Tiger Cake Food

TIGER POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a bundt pan and coat with flour, dusting off any excess flour.
• In a stand mixer, beat the butter using the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until soft and creamy, anywhere from 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until fluffy and puffy.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the eggs with vanilla and sour cream.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low, and take turns adding flour mixture and egg mixture. Continue beating until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula if need be. Transfer 1/3 the dough to another bowl, leaving the remaining 2/3 of the dough in the mixer.
• In a small bowl, thoroughly combine the hot water and cocoa. With a rubber spatula, fold the cocoa mixture into the 1/3 of the batter set aside in an extra bowl until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
• To the batter left in the mixer, add the orange zest, almond extract and orange juice, and beat until completely mixed.
• With two ice cream scoops or measuring cups, alternate dropping the chocolate batter and the orange-almond batter into the bundt pan. When all the batter is in the pan, run a butter knife or a skewer through it to create the marbled look.
• Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until springy to the touch, lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out moist, but not wet. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool.
• Once cool, run a butter knife around the cake and invert onto a platter. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.

TIGER TEA CAKES: LES TIGRES

Steps:

• Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 48 mini-muffin tins. (There is enough batter to make 48 cakes in tins with a 2-tablespoon capacity or 16 cakes in standard muffin tins holding 1/3 cup.)
• Working in a medium mixing bowl with a whisk, beat the egg whites just to break them up. Add the ground almonds, sugar, flour and corn syrup and stir until the batter is smooth. (If you'd like, you can cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for as long as overnight.)
• Put the butter in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Remove the butter from the heat and stir it into the batter. When the batter is no longer warm, stir in the chocolate chips.
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin tin. (If you are using regular-size tins, use about 3 tablespoons of batter for each muffin mold.) Bake the cakes for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden; a knife inserted in the center of the cakes should come out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 2 or 3 minutes, then turn them out onto racks to cool to room temperature.
• When the cakes are cool, you can top them with ganache, if you wish.
• Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the cream over the chocolate, let rest 30 seconds, then gently stir the cream into the chocolate with a small whisk. (Stir, do not beat -- you don't want to beat air into the ganache.) The ganache is now ready to be used as a dip.
• To dip: Place the tiger cakes upside down on a cooling rack. (To protect your counter, put a sheet of parchment or foil under the rack.) One by one, dip the bottoms of the cakes into the ganache, glazing them with ganache to about the half-way point. Return the cakes to the rack to set - about 1 hour at room temperature or 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Keeping: Tigres will keep in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days, although ganache-topped tigres are best eaten the day they are made. Packed airtight, tiger cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month.

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and fit a circle of parchment paper at the base.
• Bring the butter just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn off the heat and leave the saucepan on the burner to keep the butter warm while you make the cake batter.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until thoroughly blended. Add the almond flour and whisk. If the almond flour is lumpy, use your fingers to break up the clumps. Switch to a spatula and add the egg whites in 3 additions, stirring until the batter is smooth and easily flows off the spatula. Stir in the vanilla until incorporated. Add the butter in 3 additions, folding until it is completely incorporated and you've got a smooth batter with a light sheen. Stir in the chopped chocolate, mixing well. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
• Bake until golden brown, evenly risen and pulling away from the sides of the pan, 37 to 40 minutes. A tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and leave for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the sides of the pan, flip the cake over, remove the pan, peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving or covering with ganache.
• If you'd like, make the topping: Put the cream in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together until blended, thick and shiny. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula or kitchen knife to spread it across the cake. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Either leave the cake on the counter to allow the ganache to set a bit (it will never be really firm) or refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. The cake is best at room temperature. Covered, it will keep for about 3 days at room temperature.

ALICE MEDRICH'S TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees F.
• If using a 10 or 12" tube or bundt pan, grease and flour the pan; if using two 6-cup loaf pans, line the pans with parchment.
• In a small bowl, mix the cocoa, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water together until well blended; set aside.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt thoroughly and sift together onto a piece of waxed paper; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl (with the whisk attachment if you have it), beat the sugar, oil, vanilla and pepper until well blended.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stop the mixer and add one third of the flour mixture; beat on low speed until just blended.
• Stop the mixer and add half the milk; beat on low until just blended.
• Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk and the rest of the flour.
• Pour three cups of the batter into another bowl and stir in the cocoa mixture.
• Pour one third of the plain batter into the prepared pan (or divide between the two loaf pans)and top with one third of the chocolate batter.
• Repeat with the remaining batters, but don't worry about marbling--it happens by itself during the baking.
• Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about one hour and ten minutes for either the bundt/tube pan or the loaf pans.
• Cool in the pan(s) on a rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the cake from the sides of the pan(s) to release, invert and invert again so the cake ends up right side up on the rack.
• Cool completely before slicing.

TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Brush the inside of 2 8-9 cup bundt pans with melted butter and coat with crumbs.
• (you can spray and flour if you must).
• Preheat oven to 375.
• Whip egg yolks with 9 oz of sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add milk and cooled melted butter.
• Sift flour and baking powder together and mix into butter mixture.
• Whip egg whites until foamy.
• Very gradually add remaining 9 oz of sugar and whip just to stiff peaks.
• Carefully fold butter/flour mixture into whipped egg whites with a spatula.
• Sift cocoa powder into a bowl and gradually stir in 1/3 of the batter.
• Mix the lemon zest and vanilla into the remaining 2/3 of the batter.
• Spoon 1/4 of the white batter into each of the bundt pans and smooth.
• Spoon 1/2 of the chocolate batter into each of the bundt pans and smooth.
• Spoon remaining white batter equally into each bundt pan.
• Swirll batter in each pan with a knife.
• Bake for about 40 minutes or until cakes tests done.
• Cool 20 minutes and unmold onto a rack to cool completely.

FINNISH TIIKERIKKAKKU, TIGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Grease and flour a bundt pan.
• Beat butter and sugar together until creamy.
• Sift together flour and baking powder.
• Alternatively, add eggs and flour to the batter until all are combined.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Place 1/3 of cake batter into separate mixing bowl; stir in cocoa and juice of 1/2 orange.
• In original bowl, stir in all of orange zest and juice of remaining 1/2 orange.
• Spread 1/3 of orange batter evenly in bottom of bundt pan.
• Gently dribble half of chocolate batter on top with a spoon or frosting bag.
• Repeat layers, ending with orange batter on top.
• Bake on center rack of oven for 1 hour or until cake tests done.