Parisian Cookie Cake Recipes

PARISIAN COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the ring of a 9-inch springform pan (without its base) upside down on the prepared sheet. The ridge in the ring should be on top.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape in the almond butter and mix for 2 more minutes. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and beat on medium-low until blended. Pour in the egg and mix on low until incorporated. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until they disappear into the dough. Scrape the dough into the center of the springform ring.
• Use a flexible or offset spatula or your fingers to spread the dough as evenly as you can. You don't have to press it down aggressively, but you should try to get it relatively smooth. Scatter the chocolate over the surface and then scatter over the almonds.
• Bake the cookie for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and immediately - and carefully - open and lift off the springform. Let the cookie cool to room temperature, then dot the surface with caramel sparingly or generously; if you'd like, you can drizzle the caramel. Sprinkle the top lightly with fleur de sel. Cut the cookie into 10 to 12 wedges, or go rogue and cut it into other shapes. Wrapped, the cookie will keep for about 4 days at room temperature.

MOKA DUPONT: A FRENCH ICEBOX CAKE

Steps:

• Before you start assembling the cake, decide on the size you want. I make a cake that's 4 cookies wide, 4 cookies long and 4 layers high. Choose a plate to build and serve the cake.
• Make the buttercream frosting: Put the butter in a small bowl, and beat it with a flexible spatula until smooth. Add 1/2 cup sugar, and beat again with the spatula until it's thoroughly incorporated. Separate the egg, putting the yolk in a cup and the white in a small bowl. Whip the white until it holds soft peaks using a mixer or, for a short but strenuous exercise, a whisk. Give the yolk a quick whisk, just to break it up, then stir it into the white.
• Add the egg to the bowl with the butter, and using the spatula, stir and fold until blended. Scrape in the melted chocolate, then stir and fold again until the frosting is homogeneous. (It won't be perfectly smooth.) Taste the buttercream, and you'll feel grains of sugar on your tongue - that's the way it's meant to be.
• Pour the hot espresso into a wide, shallow bowl, and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• One by one, drop each cookie into the espresso, count 3 seconds, flip it over, count 3 seconds more, then place the espresso-soaked cookie on the serving plate. Continue until you have your first layer of cookies in place.
• Using a small offset spatula or a table knife, spread a quarter of the buttercream over the cookies, working the cream to the edges of the cookies. Build 3 more layers of dunked cookies and smoothed buttercream. Top the last layer of buttercream with grated chocolate.
• Refrigerate the cake until the frosting is set, at least 3 hours. The cake can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (Once the frosting is set, the cake could also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. To serve, simply let it defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or at room temperature for about 1 hour.)

FRENCH BUTTER CAKES (MADELEINES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter and flour 12 (3 inch) madeleine molds; set aside.
• Melt butter and let cool to room temperature.
• In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and salt at high speed until light.
• Beating constantly, gradually add sugar; and continue beating at high speed until mixture is thick and pale and ribbons form in bowl when beaters are lifted, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sift flour into egg mixture 1/3 at a time, gently folding after each addition.
• Add lemon zest and pour melted butter around edge of batter. Quickly but gently fold butter into batter. Spoon batter into molds; it will mound slightly above tops.
• Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until cakes are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip.
• Use the tip of the knife to loosen madeleines from pan; invert onto rack. Immediately sprinkle warm cookies with granulated sugar. Madeleines are best eaten the day they're baked. Leftover madeleines are wonderful when dunked into coffee or tea.
• Variation: Chocolate Madeleines: Omit lemon zest. Increase sugar to 1/2 cup. Substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons of the flour; sift into batter with flour.

HOMEMADE COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Beat brown sugar, unsalted butter, and white sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in egg and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add flour, baking soda, and salt and blend until batter is just mixed. Fold chocolate chips into batter. Batter will be thick. Chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
• Spread batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in th preheated oven until edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Slightly cool cake in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Beat shortening and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly beat in 3 cups confectioners' sugar until smooth. Mix water and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into confectioners' sugar mixture; add remaining confectioners' sugar and mix until buttercream is smooth. Add more water to thin, if needed.
• Spread buttercream onto cookie cake.

FRENCH SILK LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour 1 2/3 cups batter in each pan. Spread evenly.
• Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In medium glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites and sugar with whisk until blended. Set over pan of simmering water 16 to 20 minutes, beating occasionally with whisk, until sugar has dissolved and egg mixture reaches 160°F. Remove from heat; pour into bowl of electric stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on high speed 2 to 3 minutes or until glossy peaks form and bowl has cooled to feel slightly warm. Still on high speed, slowly add 1 1/2 cups softened butter, one piece at a time, scraping side of bowl occasionally, until mixture is smooth, thick and shiny, 12 to 14 minutes. Beat in vanilla. If mixture separates, beat until smooth.
• Fit decorating bag with 1/2-inch round piping tip; fill with 1 1/4 cups vanilla frosting, and set aside.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave 2 oz chopped chocolate uncovered on High 60 seconds, stirring halfway through microwave time. Continue to microwave in 10-second increments until chocolate can be stirred smooth. Let stand 10 minutes. Beat cooled melted chocolate into remaining frosting until smooth.
• Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread 2/3 cup chocolate frosting on top. Top with second cake layer; spread 2/3 cup chocolate frosting on top. Place third cake layer on top. Frost side and top of cake with remaining chocolate frosting. Using decorating bag, pipe frosting mounds on top of cake with vanilla frosting (use photo as guide).
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chocolate shavings over frosting mounds. Refrigerate 1 hour. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.