Cinnamon Spice Cake With Fig Buttercream White Chocolate Ganache And Buttermilk Caramel Recipes

CHOCOLATE SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9"x13" pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper if you plan to turn the cake out of the pan to serve. Otherwise, spray alone is ok.
• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt. Whisk to combine and then set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium high speed for about three to five minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. We want the butter mixture to get light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and beat again for a couple minutes.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until no flour streaks remain.
• Fold in the sour cream.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Let bubble and then fold into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 325 for about 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
• Let cool completely before frosting.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for a couple minutes on medium high speed.
• While the mixer is beating the butter, heat the heavy cream in the microwave. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate to melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, spices, and pinch of salt.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl and then with the mixer on medium speed add the chocolate ganache you've made. Once all of the chocolate is added, turn the mixer to medium high speed and beat for about 3 to 5 minutes.

FIG SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Place the stewed figs into a saucepan, cover with water, and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. Drain and cool, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.
• Cut the figs into 1/4 inch cubes; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the reserved fig liquid and buttermilk; set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Stir in the chopped figs and walnuts. Pour into prepared 10 inch tube pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CARAMEL IRISH CREAM BUTTERCREAM AND DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• For the chocolate cake layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment, then spray with nonstick baking spray.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and coffee and mix on low speed until the butter "grabs" a lot of the dry ingredients--otherwise you will have a poof of cocoa powder and flour to contend with! Turn the speed up to medium and mix until well blended, about 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until each one gets incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, add the vanilla and mix a little longer, 10 to 15 seconds.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert onto plastic wrap and wrap well. Place in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature, still wrapped, for 1 hour before cutting.
• For the caramel Irish cream buttercream: Place the egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl and set over simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is very thin and warm. Remove from the heat and pour the sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Turn to low speed and continue to whip until the bowl is cool to the touch.
• Turn the speed to medium and beat in the chunks of butter. (The mixture may appear curdled at first, but continue beating and it will come together.) Add the vanilla extract, then the liqueur and a little bit of the dulce de leche until it achieves a creamy texture.
• (If your buttercream has sat for a while and lost its creamy texture, re-beat it before using.)
• For the dark chocolate ganache: Place the chopped chocolate and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly with a fork or whisk, then microwave on 50-percent power for 1 minute; stir again. If there are some chunks in there, allow to sit for a few minutes, then re-stir. If necessary, continue with one or two more 15-second intervals at 50-percent power, being careful not to overheat the mixture. Add the vanilla if using.
• Spray a piece of plastic wrap with nonstick spray, then cover the bowl, with the sprayed portion pressed directly against the surface of the ganache to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to sit until completely cool and set.
• Assemble the cake: Use a serrated knife to cut the cake layers horizontally into 4 layers total. Smear a little buttercream on a serving plate, then top with a cake layer. Spread some ganache on the first layer, then spread some buttercream about 1/4-inch-thick on top of the ganache. Spread some buttercream on a second cake layer, then invert it to top the cake layer on the serving plate (buttercream will face buttercream). Repeat with the remaining layers of cake, topping each layer with ganache and then buttercream, and covering with a layer spread with buttercream, buttercream-side down. Once you have topped the cake with the last cake layer, use an offset spatula to smooth out any icing squishing out of the sides of the cake. Coat the entire cake with a thin layer of ganache for a "crumb coat." Place the cake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up. Ice the cake with the remainder of the buttercream. Serve right away, or keep chilled. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

KIM'S BUTTERMILK SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in a bowl until well combined.
• Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Add in half of the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Pour in buttermilk, and mix until just combined. Add in remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the middle of the cake springs back lightly when touched, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
• For the frosting, cream butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until thoroughly combined. Mix in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until smooth after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add in heavy cream and beat until frosting is smooth, about 2 minutes. Frost cooled cake as desired.