Christmas Lane Cake Recipes

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour four 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pans with waxed paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until whites are stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of whites into butter mixture. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions. Divide batter among pans (batter will be about 1/2 inch deep).
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off paper. Cool completely.
• For filling:
• Mix bourbon, cherries and apricots in small bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature until most of bourbon is absorbed and fruit softens, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Using electric mixer, beat yolks and sugar in medium bowl until mixture falls in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Beat in butter. Transfer yolk mixture to heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until thermometer registers 160°F and mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in nuts, coconut and fruit mixture. Chill until cold, about 4 hours. Mix in chocolate. (Cake layers and filling can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes; store at room temperature. Cover filling; chill.)
• Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 1/3 of filling. Repeat layering of cake and filling 2 more times. Top with final cake layer, pressing slightly.
• Chill cake.
• For frosting:
• Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in bourbon and vanilla. Beat cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add cream cheese mixture to whipped cream; beat until stiff enough to spread.
• Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. If desired, place pecans around edge of cake. Using rolling pin, flatten apricot halves between sheets of plastic wrap. Cut out leaf shapes. Arrange on cake. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill.)

Steps:

• Line bottoms of 3 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment. Grease parchment; set aside. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes., In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Transfer to prepared pans., Bake at 325° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For filling, combine egg yolks and sugar in a large saucepan. Add butter; cook and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture thickens (do not boil). Remove from the heat. Stir in bourbon, orange zest and salt. Fold in the raisins, coconut, pecans and cherries. Cool., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with a third of the filling. Repeat layers twice. Frost sides of cake with whipped cream. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Make the cake: Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 13-by-18-inch baking sheet and line the bottom with a sheet of parchment. Cut 2 strips of acetate, each about 3 inches wide and 26 inches long. Set aside. (These will be used to help assemble the cake in Step 10.)
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the egg whites and vanilla extract. Reduce speed to medium, then pour the egg mixture into the creamed butter in three additions, beating to incorporate after each and scraping the bowl as needed.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Add the flour mixture all at once into the creamed butter and stir on low speed until just combined. Add the milk; use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the milk.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake until cake is a pale golden brown and the surface is springy to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before using. (The uncut cake can be made up to 1 day ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic or stored frozen for up to 2 weeks.)
• Make the filling: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the sugar, yolks and salt. Whisk together to fully incorporate. Turn the heat back on low and, stirring continuously, cook to 155 degrees or until the mixture thickens and turns a slightly more pale yellow, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the coconut, currants, pecans and bourbon, and fold them in using a rubber spatula. Let the filling cool completely. (Filling can be made ahead and stored refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)
• Make the bourbon soak: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 1/2 cup/120 milliliters water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and add the bourbon; set aside to cool.
• Assemble the cake: Run an offset spatula along the sides of the cake to loosen the edges. Place a piece of parchment over the top and unmold the cake by flipping it upside-down onto a baking rack or large cutting board. Peel off and discard the parchment layer on top.
• Orienting the cake vertically and starting with an 8-inch metal cake ring on the top left corner, punch out a full circle for the top layer. Move the ring to the bottom left corner and punch out the second layer. Move the cake ring to the top right corner of the cake, punch out a half circle and repeat the half circle on the bottom right corner. These half circles will form your bottom layer. (If you don't have a cake ring, use a closed 8-inch springform pan without the bottom as a guide, and cut out the cake layers with a paring knife.) Reserve the leftover cake to fill in any gaps.
• Wipe the cake ring clean. Place a 9-inch cardboard cake circle on a cake stand or plate and place the metal cake ring or a closed springform pan without the bottom on top. Line the inside of the cake ring with one of the acetate strips. Spread a tablespoon of filling around the middle of the cake board. (This will help the cake stick to the surface.) Move the cake half-circles to the inside of the cake ring, pushing them to the outer edges of the ring, and fill any gaps with cake scraps. Press down on any scraps to create a snug, flat layer.
• Brush the bottom layer with the bourbon soak. Using a large spoon or an ice cream scoop, add three to four dollops of the filling, about 1 cup total. Spread evenly with the back of an offset spatula. If the entire layer is not covered and spread to the edges, add more filling.
• Gently move the second cake layer and slide it into the ring. Press down gently on the cake layer to make sure it sits firmly on top of the filling. Brush the cake with simple syrup and cover with filling, repeating the process above.
• Guide a second acetate strip between the cake ring and the top 1/4 inch of the first strip, allowing slight overlap. Together, the rings should be about 5 to 6 inches tall. This will support the top layers of the cake when finished.
• Add the third cake layer and press down into the filling to set. Brush your third layer with simple syrup and top with remaining filling. (If assembling the cake without acetate strips, once all the cake layers are in place, run the flat side of your offset spatula around the outside of the layer above the cake ring to create a smooth finish.) Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature until ready to serve.
• To serve, slide the cake ring upward and remove it. Peel off the acetate layers and discard. (To remove the cake ring without acetate strips, remove the plastic film and run a warm knife or spatula between the ring and the cake. Slide the metal ring upward to remove.) Using a clean knife, cut the cake into desired number of slices and serve.

Steps:

• 1. Cake: 3 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup whole milk 8 large egg whites Filling: 3/4 cup bourbon 3/4 cup dried tart cherries 3/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots 8 large egg yolks 1 1/3 cups sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped Frosting: 1 1/2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature 3/4 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons bourbon 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream Pecan halves (optional) Dried apricot halves
• 2. For cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour four 9-inch- diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pans with waxed paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until whites are stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of whites into butter mixture. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions. Divide batter among pans (batter will be about 1/2 inch deep). Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; peel off paper. Cool completely. For filling: Mix bourbon, cherries and apricots in small bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature until most of bourbon is absorbed and fruit softens, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Using electric mixer, beat yolks and sugar in medium bowl until mixture falls in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 5 minutes. Beat in butter. Transfer yolk mixture to heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until thermometer registers 160 degrees F and mixture is thick, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; mix in nuts, coconut and fruit mixture. Chill until cold, about 4 hours. Mix in chocolate. (Cake layers and filling can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes; store at room temperature. Cover filling; chill.) Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread with 1/3 of filling. Repeat layering of cake and filling 2 more times. Top with final cake layer, pressing slightly. Chill cake. For frosting: Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in bourbon and vanilla. Beat cream and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add cream cheese mixture to whipped cream; beat until stiff enough to spread. Spread frosting over top andside

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour four 9-inch cake pans. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk.
• In a clean mixer bowl, using the whisk attachment, whisk 8 egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into cake batter. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until it springs back but has no color on top, 15 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, and return to racks to cool completely.
• Make the frosting: In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisk together yolks, whole eggs, and sugar until thick, glossy, and sugar has dissolved. Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk until mixture is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Add butter, one piece at a time, whisking until thoroughly combined. Add bourbon and whisk until incorporated. If frosting separates, continue beating until it comes back together, about 5 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Soak raisins in warm water to cover until plumped. Let soak 15 minutes; drain. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Brush with bourbon to moisten, about 2 tablespoons. Spread with 3/4 cup frosting and top evenly with 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut. Repeat process with 2 more cake layers, frosting, raisins, and coconut. Top with remaining cake layer. Brush with remaining bourbon. Spread a thin coat of frosting over the top and sides of cake to cover. Chill for 20 minutes.
• Use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake. Combine 1 cup each coconut and pecans, and use it to coat the side of the cake. Combine remaining 1/4 cup pecans, 1/2 cup raisins, and 1/4 cup coconut in a bowl. Sprinkle over top of cake to cover. Garnish with kumquats; chill until serving. This cake improves with age and can be made up to 3 weeks in advance. Keep well wrapped in the refrigerator.