Genoise For Gingerbread Town Square Cake Recipes

GINGERBREAD TOWN-SQUARE CAKE

Steps:

• Place 1 meringue layer on a cake stand, and spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream over its surface. Top with a slice of genoise. Brush genoise with one-third of the syrup. Spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream over genoise. Repeat layering 2 more times. Spread enough buttercream over sides of cake to fill in any spaces between layers and create a smooth surface. Refrigerate cake for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight).
• Just before serving, spread frosting over cake, smoothing sides and creating peaks on top to resemble snowdrifts. Sprinkle top with sanding sugar. Gently press 3 cookies onto each side of cake, using 1 of each shape per side and alternating molasses and honey gingerbread. Serve immediately.

GENOISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch round cake pan. Line with parchment paper and grease it as well. Lightly flour pan and paper.
• Sift together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt onto a piece of wax paper.
• Place the eggs into a mixing bowl set over a pan of hot (not boiling) water. Add the 1/2 cup sugar to the eggs and whisk until the mixture feels warm (not hot) to the touch, about body temperature. Place the bowl onto a mixer and beat on medium speed until the mixture becomes pale yellow in color and falls off the end of the whisk attachment in long ribbons. Add the vanilla. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the beaten egg and fold in. Continue to add the remainder of the flour, folding it in each time.
• Place about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl containing the melted butter and combine the butter with the batter. Add this back to the main batter and fold it in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Immediately bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 25 minutes or until the top is a light brown. Cool in pan on a rack about 10 minutes and then invert onto a rack. It is best to invert it again onto another rack so that it cools with the top up. Let cool completely before cutting or frosting.

GINGERBREAD GENOISE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11-by-17-inch jelly-roll pan, and line pan with parchment. Butter and flour parchment. Place a clean, smooth kitchen towel on a clean surface; sift confectionersâ?? sugar evenly over towel. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg; set aside.
• Set bowl of electric mixer over, but not touching, a pot of simmering water. Combine brown sugar and eggs in bowl; whisk until a candy thermometer registers 110 degrees (warm to the touch), about 2 minutes.
• Beat on high until thick and pale, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, transfer to large bowl. Add flour mixture in thirds, folding after each. In a small bowl, combine butter and molasses; add in steady stream while folding in last flour addition. Pour into pan; smooth with offset spatula.
• Bake until cake is springy to the touch and golden brown, about 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully turn out cake over towel. Place short end toward you. Pick up edge of towel; begin rolling cake. As you roll, incorporate towel; continue rolling into a log. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

GENOISE FOR GINGERBREAD TOWN-SQUARE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment with spray. Dust with flour, and tap out excess.
• Whisk together eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• With a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg mixture on high speed until pale and very thick, about 12 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Sift flour and salt over mixture in 3 additions, folding gently with a spatula. When almost incorporated, pour melted butter down side of bowl, and gently fold until completely incorporated.
• Gently pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean and top springs back when lightly touched, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
• Invert cake onto rack, and remove parchment. Using a serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into 3 layers.

CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust with flour and tap out any excess. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, gingerbread spice and salt in a medium bowl. Beat 1 stick butter and the brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the whole egg and egg yolks and beat 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the water. Beat until just smooth, being careful not to overbeat (the batter may look curdled).
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack, remove the parchment and let cool completely.
• Beat the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the ginger jam in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Carefully cut the cake in half crosswise with a serrated knife and spread one half with the ginger filling. Top with the other cake layer and cut lengthwise, then crosswise into 6 equal rows, making small cubes. Freeze the cubes until firm, about 1 hour.
• Melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water), about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan. Hold each cake square over the bowl on a fork and spoon chocolate over the top until evenly covered. Let the excess drip off, then transfer to a rack set on a baking sheet. Top with crystallized ginger. Let set, about 2 hours at room temperature or 30 minutes in the refrigerator; before completely set, loosen with a spatula.

VANILLA GENOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of One 8 or 9 inch round cake pan OR 8-inch square pan, OR 11x17 sheet pan with parchment, and spray lightly with some sort of spray release (like Pam).
• Combine the butter and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Set aside somewhere warm (you want the butter to stay melted).
• Combine the flour with 3 tbl.
• of the sugar and sift again.
• Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, combine the eggs and rest of the sugar.
• Place the mixing bowl in a large pan of hot (not boiling, very hot tap water is good) water, and mix with your VERY CLEAN hand (kids love this part) until the eggs feel warm to the touch (body temp)*.
• Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on high speed until cool, light and at the ribbon stage (when you lift the beaters, ribbons of batter fall back into the bowl and don't disappear very quickly).
• Now, everyone says to use a rubber spatula, but I find it much easier to use my hand to do this next part**.
• Sprinkle about 1/3 of the flour onto the eggs and quickly and gently fold into the batter.
• Fold in half the remaining, then the rest.
• Take about a handful of the batter and mix into the small bowl of butter and vanilla until well combined.
• Gently fold that back into the batter.
• Divide between the pans and bake as follows: for an 8" square, 20-25 min.
• ;an 8" round, 25-30 minutes; a 9" round, 20-25 minutes; and an 11x17 sheet pan, 15-20 minutes.
• The cakes should JUST BEGIN to shrink away from the side of the pans, and should spring back when you lightly touch them in the center.
• Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a flat surface and let cool completely before peeling off the parchment.
• Set aside until ready to use.
• DO NOT OVERBAKE.
• This cake is best if allowed to sit a day before using in trifles.
• NOTE 1: Genoise is supposed to be a dry cake.
• It was made specifically to take moist toppings so it could soak them up.
• *NOTE2: I learned to use my hand when warming yolks in culinary school.
• The idea is that as soon as it feels warm on your hand, it is at the perfect temperature to whip to ribbon stage.
• **NOTE3: I learned to fold flour into delicate batters like this with my VERY CLEAN hand in culinary school also.
• At first I thought it was stupid, but I quickly saw it was the best way to be able to tell if all of your flour is mixed in and avoid any un-incorporated flour bits.
• I mix angelfood cakes this way, too.
• Children love to do this!

GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350º F.
• Grease and flour 9-inch/20cm square pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
• Add egg. Add the water to the molasses, stir to combine, then stir molasses water into the butter mixture.
• Stir dry ingredients together, add to liquid mixture, and combine until smooth. Pour into prepared pan, bake 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• To decorate-.
• Once cool, split the cake in half horizontally.
• Sit the two halves, cut side up, on the counter, and spread one half with jam and the other half with chocolate ganache.
• Sandwich the two halves back together.
• Ice the entire cake with chocolate ganache, decorate and serve!

GENOISE BROWNIE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sift cake flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl.
• Whisk 4 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar together in a bowl. Beat on high speed using an electric mixer until pale yellow and tripled in volume. Mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing batter until fully incorporated after each addition.
• Place melted butter into a bowl; add 1/2 cup of the batter and mix until smooth. Recombine with the main batter; mix until smooth. Pour batter into a round 9-inch baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 27 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Leave the oven on.
• Sift all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
• Place 1 cup butter and chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar; stir briefly. Pour mixture into a large bowl.
• Beat the remaining 1 cup sugar and 4 eggs together in a bowl using an electric mixer until just combined. Stir half gently into the chocolate mixture. Beat the remaining sugar-egg mixture until pale and doubled in volume; fold into the chocolate mixture. Add sifted flour mixture; mix until no dry spots remain. Pour batter into a round 9-inch baking pan.
• Bake brownie in the still-hot oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan, at least 20 minutes.
• Transfer brownie layer to a plate; coat the top with frosting. Set genoise on top; spread frosting over the entire cake.