Cakes

Tahini Maple Syrup Brownies

September 6, 2019 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

The post was sponsored by Metro Ontario. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Peanut butter, dry roasted nuts and my childhood favourite, Pirate peanut butter cookies. I loved peanuts and anything peanut. However, as of 2008, I have not had any peanuts. That was the year we discovered my daughter was allergic to peanuts and was classified as anaphylactic.

The first question I always get from young mothers is, “How did you find out?”. My daughter was 2 years old and a typical toddler. She was a super picky eater when it came to meals. In retrospect, this was a good thing. The day we found out was when I decided to share my peanut butter and jam sandwich. It was a first for Moineau. She took one bite and spat it out with disgust. Moments later, she broke out with a rash around her mouth. After seeing an allergist and getting tested, it was official. She was severely allergic to peanuts.

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Raspberry Beet Smoothie Cake

July 5, 2019 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by Paderno Kitchenware. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paderno’s Power Blender with the Vortex Blade System, Paderno’s Maple Cutting Board and Paderno’s Immersion Blender .

A few years ago, I remembered travelling by train and talking to a few tourists from Germany about the unbearable scorching heat we were experiencing at the time in the south of France. They teased me that the humidity was probably a warm welcome, considering the arctic conditions I must endure back home here in Canada.

That’s right…arctic conditions.

It’s 30 C temperature plus humidity here in Southern Ontario. Which means I try to keep the oven off, dishwasher running at a minimum and stick my head in the freezer as often as possible. Snacking consists of cold coffee, smoothies, and ice cream. And definitely loads of fresh local berries.

Which is why this Raspberry Beet Smoothie Cake made with Paderno’s Power Blender is my go-to cake to battle our humid hot summers. I tend to omit the word “beet” when asking the kids if they want some “raspberry smoothie cake topped with whipped cream.” And to be completely honest, you don’t taste beets. Rather a smooth, sweet, crunchy and icy treat.

The beautiful thing about using Paderno’s Power Blender is the Vortex Blade System. It ensures a smooth and consistent result every time. No undesirable chunks of beets that kids may potentially bite into. Instead, a creamy, perfect texture. The blender itself is super easy to use. There are pre-set functions and manual speed settings for smooth operation and accurate controls. There’s even a smoothie function!

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Rhubarb and Cherry Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

June 7, 2019 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by Metro Ontario. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s late spring early summer here in southern Ontario. When the sun stays up and shines longer, the days are warm but not too hot and the evenings are just cool enough for an outdoor fire without those pesky mosquitoes. June is definitely my favourite month of the year.

Asides from June’s fantastic weather is the incredible local produce that starts to hit the Metro stores across Ontario. Asparagus, strawberries, radishes and cucumbers are just a few items that are available locally from the fields of Ontario farmers. Not to mention the handful of other goodies coming from indoor greenhouses like bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes.

But hands down my favourite produce for the month of June is rhubarb and cherries. It’s as though these two were made for each other. The tartness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the cherries are indeed a match made in heaven in this sheet cake. And the cream cheese frosting elevates this sweet and tangy cake.

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Kumquot Orange Cake with a Grand Marnier Pomegranate Icing

December 23, 2018 By stemsandforks 6 Comments

This post was sponsored by Paderno. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My long term memory is strong, vivid and somewhat creepy. A couple years ago I ran into a classmate from grade 5 on the bus. Her face was exactly the same. Dimpled chin, large freckles and green eyes. I had fond memories of her. The first time I ever had a pomegranate was in fact when Kelly offered me half the fruit. I still remember sitting in the classroom portable and Kelly telling me that we had to count how many little “ruby” seeds there were in one pomegranate. It was something she would do with her brother at home. Count every single red juicy gem and report back home on a pomegranate chart. Apparently the average was 500.

I remember that first seed I popped into my mouth. The sweet, sharp yet sour juice bursting in my mouth was unique. And simply a lot of fun plucking the little gems and counting them.

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Mulled Wine Chocolate Cake with Mulled Wine Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Poached Pears

November 19, 2018 By stemsandforks 18 Comments

This post was sponsored by Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Wines. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please enjoy wine responsibly.

Wine, chocolate and cake. My three Achilles heel, my guilty pleasures, my three best amigos. These three are my food soulmates. I know it sounds extreme but that’s how much I love wine, chocolate and cake. And interestingly all three came at different points in my life.

Cake.

As a child, I’d remember attending birthday parties and seeing my friends crowd around the gift table ogling all the colourfully wrapped gifts shaking, sniffing and guessing what was in each package. I however, would be in the kitchen ogling the cake. Wondering what flavour was inside. Praying the icing wasn’t that flavourless saccharin drenched grease from a can but a fluffy home made butter cream or cream cheese icing. I’d then cue myself up in the line of kids just so, to make sure I got the right piece. That is, the largest piece and the piece from the moist centre. And of course, I always had seconds and occasionally thirds.

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Spiced Rum, Date, Walnut, Molasses Bundt Cake with Rum Caramel Drizzle

October 7, 2018 By stemsandforks 17 Comments

Koreans can’t bake.

That’s been my insecurity since starting this baking journey. That I’m Korean. And unlike my fellow caucasian friends, I have no family pie recipe or a mom that baked chocolate chip cookies with me on Saturday mornings. The only things I baked as a child were Pillsbury crescents from a tin or boxed Duncan Hines. Baking from scratch was never a part of my family growing up.

Instead, my Saturdays consisted of Korean language classes followed by math drills with Sargent Shin… and his chopstick wand. After math, my sisters and I would get to watch some TV whilst stuffing thousands of Korean dumplings called “mandu”. Okay. Maybe not thousands but god did it ever feel like thousands! Only after all the mandus were stuffed and our math drills were done correctly, were my sisters and I allowed to bake Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake. And if we were really lucky, my mom would have bought the chocolate icing in a carton for us to ice the yellow cake with. As a child, baking this cake and devouring it was my escape, my utopia, my moment of being unkorean.

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Carrot Almond Cake with Toasted Meringue – Dairy and Gluten Free

August 28, 2018 By stemsandforks Leave a Comment

I hadn’t planned on posting this recipe but you asked, so here it is.

I recently had a friend over that was lactose and gluten intolerant that was itching to try one of my cakes. I was also asked by fellow food blogger Andrey Tulsky to collaborate on posting a photograph on Instagram with carrots and one’s pet. And so was born this gluten free and dairy free almond and carrot cake. I love it when I kill two birds with one stone!

This uber moist, high fibre, vitamin rich cake alone was a bit too “healthy”. Initially I thought roll cake with orange marmalade to fill. But as I was cutting the cake into mini bite sizes and sampling the cutaway pieces, I realized it needed something fluffy, soft, sweet and naughty. It needed toasted meringue.

And in all fairness, meringue isn’t really “naughty” is it. Its simply egg whites and sugar. It’s the torching part that’s naughty I suppose. Firing up pure white fluffs into a light brown caramelized skin. Totally naughty. But if you’d rather “nice”, feel free to simply dust the sheet cake with some icing sugar.

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Pavlova with White Currant Curd

July 23, 2018 By stemsandforks 5 Comments

I’ve been promising a Pavlova recipe for ages. And while the web is doused with Pavlova recipes, I thought this white currant curd one might stand out. And stand out she does! I rigorously researched (meaning I Googled it), and I couldn’t find a white currant Pavlova or for that matter a white currant curd anywhere online.

It’s been a week since I got back from Paris, France and if you’ve been following along on my Instagram account you’ll know Pierre and I were sick for half the time we were there. Food poisoning from lightly seared tuna during a heatwave. I never seem to learn. (Second time…but the seafood stands look utterly scrumptious!) The worst part about this food poisoning story…I had forced Pierre to eat my leftover tuna (of course before I knew it was tainted), and the Airbnb we stayed at only had one toilet. Merde!

So why a Pavlova now? Before heading to Paris, Pierre had made a mental list of all the foods he wanted to eat. Meringues were one of them. As a child, Pierre and his parents would make a yearly pilgrimage from Geneva to Paris to do some shopping. Not LV or Chanel, but books and antiques. Very old and special books you’d find in the markets along the Seine river. But for Pierre, it was meringues. He’d dream of those fluffy saccharin-drenched, swirly clouds of egg whites every year as a child.

It’s been 14 or so years since we’ve both been to France and unfortunately that meringue plan never happened for Pierre. Between jet-lagged kids, food poisoning and my workshop, there were maybe at most, two days that we got to venture out …albeit with recovering woozy bellies. So for two days, we focused on showing the kids Paris’ sights and attractions much to their conspicuous lack of enthusiasm.

In the meanwhile white currant curd Pavlova for Pierre…crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside sweet meringue discs, sandwiching a sugary but tart curd topped with freshly whipped cream. Sorry Pierre! But French meringue will have to wait. First world problems. C’est la vie!

Bon app!

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Pavlova with White Currant Curd

Author: Betty Binon

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 7

For a single tier Pavlova, make exactly half the quantity.

Ingredients

FOR THE PAVLOVA:
6 Egg whites room temperature
pinch of salt
300 grams or 1½ cups super fine white sugar
2 table spoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vinegar
FOR THE CURD:
10 ounces or 285 grams more or less of fresh white currants stemmed
4 tablespoons water
6 egg yolks
100 grams or ½ cup white sugar
115 grams or ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature cut into cubes
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
473 ml or 1 pint fresh heavy whipping cream
4 table spoons fine white sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

DIRECTIONS - PAVLOVA:
Preheat oven with rack in middle to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw two 7 inch circles with a gap of at least 4 inches between the two circles
In a very clean stand mixer with very clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on low speed and work your way up gradually to medium high speed until soft peaks are formed
Start adding the sugar on high speed a table spoon at a time until egg whites are stiff and shiny...test by holding bowl upside down...whites shouldn't move. As well, take a bit of meringue and test between fingers...should be smooth with no grittiness left from sugar...takes about 5-7 minutes
Sift the cornstarch over the meringue and whisk again on medium for max 5 seconds
With spatula, gently fold in the vanilla and vinegar into the meringue until combined
Take spatula and evenly divide the meringue into the two circles traced on the parchment paper
Take an off set spatula and smooth out into circles and smooth out tops...you can make swirls or kisses on the side for an interesting design
Place baking tray with meringues in 325 F pre heated oven but immediately turn down to 300 F and bake for 1 hour.
Once bake time is finished, turn oven off, but do not remove or open door to oven!!! Leave in oven for at least 2-3 more hours. !Important otherwise major cracking and/or sinking pavlova! (keep in mind a little sinking and a little cracking is okay!)
Allow to complete cooling outside in room temperature
DIRECTIONS - CURD:
While the pavlova is baking, in a medium saucepan, cook the stemmed white currants and the water for about 5 minutes all the while mashing them with a potato masher
Once the berries have reduced, remove from heat and push the currant puree through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl... (you'll be left with about ¾ cup of currant puree) ..discard seeds and skin
In a clean saucepan over medium heat add the egg yolks, sugar and white currant puree until well mixed and dissolved- whisking constantly about 4 minutes
Add butter cubes one at a time once mixture warms up and is lightly bubbling and whisk frequently for another 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and bubbling
Strain through sieve into a bowl (for quicker cooler, use a baking tray lined with parchment paper.)
Cover with plastic film so it touches the curd and refrigerate
DIRECTIONS - WHIPPED CREAM:
Take a clean stand mixer bowl, the whisk attachment, the cream and pop in freezer for 10 minutes
Put the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in the cold stand mixer bowl and whisk on high speed for 1-1½ minutes or until medium stiff peaks form - do not over mix!
ASSEMBLING PAVLOVA:
Place first meringue layer down on your cake stand, take an offset spatula and spread the cooled down white currant curd evenly over the layer
Place next meringue layer on top ...top with all the whipped cream
Garnish with some white currant berries
Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days, however be aware pav will become soggy. Best to consume same day it's been prepared.
Pavlova discs can be made a few days in advance and stored at room temperature in an air tight container with parchment paper between the discs to avoid them from sticking

Carrot Cake with Lime Mascarpone Frosting

April 9, 2018 By stemsandforks 4 Comments

It’s a classic cake. Everyone in the modern western world has tried carrot cake at least once in their lifetime. And just about everyone loves it. I assumed that every household probably had at least a couple of go-to recipes since it’s such a common cake – which is why I never bothered posting my recipe. Although…I realized that every time I share my carrot cake with friends and other food bloggers, without fail, they ask me for my recipe. There’s a couple of things I do differently in my recipe which perhaps makes it stand out from the traditional method.

So what makes my carrot cake special? It’s got loads of carrot…1 pound or 3 1/2 cups or 450 grams to be exact. While you grate away the carrots, I already know you’ll be thinking “This is a lot of carrot!” I assure you it’s not. Most of the grated carrot will melt away making way for a super moist cake and the remainder, subtle orange flecks giving this cake a gorgeous crumb. The other secret weapon is the lime in the mascarpone frosting – and lots of it. Four limes worth of zest and juice gives the icing a crazy yummy citrus zing. Is my carrot cake better? Try it and you be the judge!

Bon app!

Hand made porcelain plates and vases provided by https://www.explorapersona.com/shop-pottery

Carrot Cake with Lime Mascarpone Frosting

2018-04-09 16:00:30

Serves 10

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

FOR THE CAKE

260 g or 2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
300 grams or 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
100 grams or 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh large eggs room temperature
450 grams or 1 pound or 3 1/2 cups grated fresh carrots on largest hole of box grater
125 grams or 1 cup toasted walnuts (Toast in oven 350 F for 10 minutes on baking tray lined with parchment paper, stirring once about halfway. Cool completely before using in cake)
some extra butter and flour to grease cake pans

FOR THE FROSTING

450 grams or 16 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature (very important this is room temperature)
115 grams or 1/2 unsalted butter room temperature
250 grams or 2 cups confectioners'/icing sugar sifted
zest and juice from 4 limes - about 1 teaspoon of zest and 1/3 cup of juice comes from 4 limes

CAKE

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350F
Butter and dust with flour two 9 inch cake pans...Line bottoms with parchment paper
In large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and whisk..set aside
In stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix the brown and white sugar, then eggs, one at a time. scrape sides of bowl after all eggs have been added and stir again.
Add the oil in a slow stream on low speed
Scape sides and add the flour mix on slow in about 3 additions until just incorporated. Don't overmix
Remove from stand and with large spoon or spatula, stir in the carrots and walnuts until just blended..Do not over mix.
Divide the cake batter into the 2 pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out almost clean (no wet/batter on tooth pick but a few small crumbs is okay)
Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes
Transfer to finish cooling on wire racks for about 2 hours to completely cool before frosting

FROSTING

Make sure the butter and the mascarpone are both ROOM TEMPERATURE
In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone on medium until smooth and silky about 2 minutes
Add the butter and beat another 30 seconds
Scrape the bowl and add icing sugar in small additions to avoid sugar from flying out of bowl
Once it's smooth and fully incorporated, add the lime zest, then the juice in a slow steady stream on low speed

ASSEMBLING CAKE

Slather about 1/3 of the frosting on the first layer of cake and smooth out with an offset spatula
Spread the rest of the frosting on the top layer and sides using the offset spatula

Notes

-The mascarpone and butter should both be room temperature before whipping. Try to take out from fridge the night before preparing the frosting.
-If the mascarpone or butter or both are not room temperature, if will look like it's 'curdling' while you're whipping the frosting- to fix this, take a hairdryer and warm up the icing while stirring on low speed for a minute. This should get the butter and the mascarpone to blend and gel together nicely.
-Cakes can be made in advance...once they've completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate
-Frosting can be made ahead...refrigerate in an air tight container. Bring to room temperature and beat again for about a minute to make smooth and spreadable
-Cake can last in fridge wrapped or in cake container for up to a week.

STEMS & FORKS https://www.stemsandforks.com/

Chocolate Cake with a Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Maple Glazed Walnuts

March 16, 2018 By stemsandforks 6 Comments

On one of my recent blog posts, Orange Cardamom Cake with Blackberry Curd, a reader left a comment that left me scratching my head. She wrote, “I have tried to make this cake twice and the cake has fallen – severely – before taking it out of the oven. I have years of baking experience, and can’t get this to bake right.”

Of course, my heart sank. How could this be? I referred back to the cake recipe and scrutinized it line by line, and was still left baffled. I knew I had baked this cake several times and wondered what had gone amiss. After several conversations between the reader and myself, and I discovered exactly what went wrong. She had used a 6 inch pan the first time and an 8 inch pan the second time, when the recipe had called for a 9 inch pan. Using pans of another size, other than what the recipe calls for, (even a mere inch) can cause the cake to collapse in the middle and/or cause the excess to flow over the edge of the pan.

The fact that this particular reader was a seasoned baker, made me realize that although many home bakers out there may have decades of experience, it is probably in baking the same repertoire of recipes over and over. For instance, a simple pound cake or chocolate cake most likely won’t sink if substituting with a slightly different pan size. But for a genoise, sponge, angel, chiffon or any cake using egg whites and air to leaven (raise/suspend), the cake would definitely end up with a monumental crater.

Chopping board provided by https://www.tshirtstudio.com

I’ve decided to do a quick checklist here with brief explanations on how to achieve that perfect cake. I’ll dedicate a more detailed blog post at a later time but for now I thought I’d share these quick tips to help you avoid any cake disasters.

-Check that your oven’s temperature is correct with an oven-safe thermometer.

-Always use the pan size indicated in the recipe. Using a smaller pan than what is called for in the recipe will cause the cake to collapse in the middle (and over flow on the sides). While baking, the cake expands and rises and has nowhere else to go. Thus, the flop and spillover. On the opposite spectrum, using a pan larger than what the recipe indicates may result in a flat and dry cake.

-Grease pan with butter and dust with flour on sides and line bottom of pan with parchment paper (that you’ve traced and cut out).

-Glass and dark-coloured pans usually bake things faster…reduce oven by about 25F or check up on cake a bit earlier. Normally recipes are based on aluminum/light-coloured pans.

-Always measure flour and most ingredients by weight. If you don’t have a scale, don’t scoop the flour directly with a measuring cup. Take a spoon and spoon it into the measuring cup and level off with a knife.

-Sift all your ingredients including sugar (especially brown sugar). Nothing like baking a gorgeous cake only to find a big air pocket inside after slicing into it.

-Make sure you thoroughly whisk your flour and baking powders/sodas together

-Have all your ingredients come to room temperature (unless otherwise stated) – especially eggs, milk, creams, cheeses etc. This helps create a lighter texture and an even bake.

-If you’ve forgotten to bring your eggs to room temperature, soak them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes.

-Don’t stray too much from the recipe. If it says 2 cups of flour, don’t add another half cup. In baking, even the slightest variation in ingredient ratios can throw the entire recipe off.

-When testing with a toothpick, dont wait till it comes out perfectly clean. A few crumbs on the toothpick is the perfect time to take out of the oven as the cake will continue to cook when taken out

-Brush your cakes with a simple sugar syrup while still warm. Its simple to make- equal amounts of water to sugar…bring to boil and brush over cakes. This will make your cakes moist for days!

Now back to what this blog post was really about…chocolate cake. The recipe below was tested at least a dozen times with various ingredients…sour cream instead of yogurt, butter instead of oil, unsweetened chocolate rather than semi sweet, raspberry buttercream instead of coffee…etc. And the end result was a gorgeous, moist, crumb. Sweet but not overly sweet with a smooth silky coffee buttercream with a nutty crunch. The recipe below is for a double layer cake and is quite large. You can easily make this cake into a single layer by dividing all the ingredients by half. This makes a single nine inch cake. I hope you enjoy it.

Bon app!

Chocolate Cake with Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Toasted Maple Syrup Walnuts

2018-03-15 00:24:27

Serves 12

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Cook Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

FOR THE CAKE

390 or 3 cups all purpose flour sifted
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
225 grams or 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
85 grams or 1 cup sifted cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil
6 eggs room temperature
400 grams or 2 cups white granulated sugar
200 grams or 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

SUGAR SYRUP

1/4 cup water
50 grams or 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

INGREDIENTS FOR COFFEE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

6 egg whites
400 grams or 2 cups granulated white sugar
450 grams or 2 cups softened unsalted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder

WALNUTS

100 grams or 1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
pinch of sea salt flakes

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 F and place oven rack in middle
Grease sides of pan with butter and dust some flour then trace and cut out bottom of 9 inch pan with parchment paper and place inside pan. Set aside
Chop semi sweet chocolate into small bits and put in large bowl and sift cocoa powder over chocolate, and add the 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder or instant coffee
Bring a pot or kettle of water to boil (at least 3 1/2 cups) But pour only 2 1/2 cups of boiling water over chocolate and whisk until it becomes smooth and silky. set aside
In large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, whisk well and set aside
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, put sugar in bowl and add egg in one at a time making sure each egg has been incorporated into sugar.
Once egg and sugar have become thoroughly combined, add the vegetable oil in a slow steady stream stirring on low- scrape sides and mix again
Stir in the yogurt and vanilla extract
Reduce to lowest speed and stir in flour in three additions and chocolate mixture in two additions. Mix until flour streaks have dissolved. Do not over mix
Divide the batter equally into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out with just a few clean crumbs
Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Place wire cooling rack on pans and invert cakes removing the parchment paper. Generously brush SUGAR SYRUP (instructions just below) while cake is warm Allow to cool completely another 1 1/2 hours

SUGAR SYRUP

While cake is baking, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil stirring until sugar has completely dissolved
Add the Grand Marnier while syrup is just a touch warm.
Generously slather on both cake layers about 5 minutes after cake has come out of oven

WALNUTS

Leave oven on at 350 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
Place the walnuts in centre of tray and drizzle with the maple syrup and mix with wooden spoon
spread nuts out evenly and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once halfway at about 8 minutes
after
Let cool for about 3 minutes before separating the walnuts and sprinkling the sea salts
Keep all the caramelized bits of maple syrup to dress cake with

COFFEE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

In a medium saucepan filled with couple inches of water on medium heat, place the stand mixer bowl with the 6 egg whites and 2 cups of white sugar and bring water to a simmer
Whisk constantly until candy thermometer reads 160 F- check by rubbing a bit between your thumb and finger that the sugar has completely dissolved and isn't gritty
Fit the mixer bowl in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form and the bowl returns to room temperature about 10 minutes
Whisk together the instant espresso or coffee powder with the milk until all the powder has been dissolved
Turn the mixer down and stir in the vanilla extract and the epresso/coffee milk mix
Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and start dropping in the room temperature butter in a couple table spoons at a time. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next dollop of butter.
Once all the butter has been added beat another 5 minutes on medium
Buttercream may look a bit lumpy at times...be patient, it'll smooth out with a couple minutes of beating.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

First...make sure cakes are completely cool. Refrigerating overnight or freezing for about 15 minutes makes icing easier.
Place first cake layer on your cake stand and spread out about a quarter of the buttercream with an offset spatula
Top with the next layer of cake and spread buttercream with offset spatula on top and on sides of cake
Sprinkle the walnuts and the caramelized maple glass

Notes

-This recipe can easily be made into a single layer chocolate cake. Just divide all ingredients by half and bake in one 9 inch pan
-I've read that swiss meringue buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks...however consuming within a week is ideal. Make sure you bring to room temperature and beat again for about 3 minutes before icing onto cake...if it gets lumpy or appears like it's curdling, blast a hair dryer on the buttercream while its beating in the stand mixer or place on a double boiler for a couple minutes...just to get the butter to gel with the meringue again.
-Store cake in fridge in a cake container for up to a week

By Betty Binon

STEMS & FORKS https://www.stemsandforks.com/