Branch Crunch Cake Recipes

THE BEST LOUISIANA CRUNCH CAKE EVER

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• 2. Sift together cake flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside.
• 3. In a large separate bowl, beat butter until very fluffy (approx. 5 minuets) then add 2 cups of sugar. Continue to beat until light and fluffy (approx. 2 more minutes).
• 4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure that each egg is thoroughly blended before adding the next egg.
• 5. Mix in sour cream and vanilla extract.
• 6. Blend in some of the dry ingredients followed by some of the buttermilk in alternates. This is a way to ensure that the ingredients are being thoroughly blended together -- For example; add dry mixture followed by buttermilk, dry mixture, buttermilk dry mixture -- so on and so forth -- DO NOT OVER BEAT OTHERWISE CAKE WILL BECOME HARD AS A BRICK ONCE FINISHED BAKING!
• 7. Grease a bundt cake pan. I used a non stick angle food spring formed tube pan. If you do not have a non stick pan, be sure to grease your pan and dust with flour! Add in 1/4 cup of sugar to the bottom of pan and about 3 inches up the sides, tapping the pan to ensure even distribution. Leave excess sugar in pan. Sprinkle coconut flakes to the bottom of the pan. Scrape batter into the bundt pan and spread evenly.
• 8. Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean (if it comes out wet, bake another 10 minutes or so, if it comes out crumbly, you over baked the cake).
• 9. Let cake cool for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove from pan, making sure that the sugary coconut side is faced upward. Use a knife to scrape the sides if cake becomes stuck. (this step is very important otherwise your cake will continue to bake and will become very dry and completely stuck in the pan).
• 10. Drizzle glaze over the crunchy top portion of cake. Please use my Vanilla Almond Glaze recipe to complete this cake!

BRANCH CRUNCH CAKE

Steps:

• For the gianduja orange cremeux: Place the gelatin sheets in a cup with ice water to bloom. Put the gianduja in a heatproof bowl.
• Whisk the heavy cream and egg yolks together in a medium saucepan and cook, stirring, until the mixture registers 185 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Add the bloomed gelatin, pour over the gianduja and stir until smooth. Add the orange zest and juice and blend with an immersion blender. Refrigerate the mixture until set up to a thick and smooth consistency, about 30 minutes.
• For the orange hazelnut sponge: Preheat the oven to 370 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine the hazelnut flour, confectioners' sugar and cake flour in a large bowl. Mix the cream and milk together in a bowl and add to the dry ingredients.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with the dry egg whites and half of the granulated sugar until soft peaks form, then add the rest of the sugar and whip to a stiff-peak meringue. Fold the flour mixture and orange zest into the meringue. Spread the batter on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the sponge to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for 15 minutes.
• For the chocolate whipped cream: Put the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan and then pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and thoroughly mixed in with the hot cream. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cold.
• For the coffee ganache: In a medium pot, combine the cream, crushed coffee beans, cardamom and orange zest and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and immediately cover with plastic wrap. Let steep for 10 minutes, then strain to remove the solids. Add additional cream as needed to bring the total amount back to 1 1/3 cups. Add the corn syrup and instant coffee and return the mixture to a boil.
• Combine the chopped dark and milk chocolate couverture in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and set aside, undisturbed, for 1 minute. Using a spatula, stir in small circles from the middle and gradually moving out in wider circles, making an emulsion. Cool to 94 degrees F on the counter.
• Blend in the butter using an immersion blender. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool to 88 degrees F.
• To finish the chocolate whipped cream, put the cold chocolate cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to medium peaks.
• To serve: Transfer the chocolate whipped cream, gianduja orange cremeux and coffee ganache to 3 separate piping bags. Cut the sponge into 20 pieces that are the same size and shape as the molds. Pipe some gianduja orange cremeux into each mold and top with a piece of sponge. Pipe a thin layer of the coffee ganache next, followed by a sprinkling of the feuilletine. Place the filled molds in the freezer and allow to set for 3 hours. Remove the cakes from the molds and pipe a squiggle shape with the chocolate cream over the entire top of the cakes to resemble a branch. Embellish the corner of each cake with gold leaf.

INDIVIDUAL CRUNCH CAKE

Steps:

• For the banana cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 12-by-18-inch jelly roll sheet pan with parchment and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Line a tray or baking sheet with parchment.
• Heat the butter in a medium saucepan until browned. You will see tiny rust-colored specks float to the top and the butter may become foamy when it is ready. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Whisk together the pastry flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside. Add the brown sugar and eggs to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Whisk the brown butter, bananas, sour cream and vanilla together in a medium bowl, then add to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll sheet. Bake, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway during cooking, until the cake is light golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Cool the cake completely and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Turn out the frozen cake onto a flat surface and use a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 24 even circles. Place the rounds on the prepared tray and cover until ready to assemble and frost.
• For the milk chocolate frosting: Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream on slow speed until smooth, glossy and free of lumps (do not fluff).
• Add the milk and vanilla and mix to incorporate.
• Add half of the confectioners' sugar and mix to incorporate. Add the rest of the sugar and mix on low speed until smooth.
• Add the milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as you go.
• For the toffee: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a clean silicone mat on another 12-by-18-inch sheet pan. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat without stirring. Add the butter and begin to stir until the caramel turns the color of peanut butter.
• Pour immediately onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until the toffee turns a deep amber color and spreads thinly on the pan, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool, then chop into tiny pieces that will be easy to chew.
• To assemble: Fill a pastry bag with some of the milk chocolate frosting.
• Top 2 mini cake rounds with frosting and about 2 teaspoons of chopped toffee. Stack these on top of each other and top with an unfrosted round of cake. Wrap the small cylinder in plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining cake rounds. Freeze until the frosting has set, about 30 minutes.
• Place a small cake on a revolving cake stand and pipe on the frosting to cover completely. With a small offset spatula, even out the surfaces of the little cake and swirl the frosting in a pretty, decorative pattern of your choice.
• Top each mini cake with crushed toffee and dust with confectioners' sugar.