Toasted Pecan And Ginger Cake Food

GINGER-PECAN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with two racks in center. Line bottoms of three 8-by-2-inch buttered cake pans with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides with flour; tap out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger into a medium bowl. Add ground pecans, and whisk to combine; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating each time until batter is no longer slick, about 5 minutes; scrape down sides twice.
• With the mixer set on low, add flour mixture to sugar-butter mixture, alternating with milk, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture; scrape down bowl twice. Beat in grated ginger and vanilla. Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pans if necessary for even browning.
• Transfer pans to wire racks to cool, about 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and return to wire racks, tops up; let cool.
• Meanwhile, place creme fraiche in a medium bowl, and whip with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add bourbon and confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks return. Cover, and refrigerate to firm, about 1 hour.
• To assemble cake, remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Set aside prettiest layer; it will be used for top of cake. Place one layer on serving platter, and spread with half the creme-fraiche filling; repeat with second layer. Top cake with reserved third. Chill cake while icing is being prepared. Pour the icing onto the center point on the top of the cake, and let it flow down the sides. When the icing has set slightly, 5 to 10 minutes, arrange the pecan halves and crystallized ginger on the top. Serve.

ROSELLA GINGER PECAN TORTE: WEDDING CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Steaming pears: In a medium saucepan add about 3 inches water, the sugar, cut lemon slices and the lemongrass (lemon serai). (The lemongrass is optional.) Bring the water to a boil. Fit a steamer basket over the boiling water, add the pears and steam until tender. Remove the pears, drain, and coarsely grate. Press out any excess liquid for one hour before using, or substitute very well-drained, grated canned pears. Set aside.
• Ginger Syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, simmer together until the sugar dissolves, cool completely, then add the ginger wine and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour 2 (10 by 2 inch) deep cake pans and line the base with parchment.
• Sift together the flour, powdered ginger, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• Beat the butter, oil, vanilla, sugars, and treacle until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the remaining ingredients in the order given. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed using a stand mixer.
• Pour the batter into the pans that have been greased floured and parchment lined.
• Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, remove and cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then pour over the ginger syrup. Turn out onto a cooling rack when almost cold.
• Assembly:
• Level cakes if necessary. Secure the wax paper to the cake board with royal icing. Place the meringue dacquoise on wax paper. Smooth on a layer of washed cream, chocolate ganache, and the ginger marmalade to the meringue disk. Top with one of the cakes. Repeat the layers of washed cream, ganache, ginger marmalade, and the second meringue disk, top that with washed cream, ganache, and ginger marmalade, then add the second cake. Trim the meringue disks if necessary. Coat the entire cake with washed cream, then strained ginger marmalade. Cover tightly and securely with plastic wrap for 24 hours. Chill in the refrigerator. Remove the wrap and cover with white chocolate rolled fondant.
• This cake can be made and assembled for decorating 5 days before a wedding; in fact the maturing process improves the combination of flavors.
• Draw 2 (10-inch) circles on parchment, place on an oven tray.
• Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the sifted powdered sugar in three stages mixing well between each addition then add the vanilla. Fold. Add the nuts followed by the sifted dry ingredients with a light hand. Spoon into the circles, level and bake 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until a light golden brown.
• Heat the first 4 ingredients gently in a double boiler. Puree in the food processor then strain. Add the ginger wine after completely cooling.
• Whip the sugar, butter, honey, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Remove the bowl from mixer. Cover with chilled water swirl and squeeze through the fingers for a minute, drain the water thoroughly and re-beat until light and fluffy. Repeat six times until the mixture is pure white and the sugar is totally dissolved. This keeps very well covered in a cool place for a day or two without refrigeration. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a month.
• Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling, water, add the cream, pecans, and ginger, last, after cooling add the ginger wine. Stir well and allow the mixture to thicken.
• For every 2 pounds of either commercial or homemade rolled fondant melt either 2 cups of high ratio cocoa butter white chocolate or chocolate couverture (compound) and pour into the rested fondant then knead until thoroughly incorporated. If flaking occurs, microwave in 5-second increments until the fondant warms then any rough shards will disappear. Leave to rest overnight before using. This results in a wonderfully soft easy to manage rolled fondant. Warm in the microwave for a few seconds before kneading to use. If using couverture add 1/2 cup sifted Dutch-processed cocoa to the melted chocolate and knead well. Roll out on sifted cocoa.

GINGER-PECAN ROULADE WITH HONEY-GLAZED PECANS

Steps:

• Make cake layer:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of a 15- by 10- by 1-inch jelly-roll pan with foil, dull side up, and brush with melted butter. Dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.
• Finely grind pecans with cake flour, cocoa, spices, and salt in a food processor. Beat together yolks, brown sugar, and molasses with an electric mixer at high speed until mixture is very thick and pale brown and forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 2 minutes with a standing model and 5 minutes with a hand-held.
• Fold in pecan mixture gently but thoroughly. Transfer 1 cup batter to another bowl and fold in 1/4 cup melted butter, then fold butter mixture into remaining batter gently but thoroughly.
• Beat whites with cleaned beaters in another bowl until they just hold soft peaks (do not overbeat). Stir one fourth of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Spread batter evenly in jelly-roll pan and bake in middle of oven until set and firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack and cover with plastic wrap.
• Make filling:
• Beat cream with sugar until it just holds stiff peaks, then fold in 6 tablespoons crystallized ginger.
• Assemble roulade:
• Put an 18-inch length of foil on a work surface and sprinkle with some sugar. Invert cake onto foil sheet and gently peel off foil from top. Spoon three fourths of whipped cream over cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges.
• Beginning with a short side and using foil as an aid, roll up cake, jelly-roll fashion, and transfer, seam side down, to a platter.
• Just before serving, spoon remaining whipped cream on top of roulade and sprinkle with honey-glazed pecans and remaining crystallized ginger.

PUMPKIN PECAN CAKE WITH GINGER WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• You will need: Non-stick Vegetable Oil Spray, about a tablespoon of butter, a 12-Cup Bundt/Tube Pan, and an Electric Mixer with 4-Quart Bowl.
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup tube pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Generously butter pan. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.
• For the SPICED CAKE, mix 3 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in medium bowl.
• Using electric mixer, cream butter with both sugars in large bowl until very light and fluffy. (I used my electric stand mixer with a 4-quart glass bowl).
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in pumpkin, sour cream, molasses and rum.
• Mix in dry ingredients, toasted pecans and minced crystallized ginger. (I added the pecans at the very end, hand-stirring them in.).
• Pour batter into prepared pan, gently spreading evenly towards sides and around center. Batter will be thick.
• Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Cool cake 15 minutes in pan on rack. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. (Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature.).
• Sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Serve with Ginger Whipped Cream.
• For the GINGER WHIPPED CREAM, use electric mixer, beat whipping cream, sour cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl to soft peaks.
• Add rum and ground ginger and beat until almost stiff. (Can be prepared 5 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.).
• Hint #1: Toasting Nuts: I used a non-stick skillet. Turn on heat medium-high until pan is hot. Spread chopped pecans in single layer in pan and heat until their fragrance releases and they start to turn golden and brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

TOASTED BUTTER PECAN CAKE

Steps:

• In a small heavy skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter.
• Add pecans; cook over medium heat until toasted, about 4 minutes.
• Spread on foil to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
• Beat just until combined.
• Fold in pecans.
• Pour into three greased 9 inch round baking pans.
• Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla.
• Beat in enough milk to achieve spreading consistency.
• Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
• Sprinkle with pecans.
• Store in the refrigerator.

TOASTED PECAN AND GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Grease a 10-inch tube pan.
• Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla.
• Combine flour, baking powder, ground ginger, pecans and crystallized ginger in a separate bowl.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture one third at at a time, alternating with the milk, finishing with the flour mixture. Batter will be thick.
• Spoon into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• When cake is cooled, combine icing sugar and lemon juice . Drizzle over cake.