Gingerbread Cakes With Eggnog Creme Anglaise Spiced Carame Food

STEAMED CORIANDER-GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH EGGNOG CRèME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Bring a large kettle of water to a boil-you'll need 1-1/2 cups for the cake batter and about 2 quarts for the steaming pan.
• Position one rack in the center of the oven and another beneath it in the lowest slot. Set a 10x15x2-inch baking pan or Pyrex dish on the lower rack and fill the pan halfway with boiling water. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two 9×2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment. Apply another light coat of cooking spray to the parchment.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Put the chopped dates in a small bowl with 3 Tbs. of the flour mixture. Pull apart any date pieces that may be stuck together and toss to evenly coat with the flour.
• Crush the coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Alternatively, seal the seeds in a zip-top plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them finely.
• Put the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter on medium speed until very soft and smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the molasses and beat again on medium speed just until evenly incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 10 seconds after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed between additions. The batter will look broken.
• Measure out 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Turn the mixer to very low speed or, if you prefer, do all remaining mixing by hand. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the boiling water in five additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until each addition is incorporated, as overmixing will lead to a tougher cake-it's fine if the batter looks slightly lumpy. Stir in the reserved date-flour mixture, crushed coriander seeds, and chopped walnuts. The batter will be quite loose.
• Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans. Set both pans on the center rack and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 55 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans about 10 minutes and then invert them onto cooling racks and peel off the parchment paper. (Allow the water-filled baking pan to cool in the oven until it can be safely moved without spilling hot water.)
• Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature. Cut each cake into 8 to 10 slices and serve each piece with 2 to 3 Tbs. of Eggnog Crème Anglaise.

SKILLET GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH EGGNOG ROYAL ICING

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch round pan or skillet with butter and lightly coat with flour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, crystallized ginger, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses and milk. Whisk in the egg and orange zest.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and there are no more lumps. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until the edges look dark and the middle feels firm to the touch. Set the pan on a rack to cool.
• For the eggnog royal icing: Measure out half of the powdered sugar and place in the bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl, then add the egg white, rum, bourbon, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, salt, cream of tartar and heavy cream. Mix at low speed with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, adding the remaining powdered sugar. Increase speed to medium and beat until thick and smooth. It should have the texture of a loose buttercream, thick and malleable.
• Pour the icing over the warm cake and spread evenly with a small spatula. Slice and serve.

GINGERBREAD CAKES WITH EGGNOG CREME ANGLAISE & SPICED CARAME

Steps:

• Make eggnog creme anglaise: in med saucepan, combine sugar and cream.
• Bring to a boil. over med high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
• Place egg yolks and salt in a bowl and whisk until blended. Set aside.
• Once cream and sugar are boiling whisk 1 cup hot cream into the eggs, gradually. Return egg yolk mixture to the sauce and cook.
• Stirring constantly with wooden spoon for 1-3 minutes, or until custard is thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon.
• Immediately strain into a bowl set over a larger bowl filled with ice. Stir custard for 10 minutes or until cooled. Stir in vanilla, rum, bourbon and nutmeg.
• Press plastic wrap on surface of custard. Refrigerate until thickened and cold at least 2 hours.
• Make Spiced Caramel Sauce.
• Place sugar, water, lemon juice and corn syrup in heavy-bottomed saucepan. Mix sugar with water, corn syrup and lemon juice - should look like wet sand.
• Bring to a boil over med high heat. Stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Continue to boil without stirring, until syrup turns to a deep caramel color swirl to evenly distribute color. WATCH syrup closely.
• Remove from heat and immediately pour in cream. Allow mixture to bubble up and settle stir in butter. Add spices and stir until well combined.
• Cool pour into container and refrigerate can be warmed before serving.
• Gingerbread Cakes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Original recipe used molds and tin foil. . . I have a mini bundt cake pan (large cupcakes or muffin tin would work) that I used instead. I sprayed with cooking spray.
• Sift Flour, spices, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
• Original recipe called for coriander seeds and crushing them with a rolling pin I just used ground coriander and only half the amount called for since it was already ground.
• Dice dates into pieces and coat with 2 tablespoons of flour set aside.
• In large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of bowl. Beat in molasses. Add eggs one at a time beating well after adding each egg.
• Add flour and boiling water alternately. Scraping down sides as necessary. Mix in walnuts (I skipped the nuts as our family has allergies to walnuts), dates and coriander seed (I added this to the flour).
• 1/3 cup batter in each large muffin tin. Bake 15-17 minutes. Turn out on wire rack and cover with plastic wrap over the top. When warm place in zip lock bags.
• Serve each cake with 3 tablespoons creme anglaise on plate before plating cake, and 1 tablespoon caramel sauce on top.

SPICED GINGERBREAD MINI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the spiced gingerbread cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, molasses, sour cream and egg in a large bowl until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk just to combine. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups.
• Bake until puffed and a tester in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then use an offset spatula to ease them out and completely cool.
• For the lemon cream cheese frosting. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth, then beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Split the cooled cupcakes in half crosswise. Spread or pipe a little filling on the cut side of each cupcake bottom. Top with the cupcake tops. Spread or pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate as desired.

GINGERBREAD CAKE (SPICY)

Steps:

• Butter a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan well and dust with flour, shaking out excess.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
• Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat.
• Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.
• Whisk together eggs and both sugars.
• Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture.
• Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
• Pour batter into bundt pan and bang pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles.
• Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes.
• Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
• You can serve the gingerbread immediately, dusting lightly with confectioners sugar, and/or adding whipped cream.
• You can also hold the gingerbread for a day before serving, as the flavors develop with some time.