Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [351]
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and the toasted poppy seeds in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and very yellow, about 4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure the first is thoroughly incorporated before adding the second. Beat in ¼ cup milk and the vanilla until smooth.
Turn off the beaters, add a third of the flour mixture, and beat at low speed just until combined. Beat in another ¼ cup milk until smooth, then beat in half the remaining flour mixture at low speed. Beat in the remaining ¼ cup milk until smooth. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and beat for just a few seconds, just until moistened.
Scrape down and remove the beaters. Turn the batter a few times with a rubber spatula to make sure there are no white streaks or dry patches, then scrape the batter evenly into the two pans. Rap them a couple of times against your work surface to knock out any air pockets.
Bake until lightly browned at the edges and a little puffed but still fairly pale in the middle, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely before icing.
To cool and unmold: Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes, then unmold the cakes by inverting them onto a cutting board, removing the baking pans, and reinverting the cakes onto the wire rack.
To store: Do not ice. Wrap the cooled layers individually in plastic wrap and keep for up to 2 days at room temperature.
To ice:. Frost the cake within 4 hours of serving.
Lemon Buttercream
A buttercream is a cooked frosting, the sugar syrup slowly turning the eggs into a creamy mass in which butter (and tons of it) is slowly beaten. Makes enough frosting for a two-layer cake
5 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon extract, optional
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until doubled in volume, light, and very pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Place the sugar, lemon juice, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan, clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan, and set it over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then bring the mixture to a simmer without disturbing and cook until the temperature reaches 250°F.
Beat the eggs at medium speed one more time to make sure they’re fluffy, then beat in the hot sugar syrup in the slowest drizzle. Once all the sugar syrup has been added, continue beating until room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Beat in the lemon extract, if using. Then beat in the butter 2 tablespoons at a time.
Once all the butter has been added, continue beating until you have a smooth, creamy frosting, quite light but fairly thick, one that will hold its shape when mounded with a rubber spatula, about 10 minutes.
Mexican Wedding Layer Cake with Spiced Buttercream
This cake is designed to be a rendition of Mexican wedding cookies: a walnut cake with a cinnamon-spiced buttercream. Makes one 8-inch two-layer cake
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for greasing the pans
½ cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the pans
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely ground walnuts (see Note)
Spiced Buttercream (recipe follows)
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter two 8-inch round cake pans; dust thoroughly with flour, then shake out the excess.
Whisk the flour,