Perfect Recipe

Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup strawberry puree, room temperature (follows)**
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup cake flour, sifted
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened (not melted)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 8 inch pans: line outside with heavy duty foil (I used Bake Even strips) and spray inside with baking spray with flour.

In small bowl, combine puree, milk, egg, vanilla and mix with fork until well blended. In bowl of stand mixer, add sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.

Add liquids and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until full and evenly combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and hand beat for 30 more seconds. Divide the batter evenly among the pans and smooth tops.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (time will vary). Let cakes rest in pan for about 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks. Let cakes cool completely (about 2 hours).

**Strawberry puree
24oz frozen organic strawberries, thawed*

Thaw frozen strawberries in whatever form (sliced, whole, etc) and in whatever container/bag you have them in. Pour into a fine strainer placed over a bowl and let sit. Lightly toss the strawberries occasionally to remove any pockets of excess liquid. Reserve the liquid for another use or discard. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.

* You most certainly can use non-organic and you can use fresh strawberries if you don’t have a stash of frozen strawberries in your freezer. Just hull, slice and toss with a teaspoon or two of sugar and cover. Let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, or until nice and juicy. Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and puree.

Use leftover puree to fill the cake or fold into the frosting, if desired. It’s also fabulous spooned over ice cream… and eaten straight with a spoon.

Yields: Approx 1 1/4 cup strawberry puree

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

Ingredients:

1 pot of natural yogurt (200gr)
1 and 1/4 cup of sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Grease a pan. Separate the eggs while they are still cold, and cover the whites and yolks with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the egg yolks and the whites from drying out. Let the yolks and whites reach room temperature before using (this will take about 30 minutes). Having the yolks and whites at room temperature will ensure that the eggs reach their full volume when beaten.

Into a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and butter with the sugar until smooth. Slowly add the flour, yogurt, vanilla and baking powder. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Pour egg yolk mixture over whites, gently folding with a rubber spatula just until blended. Do not stir or beat. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before taking it out to cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Pudding Cake With Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

8 Eggs, separeted
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1 Tbsp Baking soda
3/4 Cup Grand Marnier

For the Pudding:

4 Cup Heavy cream
1/2 Cup Cornstarch
1 Cup Sugar
5 Ounce Semisweet chocolate chips
2 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

For the Ganache:

2 Cup Heavy cream
1-1/2 Pound Semisweet chocolate squares; chopped

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by 2-inch round cake pans and coat each with flour.
In a large mixing bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks. Continue mixing, and add the egg yolks one by one. Then gradually add the sugar while whisking and whisk for a couple of minutes. In a separate, large mixing bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda and baking powder. With a spoon, fold cocoa mixture into the egg mixture to combine completely, until mixture is smooth. Divide cake batter evenly between 2 cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched. Cool cakes for 15 minutes. Loosen cakes from pans with an offset spatula, and unmold onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

For the Pudding:

Combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to make a paste. Combine paste with remaining 3 1/2 cups cream, sugar, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large nonstick saucepan. Using a wire whisk, stir the mixture until it is well blended. Over low heat, whisk cream mixture until chocolate melts thoroughly. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until it becomes very thick, about 25 minutes. Pour pudding into a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, covering surface of pudding with the plastic to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature.

To Assemble the Cake:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. (If necessary, shave off any uneven pieces of cake with a serrated knife so that it is smooth and even on all sides.) Brush the tops of three layers each with 1/4 cup of the Grand Marnier. Place the bottom layer on a 9-inch round of cardboard and set it on the wire rack. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the pudding evenly on top of the layer. Top with a second layer of cake. Spread 1 1/2 cups of pudding evenly over it. Repeat the same process with the third layer. Top with the fourth layer. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

For the Ganache:

In a medium-sized nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat cream just under boiling point. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. With a whisk, stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Pour ganache over the top of chilled cake, allowing overflow to drip down the sides. Cool slightly. Carefully remove the cake from the wire rack. Chill for at least 6 hours.