Gingerbread Layer Cake With Candied Kumquats Food

GINGERBREAD TRIFLE WITH CANDIED KUMQUATS AND WINE-POACHED CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• For candied kumquats:
• Stir sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add kumquats; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until soft mixture to medium bowl. Cool. Cover and chill until cold. DO AHEAD: Can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• Before using, pour kumquat mixture through strainer; set kumquats aside for trifle. (Reserve syrup for another use.)
• For wine-poached cranberries :
• Stir wine and sugar in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil wine mixture 5 minutes. Add cranberries and simmer until soft but still intact, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Cool. Cover and chill until cold. DO AHEAD: Can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• Before using, pour cranberry mixture through strainer; set cranberries aside for trifle. (Reserve syrup for another use.)
• For gingerbread cake:
• Combine stout and molasses in large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will foam up). Let stand until completely cool, about 1 hour.
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess. Whisk 2 cups flour and next 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Whisk eggs and both sugars in medium bowl to blend. Whisk oil, then stout mixture into egg mixture. Gradually whisk stout-egg mixture into flour mixture. Stir in fresh ginger. Divide batter among prepared pans (about 12/3 cups for each).
• Place 2 cake pans on top rack and 1 cake pan on bottom rack of oven. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, reversing position of pans halfway through baking, about 28 minutes total. Cool cakes in pans on rack 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks; cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature.
• For mascarpone cheese:
• Using electric mixer, beat mascarpone in large bowl until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and beat until peaks form and mixture is smooth (do not overbeat or mixture may curdle). Cover and chill up to 2 hours.
• Using serrated knife, cut each of 2 cakes in half horizontally for a total of 4 cake layers. (Reserve remaining cake for another use.) Trim 1 cake layer to 7-inch round. Place trimmed cake round in bottom of 7 3/4-inch-diameter, 43/4-inch-deep trifle dish. Scatter scant 1/2 cup drained kumquats in single layer over cake. Top with 11/3 cups mascarpone cream, spreading evenly to sides of dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup drained cranberries over. Repeat 2 more times with cake layer, kumquats, mascarpone cream, and cranberries. Top with fourth cake layer. Spread 1 1/3 cups mascarpone cream over. Spoon remaining cream into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes of mascarpone cream around top edge of dish. Tent loosely with foil; chill at least 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Cover and chill remaining kumquats and cranberries separately.
• Scatter remaining kumquats and cranberries over center of trifle and serve.
• An Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.

GINGERBREAD LAYER CAKE WITH CANDIED KUMQUATS

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three nonstick 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Bring cola to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat; whisk in baking soda, then molasses. Transfer to large bowl; cool to room temperature. Whisk flour and next 6 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar, oil, and eggs into molasses mixture. Whisk in dry ingredients. Divide batter among prepared pans (about 1 2/3 cups batter for each).
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool cakes completely.
• For candied kumquats:
• Bring first 5 ingredients to boil in heavy large skillet, stirring to dissolve sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add kumquats; reduce heat to medium and simmer until almost tender, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer kumquats to plate. Boil syrup until reduced to 2/3 cup, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Cool syrup.
• For frosting:
• Stir brown sugar and whipping cream in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; cool caramel completely. Transfer 1/4 cup caramel to small bowl and reserve. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Beat remaining caramel into frosting until well blended.
• Chop enough candied kumquats to measure 1/3 cup; mix in small bowl with 1 tablespoon kumquat syrup. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Dot with half of chopped-kumquat mixture. Drizzle with half of reserved caramel. Top with second cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Dot with remaining chopped-kumquat mixture. Drizzle with remaining reserved caramel. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange enough sliced kumquats in single layer atop cake just to cover. Mix pecans and ginger in small bowl. Press nut mixture halfway up sides of cake. Chill 1 hour. (Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover cake with cake dome; chill overnight. Cover remaining kumquat syrup; let stand at room temperature.) Drizzle some kumquat syrup over kumquats atop cake. Serve cake cold or at room temperature.

CANDIED KUMQUATS RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash the kumquats. Slice them crosswise into thin rounds (no thicker than 1/16 inch). Remove and discard any seeds as you come across them. Put the kumquat slices into a bowl.
• In a small saucepan, make a simple syrup by bringing the sugar and the water to a simmer over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Pour the still warm simple syrup over the kumquat slices in the bowl. Stir gently to make sure that all of the kumquat rounds are coated with the syrup. Let the fruit sit in the syrup at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 175F. Alternatively, you could use your dehydrator set to 155F (expect a slightly longer drying time).
• Drain the kumquat pieces in a colander set over a large bowl (be sure to save the delicious citrus-flavored syrup for another use-try it in cocktails or use it to make preserved whole kumquats).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the syrup-coated kumquat slivers out on the sheet in a single layer with none of the pieces touching. Bake the sugared kumquat for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Take the baking sheet out of the oven. Turn over each piece of candied kumquat. Yes, this part is a bit labor intensive. Trust me, it's worth it. Bake for another 10 minutes.
• Let the candied kumquat pieces cool completely before transferring them to storage containers. They will keep for several months if stored away from moisture and heat. ​ Additional serving suggestions: