Pastry Cream For Genoise Layer Cake Food

GENOISE LAYER CAKE WITH RUM SYRUP AND WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter two 9-inch cake pans, line bottom with parchement paper and set aside.
• Wisk egg yolks and 1 cup sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar has desolved and mixture is warm, 3 to 4 minutes. attach bowl to mixer fitted with the wisk attachment. add vanilla and salt. Beat on mudium speed until the mixture is pale and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a latge bowl.
• Put egg whites into the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wisk attachment. Beat egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. gradually add remailing 1/2 cup sugar. Beating until stif, glossy peaks form.
• Fold one-third of the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. Fold in the remaining egg white mixture. fold in flour, then butter, until just combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, then remove the parchment paper. reinvert and let cool completely.
• For the syrup bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Cook, stiring consistantly, until sugar has dissolved. Stop stiring and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum, let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the whipped cream: Put cream, sugar and vanilla into a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wisk attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until medium peaks form.
• Assemble the cake:.
• Put pastry cream into the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wisk attachement. Beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Trim tops of cakes to be flat and halve each horizontally.
• Place 1 layer on a cake plate and brush top with syrup, then spred with half the pastery cream. top with the second cake layer, brush top with syrup. Top with 1/4-inch-thick layer of whipped cream. Top with the third cake layer. Bruch with syrup, then spread with remaining pastry cream. Top with final cake layer and brush with syrup. Insert a wooden skewer through center to hold layers together. Using kitchen shears, cup skewer flush with top of cake. Spread whipped crean all over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours. Decorate cake plate with leaves, if desired. Discard skewer after slicing cake.
• PASTERY CREAM:.
• Bring milk, 1/4 cup sugar, the vanilla bean and seeds, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over mediun heat.
• Wisk egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. wisk in cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time. Ladle 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into yolk mixture, wisking. Add remaininf milk mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. pour mixture into a pan and heat. wisking constantly, until mixture comes to a simmer and has thickened, about 2 minutes. discard vanilla bean.
• Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter and mix on medium speed until butter has melted and mixture has cooled, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl and plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours (up to 2 days).

VANILLA GENOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of One 8 or 9 inch round cake pan OR 8-inch square pan, OR 11x17 sheet pan with parchment, and spray lightly with some sort of spray release (like Pam).
• Combine the butter and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Set aside somewhere warm (you want the butter to stay melted).
• Combine the flour with 3 tbl.
• of the sugar and sift again.
• Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, combine the eggs and rest of the sugar.
• Place the mixing bowl in a large pan of hot (not boiling, very hot tap water is good) water, and mix with your VERY CLEAN hand (kids love this part) until the eggs feel warm to the touch (body temp)*.
• Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on high speed until cool, light and at the ribbon stage (when you lift the beaters, ribbons of batter fall back into the bowl and don't disappear very quickly).
• Now, everyone says to use a rubber spatula, but I find it much easier to use my hand to do this next part**.
• Sprinkle about 1/3 of the flour onto the eggs and quickly and gently fold into the batter.
• Fold in half the remaining, then the rest.
• Take about a handful of the batter and mix into the small bowl of butter and vanilla until well combined.
• Gently fold that back into the batter.
• Divide between the pans and bake as follows: for an 8" square, 20-25 min.
• ;an 8" round, 25-30 minutes; a 9" round, 20-25 minutes; and an 11x17 sheet pan, 15-20 minutes.
• The cakes should JUST BEGIN to shrink away from the side of the pans, and should spring back when you lightly touch them in the center.
• Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a flat surface and let cool completely before peeling off the parchment.
• Set aside until ready to use.
• DO NOT OVERBAKE.
• This cake is best if allowed to sit a day before using in trifles.
• NOTE 1: Genoise is supposed to be a dry cake.
• It was made specifically to take moist toppings so it could soak them up.
• *NOTE2: I learned to use my hand when warming yolks in culinary school.
• The idea is that as soon as it feels warm on your hand, it is at the perfect temperature to whip to ribbon stage.
• **NOTE3: I learned to fold flour into delicate batters like this with my VERY CLEAN hand in culinary school also.
• At first I thought it was stupid, but I quickly saw it was the best way to be able to tell if all of your flour is mixed in and avoid any un-incorporated flour bits.
• I mix angelfood cakes this way, too.
• Children love to do this!

GéNOISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the flour and salt together. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan; cover the bottom with a circle of wax or parchment paper, butter the paper, and sift a little flour over the whole pan; invert and tap out excess flour.
• Use an electric mixer to beat the eggs until doubled in volume and very thick and light, at least 5 minutes. Add half the sugar and beat for another 5 minutes or so, gradually adding the remaining sugar, until nearly tripled in volume. (When you remove the whisk from the eggs, a ribbon of egg will fall from the beaters and hold its shape on top of the mixture for a few seconds. It's a very satisfying sight.) Beat in the vanilla.
• Use a rubber spatula to fold the flour-salt mixture into this batter, a third at a time, gently but thoroughly. Finally, and very gently, fold in the melted butter. Turn the batter into the cake pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake is just firm and slightly springy.
• Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Run a knife around the edge, cover the pan with a rack, and invert the rack and pan. Cool, then store, covered with wax paper and at room temperature, for no more than a day, or wrap well in plastic and freeze for up to a week.