superfine sugar – Aubrey About Town http://aubreyabouttown.com The going-ons of SF party host & chef, bon vivant, homme du monde, & man-about-town Fri, 15 May 2020 10:21:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://i0.wp.com/aubreyabouttown.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cropped-43DD7C41-CD23-44CF-9EC7-C1D81E967BB4.png?fit=32%2C32 superfine sugar – Aubrey About Town http://aubreyabouttown.com 32 32 58900657 Lemon-Poppyseed Cake with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/lemon-poppyseed-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/ http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/lemon-poppyseed-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/#respond Thu, 14 May 2020 11:57:34 +0000 http://aubreyabouttown.com/?post_type=recipe&p=2086
Lemon-Poppyseed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Servings10 slices
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Passive Time2 hours
Ingredients
Lemon-Poppyseed Cake
Simple Syrup
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Prepare Lemon-Poppyseed Cake
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
  2. Grease bottom & sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds, dust sides with flour.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
  4. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and lemon zest until mixture becomes very pale and fluffy.
  5. Mix in canola oil.
  6. Mix in one egg and a time, mixing well after each addition.
  7. In a small bowl, mix together buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon extract.
  8. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined.
  9. Add in 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and mix just until combined.
  10. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Mix in remaining 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and finish by mixing in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture.
  11. Fold in poppyseeds.
  12. Scrape sides and bottom with a rubber spatula and gently fold until batter is evenly
  13. incorporated.
  14. Evenly divide batter between two prepared cake pans. Spread into an even layer.
  15. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
  16. Remove from oven let cool in pan 20 minutes.
  17. Invert cakes onto wire racks, cool completely.
Prepare Lemon Syrup
  1. In a small saucepan, heat water and sugar to dissolve sugar.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in limoncello (or lemon juice).
  3. Let cool.
Prepare Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in heavy cream and vanilla bean paste.
  3. Sift in confectioners sugar, mix on low to incorporate sugar.
  4. Beat until fluffy. Set aside.
Assemble the Cake:
  1. Poke 15 holes in each cake layer, brush each layer with 1/4 cup lemon syrup.
  2. Gently peel-off parchment round from one cake layer.
  3. Place cake layer upright on to a 9-inch cardboard cake round.
  4. Spread a generous layer of frosting on top of bottom cake layer, spreading to the edges.
  5. Place top layer top-side down onto first frosted layer, gently peel-off parchment round.
  6. Put a large dollop of frosting into top of cake, spreading it all the way to the edge. Spread frosting on sides of cake in an upward fashion to meet the frosted top.
  7. Using an offset spatula, spread frosting evenly and smooth.
  8. Holding frosted cake from the bottom, gently press in poppyseeds around sides of cake.
  9. Garnish top of cake with a sugar pastillage poppy flower (see notes below). Refrigerate 1 hour to set. Serves 10.
Recipe Notes

My friend, Michelle Capogreco in New York sells the red sugar pastillage poppy seen in photo, as well as other flowers, and custom designs on her Etsy store, Sweetpea Sugar Art

]]> http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/lemon-poppyseed-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/feed/ 0 2086 Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/chocolate-devils-food-cake/ http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/chocolate-devils-food-cake/#respond Thu, 07 May 2020 03:46:58 +0000 http://aubreyabouttown.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1761

Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake
So sinfully rich, it could only be called one thing; Devil’s Food! Perfect for your homemade birthday cake, anniversaries, or just when y’all need to tame that chocolate fix. Chocoholics rejoice!
Servings12 slices
Prep Time60 mins.
Cook Time30 mins.
Ingredients
Cake Batter
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Instructions
Cake Batter
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (176 celsius).
  2. Grease bottom & sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds, dust sides with flour.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
  4. With the stand mixer outfitted with the paddle attachment, on low, blend cold cubed butter into the flour mixture, until it resembles crumbs and there are no visible large pieces of butter.
  5. In a measuring cup, measure together coffee and milk (coffee accentuates the chocolate, making a more intense chocolate flavour), stir in vanilla extract.
  6. All at once, add milk mixture to flour mixtute, blend until just incorporated and smooth, then add beaten eggs, mix just until eggs are blended, and the batter is glossy.
  7. Divide batter into the two prepared cake pans, lift and tap cake pans on counter to real ease any air-bubbles.
  8. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, cakes are done when an inserted wooden toothpick or skewer comes out clean.
  9. On a rack, allow cakes to cool in the pans for just 20 mins, the turn cakes out of cake pans on to rack and allow cakes to cool completely.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
  1. Creating a ‘double boiler’, fill a medium-size sauce pan with an inch of water, bring to a gentle simmer.
  2. To a medium-size metal or heat-proof bowl, add chocolate chips and heavy cream. Place bowl over simmering water. Gently stir with a rubber spatula just until chocolate chips have melted - creating a ganache. Remove from heat.
  3. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
  4. Add sour cream mixture to hot melted ganache, mix until fully incorporated.
  5. Allow to set up & cool completely at room temperature, stirring occasionally. The frosting will firm-up to a spreadable consistency in 2 hours.
Assemble the Cake
  1. Gently peel-off parchment round from one cake layer.
  2. Place cake layer upright on to a 9-inch cardboard cake round.
  3. Spread frosting on top of bottom cake layer to the edges.
  4. Place top layer top-side down onto first frosted layer, gently peel-off parchment round. Put a large dollop of frosting into top of cake, spreading it all the way to the edge.
  5. Spread frosting on sides of cake in an upward fashion to meet the frosted top, frost in a swirling fashion.
  6. Transfer to a cake stand or plate. Makes 12 slices.
]]> http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/chocolate-devils-food-cake/feed/ 0 1761 Cinco de Mayo: Margaritas http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/margaritas/ http://aubreyabouttown.com/recipe/margaritas/#respond Tue, 05 May 2020 22:36:00 +0000 http://aubreyabouttown.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1853

Margarita
Servings1 glass
Prep Time1 min.
Ingredients
Sour Mix
Instructions
Margarita
  1. In a shaker, add ice, tequila, Cointreau, and sour mix.
  2. Shake or stir to chill. Pour into a margarita coupe or rocks glass.
  3. Garnish with lime wedge.
Sour Mix
  1. In a small saucepan, bring water and superfine sugar just to a simmer. Sugar should be dissolved. Remove from heat.
  2. Stir in lemon and lime juices.
  3. Strain through a fine strainer to remove any large pulp or seeds.
  4. Pour into a storage bottle. Keep refrigerated.
  5. Keeps for 2 weeks.
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