Almond And Chocolate Dacquoise With Cranberry Sauce Recipes

CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE WITH SUGARED CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Make the sugared cranberries: Bring 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Put the cranberries in a large bowl and pour the sugar syrup over them; let sit 1 hour. Whisk the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar with the cardamom in a large bowl. Drain the cranberries, add to the spiced sugar and toss to coat. Spread the cranberries and sugar on a rimmed baking sheet. Let sit, rerolling the cranberries in the sugar occasionally until dry, 2 to 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray. Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and cardamom in a large bowl; set aside. Put the cocoa powder in a separate large bowl. Heat 1 cup water in a small saucepan until almost simmering; pour over the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Set aside until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes.
• Add the eggs to the cocoa mixture and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until just combined. Add the granulated sugar, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla; beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture, then increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans; lightly tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment. (The cake layers can be made 1 day ahead; let cool, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap.)
• Make the frosting: Beat the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts; increase the mixer speed to high and beat, scraping down the side of the bowl, until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk and almond liqueur; beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Halve 1/2 cup of the sugared cranberries. Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread with 1 cup frosting, then sprinkle with the halved cranberries. Top with the second cake layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Top with the remaining sugared cranberries.

ALMOND AND CHOCOLATE DACQUOISE WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and, using an 8-inch round cake pan as a guide, trace 3 circles on parchment (2 on one sheet and 1 on other). Turn parchment over (circles will show through paper).
• Make meringue layers:
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with cream of tartar and salt until they hold soft peaks. Add sugar all at once and vanilla and beat until meringue holds stiff glossy peaks. Fold in almonds gently but thoroughly and divide meringue evenly among parchment circles, spreading to fill in circles.
• Bake meringue layers in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, 1 hour, or until firm and pale golden. Remove parchment from sheets and cool meringue layers on it on racks. Carefully peel off parchment and put meringues, smooth sides up, on a work surface. Meringue layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, in a cool dry place.
• Make cranberry sauce:
• In a heavy saucepan combine cranberries, preserves, sugar, water, and lemon juice and simmer until thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Cranberry sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and transfer chocolate to a sealable plastic bag. Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Squeeze chocolate to one corner and snip off corner as close to edge as possible to make a 1/8-inch hole. Drizzle chocolate over smooth sides of meringues (do not spread to coat) and chill, uncovered, until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
• In a bowl beat cream with sugar and vanilla until cream holds stiff peaks.
• Assemble dacquoise:
• Put 1 meringue layer, chocolate side down, on a cake plate and spread evenly with about half of whipped cream. Repeat layering in same manner with another meringue, remaining whipped cream, and remaining meringue. Dacquoise may be assembled and kept in a cake keeper, chilled, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
• Garnish dacquoise with chocolate leaves and sugared cranberries, Slice dacquoise with a serrated knife and serve chilled with cranberry sauce.
• To make the chocolate holly leaves:
• In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth, and remove double boiler or pan from heat. With a 1/2-inch pastry brush coat underside of each leaf about 1/8 inch thick with chocolate. Chill leaves, chocolate sides up, until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes, and carefully peel off holly or lemon leaves. Chocolate leaves may be made 1 week ahead and kept frozen, in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container lined with wax paper. Makes 15 chocolate leaves.

ALMOND DACQUOISE

Steps:

• ALMOND DACQUOISE.
• Combine almonds, powdered sugar, and cornstarch; set aside.
• Place egg whites in bowl of electric stand mixer. Turn to medium-high and whip until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in sugar, vanilla and almond extract, beating until stiff peaks form. Reduce to low and quickly add almond mixture, mixing just until blended.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with large (1/2-inch) plain tip, pipe mixture onto greased and floured baking sheets to form 3 (8-inch) circles. Bake at 250 for 35-45 minutes and cool on aluminum foil. Fill and frost with chocolate buttercream filling.
• CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FILLING.
• Place egg yolks in bowl of electric stand mixer. Turn to medium-high and whip 2 minutes. Stop and scrape bowl.
• Reduce speed to medium and gradually add powdered sugar, chocolate, butter and vanilla; continue beating until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

ALMOND CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, water and apricot preserves. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until cranberries pop, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally., Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in almonds and lemon juice. Serve over pound cake. Garnish with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers.

ORANGE-CHOCOLATE DACQUOISE

Steps:

• To make the meringue layers, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Generously butter and flour two cookie sheets. Shake extra flour from sheets. Trace three circles about eight inches in diameter on them.
• Place egg whites in a large bowl, add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff. Add another 1/4 cup sugar to the ground almonds and, reserving 1/3 cup of the mixture, fold the rest into the egg whites.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain (No. 3) tip with the egg-white mixture, and pipe circles following the patterns on the cookie sheets, working from the outside toward the center. Smooth any missed spaces with a spatula. Pipe or spoon extra mixture in dollops on cookie sheets.
• Bake the meringues in the middle of the oven, rotating for even cooking, for 55 to 75 minutes, until firm to the touch and lightly colored. Remove from the oven and run a long, thin-bladed knife or spatula carefully under the meringues. If they are not firm, return to oven and check again in five-minute increments. Once firm, transfer them to cake racks. They will become crisper when cooled.
• For the orange segments, remove and mince the orange zest. Set aside. Remove as much pith as possible and carefully separate the fruit into segments without breaking the membranes.
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir in the vegetable oil. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then dip each orange segment halfway into the chocolate, letting extra chocolate drip back into the pan. Place the segments on wax paper to harden. Once hardened, cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• To prepare the buttercream, place egg whites in a large metal mixing bowl and set over (not touching) boiling water. Using a wire whisk, beat, while gradually adding sugar, until the mixture is slightly thickened and reaches 105 degrees on an instant-read or candy thermometer.
• Immediately remove bowl from the heat and begin beating the mixture with an electric mixer. Continue to beat while gradually adding pieces of butter. Beat until the mixture reaches room temperature and thickens into the consistency of stiff filling - about 10 to 15 minutes. (The buttercream will look ugly and you will think that it won't come together. Keep beating. It will!)
• Meanwhile, add the six ounces of chocolate and tablespoon of water to the double boiler used for the garnish. Let it all melt, then add the orange extract, zest, Grand Marnier and salt, and stir to blend. Stir in half a cup of the buttercream and beat until chocolate is smooth. Scrape the mixture into the bowl of buttercream and mix well. Refrigerate for 10 to 20 minutes.
• To assemble the dacquoise, save the best meringue for the top. Put a small amount of buttercream in the center of a dessert plate, or a cardboard circle on a turntable, and place a meringue over it. Spread a generous quarter of the filling over this, making it a little thicker toward the outside.
• Gently place the second meringue on top, pushing down lightly, and spread another fourth of the filling. Add the final meringue layer and cover the top and sides of the dacquoise with another fourth of the buttercream.
• Crumble the reserved pieces of meringue and combine them with the sugar-nut mixture. Pat this around the sides of the dacquoise. Arrange the chocolate-dipped orange segments on top like spokes of a wheel and pipe the remaining buttercream through a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, making rosettes on the outside edge. Refrigerate, uncovered, until an hour before serving.