Genoise For Gingerbread Town Square Cake Recipes

GINGERBREAD GENOISE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11-by-17-inch jelly-roll pan, and line pan with parchment. Butter and flour parchment. Place a clean, smooth kitchen towel on a clean surface; sift confectionersâ?? sugar evenly over towel. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; set aside.
• Set bowl of electric mixer over, but not touching, a pot of simmering water. Combine brown sugar and eggs in bowl; whisk until a candy thermometer registers 110 degrees (warm to the touch), about 2 minutes.
• Beat on high until thick and pale, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, transfer to large bowl. Add flour mixture in thirds, folding after each. In a small bowl, combine butter and molasses; add in steady stream while folding in last flour addition. Pour into pan; smooth with offset spatula.
• Bake until cake is springy to the touch and golden brown, about 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully turn out cake over towel. Place short end toward you. Pick up edge of towel; begin rolling cake. As you roll, incorporate towel; continue rolling into a log. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

GINGERBREAD TOWN-SQUARE CAKE

Steps:

• Place 1 meringue layer on a cake stand, and spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream over its surface. Top with a slice of genoise. Brush genoise with one-third of the syrup. Spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream over genoise. Repeat layering 2 more times. Spread enough buttercream over sides of cake to fill in any spaces between layers and create a smooth surface. Refrigerate cake for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight).
• Just before serving, spread frosting over cake, smoothing sides and creating peaks on top to resemble snowdrifts. Sprinkle top with sanding sugar. Gently press 3 cookies onto each side of cake, using 1 of each shape per side and alternating molasses and honey gingerbread. Serve immediately.

SEVEN-MINUTE FROSTING FOR GINGERBREAD TOWN-SQUARE CAKE

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/2 cups sugar, the corn syrup, and water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Continue to cook, without stirring but washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming, until mixture reaches 230 degrees, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, with a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Reduce speed to medium-low, and pour syrup in a slow, steady stream down side of bowl. Raise speed to high, and beat until thick, shiny, and cooled, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

GéNOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F, slide rack onto the lower-middle level, and prepare your pan (see below). Sift the flour with the 1 Tbs sugar and salt and reserve the clarified butter in a 2-quart bowl. Beat the eggs in your mixer bowl with the remaining sugar and the vanilla until you have "formed the ribbon." At once, rapidly sift on and fold in a quarter of the flour, then half the rest of the flour, and finally the last of it. Fold a large plop of this cake batter into the clarified butter, then fold the butter-batter back into the remaining batter. Turn batter into prepared pan, filling it to no more than 1/4 inch of the rim. Bang lightly on work surface to deflate bubbles, and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until puffed, lightly browned, and showing a faint line of shrinkage from sides of pan. Let cool 20 minutes before unmolding onto a rack. Let cool completely before filling and icing.
• SERVING SUGGESTION: WHITE MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE-FILLED GÉNOISE. Prepare a double amount of the Italian meringue on page 102, and flavor half of it with chocolate, as directed. Using a long, serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally. Place bottom half on a rack set over a tray, and turn the top half cut side up. Sprinkle both surfaces with rum-flavored imbibing syrup (see page 101), and spread the chocolate meringue over the bottom half. Turn the top half cut side down over the filling, and frost the cake with the remaining white Italian meringue. Before serving, dust with a sprinkling of grated chocolate.
• CUP CAKES. Use the preceding génoise batter for cup cakes, following directions for almond cup cakes on page 98, which are some of my favorites with fruit desserts and tea.
• JELLY ROLL-ROULADE. Preheat oven to 375°F and set rack in lower middle. Grease the inside of an 11-by-17-inch jelly-roll pan with soft butter and line with a sheet of wax paper, leaving an extra 2 inches of it at each end; butter the paper where it lines the pan. Roll flour in the pan to cover inside and knock out excess. Spread in the génoise batter and bake about 10 minutes, until cake is lightly colored and top feels springy. Remove from oven. The following maneuvers are to prevent cake from cracking. Slice off 1/4 inch from each end of cake. Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar. Cover with a sheet of wax paper and a slightly dampened towel. Set a tray over the top and reverse the two. Holding an end of the wax paper, lift off the jelly-roll pan. Then, very carefully, peel off the wax-paper backing. Sift a 1/8-inch layer of confectioners' sugar over the cake and roll it up in the damp towel; you may refrigerate it for a day or two. If frozen, be sure it has thoroughly defrosted before unrolling.
• Serving Suggestion: Apricot Roulade. Unroll the cake, sprinkle with imbibing syrup (see page 101), spread on the apricot filling (page 103), and frost with meringue butter cream (page 102).
• Smear inside bottom and sides lightly with softened butter. Cut a sheet of wax paper to fit bottom exactly, press it in place, and butter it. Pour 1/4 cup cake flour into pan, shake and turn in all directions to cover surface completely, turn pan upside down, and bang out excess flour.
• To avoid trouble, especially when making pastries, measure your flour accurately. For every recipe in this book, place the dry-measure cup on a large piece of wax paper. Scoop the flour directly into the sifter, and sift it directly into the cup until overflowing, then, using the flat edge of a big knife, sweep off excess flour level with the rim.
• When thoroughly cool, refrigerate in an airtight plastic bag for several days, or freeze for several weeks.

EGGNOG SEMIFREDDO GENOISE CAKE WITH MERINGUE FROSTING

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray two 12 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. Line with parchment; spray parchment, then dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Dust 2 kitchen towels with cocoa.
• Whisk together cocoa, flour, and salt. Combine eggs, yolks, and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, then set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed 2 minutes. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is pale and thick, about 3 minutes more.
• In two additions, sift cocoa mixture over top of egg mixture, then fold in. When almost incorporated, pour melted butter down side of bowl; gently fold to combine, scraping bottom of bowl to make sure dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Divide between prepared sheets, using an offset spatula to spread evenly and smooth tops. Bake until center springs back when lightly touched, 5 to 7 minutes. One sheet will bake quicker than other, depending on which is closer to heat source; remove that sheet and run a small sharp knife around edges of cake. Invert onto a prepared towel; remove parchment. Immediately, starting at one short side, roll into a log, incorporating towel. Repeat with second cake. Let cool while preparing filling.
• Filling: Sprinkle gelatin over rum; let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Combine egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in gelatin mixture. Set bowl over pot of simmering water again and whisk until gelatin has dissolved. Transfer mixture to another bowl.
• Whisk cream with nutmeg and vanilla to medium peaks. Fold one-third of whipped cream into gelatin mixture, then fold gelatin mixture into remaining cream. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and remaining 1/2 cup sugar on medium-high speed to stiff peaks, about 6 minutes. Fold into cream mixture.
• Unroll cooled cakes, remove towels, and transfer each to a separate rimmed baking sheet. Set aside 1 cup filling; immediately divide remaining filling among cakes, spreading it evenly over each. Freeze cakes until filling is starting to firm up but is still pliable, 20 minutes.
• Slice each cake in half length-wise to create 4 cake strips. Starting at a short end of one strip, roll up cake and place vertically in the center of a cake stand. Starting where rolled strip ends, wrap next strip around cake. Continue to wrap with remaining strips. Use reserved filling to fill in top of cake. For added stability, wrap a parchment collar around base of cake, keeping bottom of paper flush with cake stand. Freeze until firm, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Once frozen, trim top of cake with a serrated knife to level. Keep frozen until ready to frost.
• Frosting: Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in mixer bowl set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, about 3 minutes (test by rubbing between your fingers).
• Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, to stiff, glossy peaks, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
• Spread frosting evenly over top and sides of cake; apply with offset spatula, using an S motion to create a textured appearance. Freeze cake at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Use a kitchen torch to brown meringue; serve immediately.