Rose's Heavenly Cakes (32 page)

Special Equipment

One 10-cup metal rose (or other shape) tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C (325°F/160°C if using a dark pan).

Prepare the Butter

In a medium microwavable bowl, or a saucepan, warm the butter until almost hot (110° to 120°F/40° to 50°C). Stir in the vanilla, cover, and keep warm.

Beat the Eggs

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a long-handled wire whisk, lightly combine the eggs and sugar. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat just until lukewarm to the touch, stirring constantly with the whisk to prevent curdling.

Attach the whisk beater. Beat the mixture on high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes. The mixture will more than quadruple in volume and be very thick and airy. (A handheld mixer will take at least 10 minutes.)

Mix the Flour and Cornstarch

While the eggs are beating, sift together the flour and cornstarch.

Make the Batter

Remove almost 1 cup of the beaten egg mixture and whisk it thoroughly into the melted butter.

Sift about half the flour mixture over the remaining egg mixture and, with a large balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or silicone spatula, fold it in gently but rapidly until almost all the flour has disappeared. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture until all traces of flour have disappeared.

Fold in the butter mixture just until incorporated. With a silicone spatula, reach into the bottom of the bowl to be sure to moisten all the flour. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula. If you have beaten it long enough, the pan will be a little more than half full (¾ inch from the top of the pan).

Bake the Cake

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and starts to shrink slightly from the sides of the pan. It will rise in the center to a little above the sides of the pan and then sink slightly when fully baked. Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum baking time as this fragile cake could fall. Test toward the end of baking by opening the oven door a crack, and if the cake doesn't appear done, continue baking for another 5 minutes.

To prevent the collapse of its delicate foam structure, while still hot, the génoise must be unmolded as soon as it is baked. Have ready a small metal spatula and a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Unmold and Cool the Cake

Immediately loosen the top edges of the cake with the small metal spatula and unmold the cake onto the wire rack. Cool completely.

Make the Triple Sec Syrup

In a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, stir together the sugar and water until all the sugar is moistened. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Cover at once and remove it from the heat. Cool completely. Transfer the syrup to a measuring cup with a spout and stir in the Triple Sec. If the syrup has evaporated slightly, add water to equal 1 cup.

Apply the Syrup

Using a removable tart pan bottom or two large pancake turners, lift the cooled génoise onto a serving plate. Slip a few strips of wax paper or parchment under the cake. Brush the entire top with the syrup. Remove the strips and cover with plastic wrap that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray or a cake dome.

Plan Ahead

For best flavor, compose the cake 1 day ahead. Make the passion curd at least 3 hours before using.

Special Equipment

One 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, coated with baking spray with flour, then topped with a parchment round

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Prepare the Butter

In a medium microwavable bowl, or a saucepan over medium heat, warm the butter until almost hot (110° to 120°F/40° to 50°C). Stir in the vanilla, cover, and keep warm.

Beat the Eggs

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a long-handled wire whisk, lightly combine the eggs and sugar. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat just until lukewarm to the touch, stirring constantly with the whisk to prevent curdling.

Attach the whisk beater. Beat the mixture on high speed for a minimum of 5 minutes. The mixture will more than quadruple in volume and be very thick and airy. (A handheld mixer will take at least 10 minutes.)

Make the Batter

Remove almost 1 cup of the beaten egg mixture and whisk it thoroughly into the melted butter.

Dust about half the flour over the remaining egg mixture (sift if using the flour mixture below) and, with a large balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or silicone spatula, fold it in gently but rapidly until almost all the flour has disappeared. Repeat with the remaining flour until all traces of flour have disappeared.

Fold in the butter mixture just until incorporated. With a silicone spatula, reach into the bottom of the bowl to be sure to moisten all the flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula. If you have beaten it long enough, it will be about half full if using Wondra flour (a little more than half full—¾ inch from the top of the pan—if using the flour mixture).

Bake the Cake

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and starts to shrink slightly from the sides of the pan. Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum baking time as this fragile cake could fall. Test toward the end of baking by opening the oven door a crack, and if the cake doesn't appear done, continue baking for another 5 minutes.

To prevent the collapse of its delicate foam structure, while still hot, the génoise must be unmolded as soon as it is baked. Have ready a small metal spatula and two wire racks that have been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Unmold and Cool the Cake

Run the small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto one of the prepared wire racks. Leaving the parchment in place, immediately reinvert the cake onto the second rack so that the firm upper crust keeps it from sinking. Cool completely. It will be about 2 inches high.

Make the Classic Passion Curd

Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl.

In a heavy saucepan, whisk the yolks, sugar, and butter until well blended. Whisk in 5 tablespoons of the passion puree and the salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until thickened and resembling hollandaise sauce, which thickly coats the spatula but is still liquid enough to pour. The mixture will change from translucent to opaque and begin to have a rich golden color on the spatula. Don't allow the mixture to come to the boil or it will curdle. Whenever steam appears, briefly remove the pan from the heat, stirring constantly to keep the mixture from boiling. When the curd has thickened and will pool thickly when a little is dropped on its surface, pour it at once into the strainer and press it through with the spatula. Gently stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of passion puree and allow the curd to cool for 30 minutes. Cover tightly and refrigerate until no longer warm, about 3 hours. The passion curd keeps in an airtight jar or container for 3 weeks, refrigerated. (Longer storage dulls the fresh, vibrant flavor.)