Maple Ginger Cake With Ganache Drip Food

GINGER CAKE: BOLO DO GENGIBRE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to moderately slow (325 degrees F.) Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices onto a piece of wax paper and set aside. Cream together the butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy-light. Add the molasses and cream well; beat in the eggs yolks, 1 at a time. Combine the Madeira and the milk. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the combined liquids, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and fold gently into the batter but thoroughly.
• Pour the batter into a well-greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake beings to pull from the sides of the pan and feels springy to the touch. Cool the cake right-side up in its pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; loosen with a spatula then the cake out of the rack, remove the pan, and cool to room temperature before cutting. Serve plain, or frost if you like with your favorite butter cream to which you have added about 1 tablespoon of Madeira wine and 2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped preserved ginger.

CHOCOLATE BLACK-OUT CAKE WITH GANACHE DRIZZLE

Steps:

• I made this cake in a set of metal dry measure cups. You can use a traditional 9-inch baking pan, if you prefer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the cake: Melt the butter into the coffee. When the butter has melted, whisk in the buttermilk.
• Placed the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and place on low speed. Add the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda 1 at a time and mix just until combined. Add the vanilla and the coffee buttermilk mixture. Mix just until combined.
• If you are using dry measure cups, place the batter in a container with a spout to make it easier to pour the batter into the dry measure cups. Place the measuring cup molds onto a cookie sheet. Spray each cup with vegetable cooking spray. Fill each cup half full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• To make the ganache drizzle: Heat the heavy cream in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring about half of the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Then, slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous. Do not add all of the hot cream to the cold chocolate at once. The shock of the temperature extremes will cause the fat in the chocolate to separate. If the ganache separates, it loses its elasticity, collapses, and becomes very liquid. I use a hand-held immersion blender to ensure a smooth ganache and to keep the emulsion of the chocolate. Add the remaining cream gradually and mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is smooth and homogenous.
• Unmold the cakes and let cool on a wire rack placed over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. When cool, stack the cakes on top of each other with the largest cake on the bottom layer. Placing the cakes on a wire rack placed over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread the ganache over the cakes letting the excess drizzle over the sides. Use an offset spatula to move the cakes to the presentation plate.
• Make the chocolate curls: Use a block of white chocolate. Pull a vegetable peeler over the edge to create chocolate curls. Use the curls to decorate the cakes.

MAPLE GINGER CAKE WITH GANACHE DRIP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt in medium bowl.
• Mix together the buttermilk, maple syrup and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the grated ginger and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually add the dry and wet ingredients, alternating, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• For the maple buttercream: Beat the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined. Add the maple syrup and beat until smooth.
• To assemble: Place one cake onto a serving plate or cake stand and fill the center with 1/2 cup of the cherry jam. Add the buttercream to a pastry bag or re-sealable bag with the corner snipped off and pipe it around outside of the jam to seal the jam in the center of the cake. Top with another cake and the remaining 1/2 cup cherry jam and pipe to seal. Top with the last cake. Crumb coat and frost the cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate until the frosting is set, about 20 minutes.
• Put the ganache into a squeeze bottle and drip it down the edge of the cake. Squeeze a small amount on top of the cake and spread to cover (or leave the top uncovered). Stick chocolate shards into the top of the cake and scatter chocolate malt balls about the top. Sprinkle with edible glitter.
• Place the chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal).
• Warm the heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it just starts to boil. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When you see that it's just starting to boil, pour it into your bowl of chips and let sit for 1 minute. Then whisk it together until it's uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chips left on your whisk. Cool the ganache at room temperature for about 30 minutes (or until the ganache itself is room temperature).

GINGERBREAD SHEET CAKE WITH WHIPPED CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch light colored metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with a piece of parchment that hangs over the 2 long sides.
• In a large bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, and use an electric mixer on medium or a whisk to beat the mixture until light and foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the buttermilk, molasses, butter and oil, and mix until combined and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt, and mix to incorporate.
• Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and mix until no streaks of dry ingredients remain, about 1 minute.
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and tap on the counter a few times to release any large bubbles. Bake until puffed and set, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 28 to 34 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan set on a rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cake out of the pan. Set it on a rack to cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make the ganache: Add the chocolate and butter to a large bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter in the bowl, and whisk until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and whisk until incorporated. Let the mixture sit until slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
• When the cake is cool and the ganache is thickened, whip the ganache on high speed until it's lighter in both texture and color, fluffy, and holds soft peaks, about 10 minutes.
• Dollop the ganache over the cooled cake, and use a spoon to spread it over the cake in swoops and swirls. Top with chopped crystallized ginger or shaved chocolate if desired. Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

FRANCES BISSELL'S GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Line and grease 2 a pound terrine or loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients together. Rub in the butter. Melt the molasses, syrup and honey. Dissolve the sugar in the milk, heating gently. Allow to cool, then add the liquids to the dry ingredients. Add the ginger and the eggs. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted in the middle and held there for 10 seconds comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan completely, before removing and wrapping in greaseproof paper and foil. The cake keeps well and freezes.