Vanilla Sponge Cake For Zuccotto Food

ZUCCOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until skins begin to split, about 10 minutes. Rub warm nuts vigorously with a clean kitchen towel to remove skins. Return to baking sheet; toast until fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute more. Cool; coarsely chop. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and liqueur if using. Bring to a boil; stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside to cool completely. Line a 9-by-5-inch domed metal or glass bowl with plastic wrap.
• Cut rectangular sponge cake into thirds crosswise and lengthwise, making 9 rectangles. Reserve round sponge cake layer to use on top. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half, forming 18 triangles. Brush both sides of each triangle with some syrup. Line inside of bowl with triangle slices, pointed ends facing bottom of bowl, to form a sunburst pattern. Fit slices snugly so bowl is completely lined. Use small pieces of syrup-brushed cake to fill in gaps. Trim the cake top to make it even. Transfer lined bowl to refrigerator.
• Place cream and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium until stiff, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in reserved nuts, toffee, and raspberries. Remove lined bowl from refrigerator, fill with cream mixture, and cover top with cake round. This will become bottom of zuccotto when unmolded. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
• Place a wire rack on top of bowl, and invert zuccotto onto rack. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove bowl and plastic wrap. Using a ladle, pour ganache over top of dome, letting excess drip down sides onto rack. Make sure to coat entire surface of the zuccotto. Cut into wedges. Ladle with creme anglaise. Serve immediately, garnishedwith chopped toffee, nuts, and berries.

VANILLA SPONGE CAKE FOR ZUCCOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet and a 9-inch-diameter round cake pan. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and butter again. Flour the pans, and set aside. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, vanilla, and 3/4 cup sugar on high until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Transfer egg-yolk mixture to a large bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.
• Combine the egg whites and salt in the mixer bowl, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 1 minute.
• Fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. In three additions, fold the reserved flour mixture into the egg mixture. Transfer two-thirds of the batter to the baking sheet, and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Transfer remaining batter to the round cake pan; smooth the top with the spatula. Bake until light golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pans to wire racks to cool; turn out the cakes, remove the parchment paper, and wrap in plastic wrap until ready to use.

ZUCCOTTO: A CREAMY ITALIAN DESSERT CAKE

Steps:

• Line a 2 1/2 quart bowl with plastic wrap. Have it much larger than you need to cover the top later.
• Cut the sponge cake in half. I love this inexpensive tool.
• Place one slice in the bottom of the bowl. If you're using a loaf cake, cut slices and then triangles and fill the bowl like a jigsaw puzzle to cover every spot, so that the entire bowl is covered.
• Slice a few pieces of the other half of the cake into strips.
• Use the strips to line around the cake in the bowl. This only takes a few minutes, and its very easy!
• Sprinkle the cake with your choice of liqueur. I used Kahlua this time.
• In a medium sized pot (off the heat), stir the egg yolks and sugar together briskly with a wooden spoon.
• Add the flour a little at a time and incorporate into the mixture.
• Heat the milk to boiling and add the vanilla. Begin adding the hot milk to the mixture a little at a time, mixing well in between additions. Do not add too much at once or the eggs may curdle.
• Continue adding the hot milk and stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
• Once all the milk has been added, put the pot onto medium heat and continue to stir.
• When the mixture comes to a boil, let it cook for 3 or 4 minutes then remove from the heat. Keep stirring as it cools so that it doesn't form a skin.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave, or in a bowl over some hot water.
• Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, beat 10 oz (300 ml) heavy whipping cream with the instant coffee powder until stiff peaks form; set aside.
• To the cooled pastry cream, add 1 Tbsp of Grand Marnier, the 2 oz (57 g) of grated chocolate and the whipped coffee cream. Fold mixture until completely combined.
• Spread 2/3 of the mixture into the cake-lined bowl almost reaching the top, but not completely. Leave a hollow in the middle and don't worry if it doesn't look perfect, it will be fine in the end.
• Add the melted chocolate to the remaining cream.
• Mix well until the color is uniform, then fill the center of the zuccotto.
• Take pieces of the remaining cake and close up the bottom of the zuccotto.
• Sprinkle with more of your chosen liqueur, then seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but I like to leave it overnight.
• Beat the remaining 8 oz of heavy whipping cream, with the other 2 teaspoons of coffee powder and 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar until stiff peaks form.
• When ready to decorate, remove top plastic wrap and place a FLAT (must be completely flat!) plate or cake stand on top of the zuccotto and invert. Remove the bowl.
• Ta dah! This is my favorite part! Have cracks? Doesn't matter, it's still going to turn out perfectly.
• Spread the coffee-flavored whipped cream all over the zuccotto.
• Make swirls or peaks in the cream, whichever way you like, but it doesn't have to be fancy. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, curls or more grated chocolate.
• It's best to refrigerate the cake for an hour or so. However, you can serve it immediately if you need to.

VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray a 6'' round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Spray parchment with cooking spray. Sift flour and cornstarch together into a small bowl, set aside.
• Beat egg yolks, vanilla and 1/4 c sugar in the bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Put egg whites and salt in a clean bowl. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, Gradually add 2 tbsp sugar, Beat until stiff peaks form and looks glossy.
• Fold egg white mixture into yolk mixture. Fold in flour mixture in 2 batches. Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Bake until cake tester comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Line pan (including the sides) with parchment paper.
• Sift flour and baking powder 3 times. Add in 1/4 tsp salt.
• Throw raisins into flour mixture and coat them well. (optional step).
• With an electric mixer, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and 1/8 tsp salt until stiff peaks are formed. Add in sugar and beat until stiff peaks form again.
• Combine egg yolks, oil, water, and vanilla extract. Beat mixture until foamy.
• Fold egg yolk mixture gently into egg whites. Add flour mixture and gently fold in until well-combined.
• Pour cake batter into springform pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. The cake is done when top springs back when lightly pressed.

VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter parchment. Dust with flour, and tap out excess; set aside. Sift together flour and cornstarch into a small bowl; set aside.
• Put yolks, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Put egg whites and salt into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, add remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold egg white mixture into the yolk mixture. Fold in reserved flour mixture in 3 batches. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Turn out cake onto rack. Cake can be wrapped well in plastic and stored at room temperature up to 2 days.

EASY VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a round, deep 20cm tin, then line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
• Using electric beaters or a tabletop mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt together until pale and fluffy, then pour in the eggs, one at a time, giving the mix a really good beating before adding the next.
• Add 1 tbsp of the plain flour if the mix starts to look slimy rather than fluffy. Beat in the yogurt. Mix the flours; then, using a large metal spoon, fold them into the batter, followed by the milk.
• Spoon the mix into the tin and bake for 1 hr 20 mins or until well risen and golden - a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the syrup by gently heating 50ml water with the sugar and vanilla in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Once the cake is out of the oven, leave to cool for 30 mins in the tin, then use a skewer to poke holes all over the cake, going right to the bottom. Pour the syrup over, letting it completely soak in after each addition.
• Leave to cool completely, then either wrap the cake well or fill and ice it. If you wrap it with baking parchment and cling film, the unfilled cake will keep well for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
• For ideas on how to decorate the cake and to try out some variations on this basic cake mixture, have a look at the 'Goes well with' recipes for Simple elegance wedding cake, Birthday bug cake and Summer celebration cake.

ZUCCOTTO

Steps:

• Cut cake in slices 1 cm (1/2") thick, cut each slice on the diagonal, making two triangular sections - this is so it will fit into 5 cup round based pudding basin.
• Combine brandy and Maraschino; carefully brush one side of each section of cake with this mixture.
• Place sections of cake unbrushed side against sides of tin, against the inside of.
• pudding bowl which as been lined with a layer of damp muslin; make sure the narrowest end of cake is on the bottom.
• Repeat process until the inside of the bowl is completely lined with cake; alternate crust and non-crust sides of cake to give striped effect; fill the gaps with pieces of moistened cake; trim edges of cake so they are level with top of basin; the left over cake will cover top when filled.
• Place almonds on oven tray, bake in moderate oven 5 minutes or until pale brown; remove from oven, cool.
• Chop almonds and hazelnuts roughly; chop 30g (1oz) chocolate, put aside; melt remaining chocolate in top of double saucepan over hot water.
• Whip together cream and sifted icing sugar until firms peaks form; fold nuts into mixture, divide mixture in half, fold chopped chocolate through one half and melted chocolate through the other.
• Spoon white cream mixture evenly over the entire cake surface, leaving a cavity in the centre of the bowl; spoon chocolate mixture into cavity.
• Moisten remaining cake with left over liqueur, arrange on top to cover surface completely; cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.
• Turn out carefully onto serving plate; if desired, dust top with combined sifted icing sugar and cocoa about one teaspoon of each.