A Special Cherry Cake

July was a very special month this year. My husband and I celebrated 10 years together and 2 years of marriage.  Since our first kiss, our days have been filled with love, happiness, passion, and each day seems to be better than the last. To commemorate these two important days, I prepared a cherry mousse cake: layers of sponge cake soaked in Kirsch syrup, cherry mousse and cherry jam covered with Kirsch whipped cream.

I love balloons! That’s why I used them on my wedding. There were a lot of them as part of the decoration and for guests entertainment too. So I decided to use some balloons on my cake photos making it more nostalgic and adorable.

I prepared a wonderful cherry jam that I used as filling and also to make the mousse. For this reason I opted for just use fresh cherries instead of maraschino cherries. I also used Kirschwasser (also known as kirsch), a colorless German brandy distilled from the juice of the morello cherry. It intensifies the cherry flavor, but it is not sweet like the Kirsch liqueur.

To make our celebration even more special, we enjoyed this cake with Champagne…

Cherry Mousse Cake

The day before prepare the cherry jam and the cherry mousse.

Cherry Jam

(inspired by the book The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef)

1 pound cherry

½ cup water

¾ cup kirschwasser

1 Tb lemon juice

A little bit of fresh coarsely ground pepper

 3 ounces sugar

½ teaspoon pectin powder

Wash, stem, and pit the cherries. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes (jam will continue to thicken as it cools).

Use half of the jam to fill the cake and half to make the mousse.

Cherry Mousse

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tb butter

cherry jam

1 cup heavy cream

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Soak the gelatin in 2 Tb cold water for 20 minutes. Place the cherry jam, condensed milk and butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until the thick consistency. Incorporate the gelatin into the cream. Let cool. Whip the heavy cream.  Carefully incorporate the whipped cream into the cherry cream. Line 2 6-in pans with plastic film and divide the cream between the two pans. Let cool overnight on the refrigerator.

Sponge cake

from the book Ladurée Sucré

Makes 3 6-in pan

1 cup /120 g all purpose flour

2/3 cup / 120 g potato starch

10 eggs

½ cup +2 tbsp / 125 g granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 340°F/ 170°C.

Prepare 3 baking pans with oil cooking spray.

Sift together the flour and potato starch.

Separate the egg whites and yolks.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half of the sugar until pale. In another large dry bowl, with a clean whisk, bring the egg whites to foam. Once they are white and frothy, add the remaining half of the sugar and continue to whip until firm.

Right away, gently fold the sugar and egg yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the flour and potato starch over the mixture. Gently combine: start with the spatula in the center of the bowl, work up the sides of the bowl and bring the mixture back down towards the center, all the while turning the bowl regularly. Continue until you have a smooth and homogenous mixture.
Divide batter equally into 3 greased 6-inch baking pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes until lightly colored. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Kirsch Syrup

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup Kirschwasser

Heat sugar, Kirschwasser, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Let cool completely before soak the cake.

Kirsch Whipped Cream

2 cups heavycream, cold

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup Kirschwasser

Chill a mixing bowl and wire whisk in the freezer for 10 minutes before beginning. Beat heavy cream in the chilled bowl until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the powdered sugar, kirsch and vanilla and continue to beat until the cream barely mounds. Do not overwhip.

Assembly: Place one layer cake on a serving plate. Brush with 1/4 cup kirsch syrup. Spread the cherry jam over top. Remove cherry mousse from plastic film and place on top. Repeat to make 1 more layer of each. Top with remaining cake. Cover with kirsch whipped cream. Decorate as desired.

Note: I colored the gum paste with the cherry jam to make the sugar roses..

Blueberry Lemon Mini Cupcakes

Lilac and yellow is a graceful color pair such as the duo blueberry and lemon together in flavor. Perhaps they are one of my favorite combinations, and they were my inspiration for these mini cupcakes that I prepared for you, my dears.  I made this cake recipe for the first time a while ago using lemon brigadeiro and blueberry jam as filling, and I loved it. This time I made a miniature version with lemon and blueberry buttercream colored with natural colors.  I have noticed I've got migraine every time I eat a food that contains food coloring. So I decided to use the natural colors of the ingredients instead of synthetic food dyes.

The pigment that gives blueberry the blue hue is called anthocyanin. It’s also the substance with antioxidant activity that helps to prevent some diseases. This wonderful pigment is also a good option on cake decoration.  I prepared blueberry jam to get the lilac color for gum paste and the purple for  buttercream. Blueberries, such as apples, have some substances (enzymes) that react with oxygen when they are cut, producing a brown color on the surface. So if you cook them, or add sometimes acid (like lemon juice), you will avoid the oxygen contact and prevent the color change. On my first try, I just blended fresh blueberries, but they turned in a brown pure. So I made a blueberry jam to preserve the color and to intensify the flavor.

I cooked some blueberries with water, lemon juice and sugar until thick consistency. Then I added some of this jam to buttercream and I got a beautiful purple color. To make the buttercream roses I followed this tutorial using the Wilton's tip 104. For quite some time I have desired to try this technique. I have to say that I’m in loving with it.  How lovely are theses roses?

To tint the gum paste, I added small quantities of jam until the desire lilac shade. With this lilac gum paste I made little roses to decorate the cupcakes with lemon buttercream. I’m so happy how jam and gum paste worked well. I became even happier when I found lilac roses with the same shade at the grocery store. To the lemon buttercream, I prepared first lemon custard with egg yolks, cream, gelatin, lemon and sugar. Then I incorporated it on the buttercream. The yellow of the egg yolks was the pigment here, and it turned into a pastel yellow with the white of the buttercream.

I do really love these mini cupcakes. They are delicate and adorable. They are just as good as they look.

Blueberry Lemon Mini Cupcakes

Cupcakes

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

yield: about 10 cupcakes or 20 mini cupcakes

3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising), sifted

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup skim milk

3 Tb canola oil

1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1 cup fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together half sugar, the milk, oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl; set aside.

Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Raise speed to medium-high. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

Add half of the flour mixture to the milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Fold in remaining flour mixture, alternating with the egg white mixture. Add blueberries. Fill each cupcake line full with batter.Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 10-15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. 

Vanilla Buttercream

(from the book Miette)

yield: 6 cups

Note: For this cupcake recipe you will use about 2 cups.

2 cups (14 ounces) sugar

1/3 cup water

5 large egg whites

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 cups (1 1/2 pounds) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook the mixture until it reaches 248 degrees F, 5 to 10 minutes, keeping a constant eye on it.

Meanwhile, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment.

As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees F, immediately pour it into a heat-proof measurer. Pour a few tablespoons into the whites, away from the whisk, so the hot syrup doesn't splash, and whisk on medium speed for a few seconds. Be careful as the syrup is very hot. Pour in a little more syrup and whisk for a few seconds, until incorporated. Repeat until all the syrup has been added. Raise the speed to high and continue to whisk until the mixture cools to room temperature, 70 to 75 degrees F, 5 to 10 minutes.

Only when the meringue is cool enough should you begin adding the butter. Reduce the speed to medium. With the mixer running, drop in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding another. The mixture may deflate and begin to look curdle. Raise the speed to high and continue to add to add tablespoon-size pieces of butter, making sure each is completely combined before adding more. When all of the butter has been added, the frosting should be smooth and thick. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

Use the buttercream immediately, or cover and refrigerate until needed. Store in a zippered plastic bag for up to 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer. (To thaw, leave in the refrigerator over-night, not on the countertop).  To use the buttercream that has been chilled, remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 1 hour, or microwave in 15-second intervals, mixing in between each, until soft. If frosting has been frozen, this can take up to 2 minutes total. You can also soften the buttercream over a bain-marie or a double boiler. The frosting will soften from the outer edges of the bowl so mix from outside, folding the frosting inside. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until soft and spreadable, 2 to 3 minutes.

Lemon Buttercream

Scant 1 cup (225 g) heavy cream

2 egg yolks 

2 gelatin sheets

1/3 cup (65g) superfine granulated sugar

1 lemon

Lemon zest of 1 lemon

1 cup (250 g) Buttercream

Make the Lemon Custard: Soak the gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Pour the boiling cream over the egg-sugar mixture, beating hard. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and cook, stirring, just until it reaches a temperature of 185°F (85°C). Remove from the heat. Drain and squeeze the gelatin of excess water and incorporate it into the custard. Add the lemon and lemon zest, blend with a handheld immersion blender and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, blend the custard with buttercream with a handheld immersion blender to get a smooth cream.Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Blueberry Buttercream

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Make the Blueberry Jam: Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes (jam will continue to thicken as it cools).

Force jam through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding skins. Let it cool.

Add blueberry jam to 1 cup buttercream until color desired. Blend buttercream with a handheld immersion blender to get a smooth cream. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton tip 104.

Blancmange with Candied Papaya

On March I prepared for a friend's blog this papaya candied recipe. This is another traditional candy from my home state in Brazil. As it is very sweet, it needs some suave accompaniment to balance the intense flavor. In Brazil we like to have it with Minas cheese, which is a traditional Brazilian cheese similar with farmer’s cheese. But I also really like to enjoy it with blancmange. Besides the perfect and delicious combination of flavors, it is also a beautiful dessert for a special occasion.

Blancmange is a dessert prepared with a milk base, sugar and gelatin as a setting agent. In the past, isinglass (fish gelatin) or chicken grease was used to substitute the gelatin. Sometimes it was also used almond milk instead of regular milk. Nowadays there are many variations. You can use coconut milk, corn starch and others several flavors. It’s also better known as panna cotta, a classic Italian version, or manjar in Portuguese.

When fig and peach are in season my mom used to prepare a coconut blancmange by using coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, cornstarch, coconut and sugar. But today I will share with you a recipe from the book Pierre Hermé Pastries. It calls for homemade almond milk, vanilla beans and gelatin. I knew for the first time when I saw this recipe that the papaya candied rolls would be a perfect accompaniment for it. It was also an excuse to try for the first time my homemade almond milk.

In the end, it was easiest then I thought it would be. Everything went so well! This combination ends up with the lightness of the blancmange, the intense flavor of the papaya candied and a stunning dessert plate.

Blancmange

(from the book Pierre Hermé Pastries)

Preparation time: 10 minutes (the night before) + 35 minutes (the following day)

Refrigeration time: 4 hours

Serves 6

Almond Milk

1 scant cup (200 g) still mineral water

1/2 cup (100 g) superfine granulated sugar

2 vanillas beans

1 3/4 cups (175 g) ground almonds

1 drop almond extract

The night before, make the almond milk. In a saucepan, bring the still mineral water to a boil with the sugar. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the liquid. Combine this syrup with the ground almonds and add the almond extract. Refrigerate overnight.

3 gelatin sheets

Finely grated zest of 1/4 unwaxed lemon

1 1/4 cups (275 g ) heavy cream

The following day, strain the almond milk through a fine-mesh conical sieve. Put the gelatin sheets into cold water and allow them to soften for 20 minutes.

Heat half a cup of the almond milk and melt the gelatin in it. Add the remaining almond milk and lemon est and mix well.

Beat the heavy cream in a chilled metal bowl and incorporate it into the almond milk. pour the mixture into a 8-inch-diameter (20-cm) ring mold. Place in the refrigerator to set, at least 4 hours.

Decoration

The recipe for the candied papaya you can find here. 

Unmold the blancmange onto a serving plate by quickly dipping the base of the mold into hot water and then inverting the blancmange onto the platter. Surround it with the candied papaya. Enjoy.

Maple Apple Pie

Some weeks ago, in a pleasant Monday morning, my husband and I went to the Patterson Fruit Farm to pick up some apples. Honey crisp, Macintosh, Golden Delicious and Gala. These are some of the varieties that we found there. There were more kinds of apple there too, but most of them were new to me and I could just remember those. Among all those options we gathered beautiful apples avid to make our first apple pie. In my imagination when I think of this iconic American dessert, I always see a warm pie even with a fragrant swirling steam cooling on the kitchen counter like in the old cartoons I watched when I was a child.

Making my own apple pie was very exciting! First I prepared the dough. To obtain a perfect pie crust I left it resting overnight on the fridge, and then I make the apple filling with maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. During the baking, when the top crust starts to became golden I brushed the entire crust with milk and sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon. The flavors of the juicy compote filling covered by the sugary crust were sensational. How wonderful was enjoy this traditional dessert on a typical autumn evening!

Maple Apple Pie

(adapted from here)

For the pastry:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. sugar

10 Tbs. (1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter,
  cut into pieces

10 Tbs. cold vegetable shortening, cut into
  pieces

7 Tbs. ice water

1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

For the filling:

2 1/2 lb. baking apples, peeled, cored,
  quartered and cut lengthwise into slices 1/2
  inch thick

1/2 cup sugar, plus more as needed

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup maple syrup

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 Tbs. milk

Sugar and cinnamon for dusting

Directions:

To make the pastry, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center, add the butter and shortening and, using your fingertips, rub them into the flour mixture until small, flat pieces form. In a cup or small bowl, combine the water and vinegar. Using a fork, gently mix just enough of the liquid into the flour mixture so it comes together in a rough ball; do not overwork. Discard the remaining liquid. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

To make the filling, in a bowl, toss together the apples, the 1/2 cup sugar (adding more to taste if the apples are tart), cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half of the dough (leave the other half refrigerated) into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and then into quarters and transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish. Unfold and gently press into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edges even with the rim. Roll out the remaining dough into a 10-inch round about 1/8 inch thick.

Turn the apples into the pastry-lined pan, mounding them slightly in the center. Dot evenly with the butter. Brush the edges of the dough with water. Fold the dough round into quarters and unfold over the apples. Press together the top and bottom crusts to seal, then trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish and crimp to form an attractive edge. Make a few slits near the center to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 25 minutes. Brush with milk and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until the apples are tender (insert a knife blade through a slit) and the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer the dish to a wire rack and let the pie cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8.