knocking out the excess. Into a bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar until mixture is light and fluffy, add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the milk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating well after each addition, and divide the batter among the prepared pans, spreading and smoothing it.
• In the cleaned bowl with cleaned beaters beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, add the remaining 1 cup sugar, a little at a time, and beat the meringue until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold in the almonds gently but thoroughly. (Do not beat in the almonds.) Spread the meringue over the batter, smoothing it, and bake the layers in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, invert the layers onto rack, and discard the wax paper. The cake layers may be made 1 day in advance and kept wrapped in plastic wrap.
• Make the orange filling:
• In a heavy saucepan whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. In a bowl whisk together the zests, the juices, and the yolks and whisk the yolk mixture into the sugar mixture until the mixture is combined well. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking, boil it gently, whisking, for 2 minutes, and let it cool, whisking occasionally.
• Arrange one of the layers, meringue side up, on a serving plate, spread half the orange filling on it, and spread half the chopped strawberries on the filling. Arrange another layer, meringue side up, on the strawberries, spread the remaining filling on it, and spread the remaining chopped strawberries on the filling. Arrange the remaining layer, meringue side up, on the strawberries. The cake may be assembled up to this point 6 hours in advance and kept covered with plastic wrap and chilled.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream until it holds soft peaks, beat in the confectioners' sugar, and beat the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a circle of it decoratively around the top edge of the cake. Pipe another circle of cream 1 inch inside the first circle, pipe a rosette in the center, and pipe another circle of cream around the base of the cake. Quarter lengthwise 10 of the reserved strawberries, arrange them decoratively inside the concentric circles, and arrange the remaining strawberry on the rosette.