Vanilla Bean Butter Cake White Chocolate Mousse Food

VANILLA BEAN CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Separate eggs; let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line two greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment and grease the paper; set aside. , Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into creamed mixture; discard bean. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., In a small bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of egg whites into the batter, then fold in remaining whites. Transfer to prepared baking pans., Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Beat with an electric mixer until ganache is double in volume, about 2 minutes., For buttercream, in a small bowl, combine sugar and cream of tartar. Place egg whites in a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water; stir in the sugar mixture. , Constantly whisk egg mixture until mixture reaches 120-130°. (Do not overheat.) Stirring gently, keep the egg white mixture at 120-130° for 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mixing bowl. With a whisk attachment, beat egg white mixture on high speed for 5 minutes. Reduce speed; beat 5 minutes longer or until cool and stiff. Transfer to a large bowl., In the same mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat butter, shortening and vanilla until light and fluffy. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the egg white mixture into creamed mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining egg white mixture until combined. If frosting is not completely smooth, attach paddle beater to mixer and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. , Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with half of ganache. Top with another cake layer. Spread with apricot preserves; top with sliced strawberries. Place third cake layer on top; spread with remaining ganache. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread buttercream over top and sides of cake. Top with additional sliced strawberries.

VANILLA BEAN CAKE

Steps:

• For the vanilla bean cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms and sides with parchment. Set aside.
• Mix together the milk and half-and-half, set aside. Sift together both flours and baking powder; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Sprinkle in the sugar and salt and beat on medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix until just combined. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl frequently. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; don't overbeat.
• Transfer the batter to the cake pans and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs, about 30 minutes. Let cool at 10 minutes before turning out of the pans onto a rack to cool completely.
• For the lemon curd: In a heat-safe mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, lemon zest, eggs and salt. Place the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water and stir in the lemon juice. Gradually add the cubed butter and stir until everything is incorporated. Continue to stir over low heat until the curd thickens and becomes lighter in color and a bit fluffy, about 10 minutes. The curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F.
• Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Put plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lemon curd to avoid a skin from forming and refrigerate.
• For the Italian meringue buttercream: Combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high, attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan and cook until the mixture reaches reach 248 degrees F.
• While the sugar syrup is heating, combine the egg whites and pinch of cream of tartar in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment and whip, slowly sprinkling in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, until you reach medium peaks. When the sugar syrup reaches temperature, pour it very carefully down the side of the bowl of egg whites and continue to whip until you have a white, glossy meringue. Replace the whip with a paddle attachment, add the butter in chunks and beat until the buttercream comes together. Beat in the vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
• For the strawberry filling: Grind or crush the strawberries into a fine consistency, set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese. Add 1 pound of the Italian meringue buttercream and mix just until combined. Add the strawberries and mix just until combined.
• To assemble the cake: Put a layer of cake in the center of a platter. Add a thin layer of lemon curd, then a layer of the strawberry buttercream filling. Add the second layer of cake. Spread with a thin layer of lemon curd, and then a layer of the vanilla Italian meringue buttercream. Top with a final layer of cake and ice the entire tier with the vanilla Italian meringue buttercream.

VANILLA BEAN BUTTER CAKE + WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottoms of four 6" round baking pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour.
• Place the butter, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds in a large mixing bowl. Beat together on high for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
• Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one at a time, fully incorporating before adding the next egg.
• Beat in the buttermilk, apple sauce, and sour cream.
• In another bowl, sift together the rice flour, oat flour, and millet flour. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until smooth and well combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, dropping each pan on the counter once or twice to remove air bubbles from batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pans. Finish cooling on a wire rack.
• FOR THE MOUSSE:
• Place the white chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the cream in a saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
• While the white chocolate cools, place the remaining cream in a mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form - the cream should be as thick as it can possibly be before turning to butter (this ensures a more sturdy mousse).
• Pour the cooled white chocolate over the whipped cream and very gently fold in until fully combined. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• FOR THE GANACHE:
• About 15 minutes before you assemble the cake, make the ganache.
• Place the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan and heat on medium, stirring frequently until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
• TO ASSEMBLE:
• Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Top cake layer with ⅕ of the mousse. Level the mousse and top with another cake layer. Repeat process until all 4 cake layers are filled and stacked. Use half of the remaining mousse to frost the top and outside of the cake (this will just be enough mousse to give the cake that "naked cake" look, as pictured).
• Pour the ganache over the top of the cake (carefully!) and let it drop over the sides.
• Use the remaining mousse to decorate the top of the cake, if desired. I topped mine with little meringues.

VANILLA WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup cream and sugar; cook over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan., In a small bowl, whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°, stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil. Immediately remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until smooth., Split vanilla beans lengthwise. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape seeds from the center into chocolate mixture; stir. Transfer to a large bowl; cool 10 minutes., In a small bowl, beat remaining 1 cup cream until soft peaks form; fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into four dessert dishes. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour before serving. If desired, sprinkle with almonds.