Crème Fraiche Rum Cakes Recipes

RED-GRAPE CAKE WITH WHIPPED CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan and line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in half of flour mixture, then sour cream and lemon zest. Stir in remaining flour mixture just to combine. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, smoothing top with a small offset spatula. Scatter grapes over top.
• Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and a tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 20 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack, remove parchment, invert cake, and let cool completely.
• In a large bowl, beat cream and confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed to soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add crème fraîche; beat to firm peaks, about 2 minutes more. Serve cake with whipped crème fraîche and more grapes.

CRèME FRAîCHE POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, including the rim. Sprinkle a little sugar into the pan, tilting to coat the bottom and sides in a thin, even layer.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. (Using 1/2 teaspoon baking powder yields a dense and velvety interior, while 1 teaspoon makes the cake slightly airier and softer.)
• In a large bowl using an electric mixer, either hand-held or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions.
• With the mixer set on low speed, beat in half the flour mixture. Beat in the crème fraîche, then the remaining flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. (Depending on your pan, it may fill it all the way to the top, and that is OK.) Bake until the cake is browned on top and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes while you make the syrup.
• In a small bowl, combine 1 cup/120 grams of the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract or rum, and 2 tablespoons water, whisking until smooth. (It should be quite thin. Add more water, if needed.) Using a long, thin paring knife, pierce the cake all over about 20 times, poking all the way through. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the syrup over the warm cake. Reserve remaining syrup in the bowl.
• After the cake has cooled in the pan for an hour, run a thin metal spatula or butter knife around the edges to release them from the pan, then unmold the cake onto the rack to finish cooling.
• Whisk crème fraîche and remaining 1/2 cup/60 grams confectioners' sugar into the syrup until you get a thick glaze, as thick as heavy cream. Add a little more confectioners' sugar or water if needed to get the right texture.
• Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

CRèME FRAîCHE CHEESECAKE WITH HONEY-RUM-ROASTED PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend all ingredients in bowl. Press mixture over bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 23/4-inch sides. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Wrap outside of pan with 2 layers of foil. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• For filling:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and blend 1 minute. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in crème fraîche. Transfer filling to crust. Place cheesecake in roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of springform pan.
• Bake cake until top is dry-looking and slightly puffed, about 1 hour. Turn off oven. Let cake cool in closed oven 1 hour. Remove from water bath. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• For topping:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place pineapple rings on large rimmed baking sheet. Boil remaining ingredients in small saucepan 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour syrup over pineapple. Roast pineapple 12 minutes. Turn rings over; roast until tender and syrup thickens, turning rings every 5 minutes, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pineapple on sheet. Cut into 1/3-inch cubes; transfer pineapple and syrup to bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.)
• Drain pineapple, reserving syrup. Cover top of cheesecake with some pineapple; stir remainder back into syrup. Serve cake, passing remaining pineapple in syrup separately.

RICH RUM CAKE

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. For sauce, in a saucepan, combine confectioners' sugar, juice and 1/4 cup cubed butter; cook and stir over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in rum. Reserve 3/4 cup for serving., Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour a 10-in. tube pan. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg together twice; set aside., In a bowl, beat egg whites on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff peaks form., In another bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add 1/4 cup remaining brown sugar and the vanilla, beating on high speed until thick. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into batter. Alternately fold in flour mixture and remaining whites. Fold in melted butter., Transfer to prepared pan. Bake on lowest oven rack 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately poke holes in cake with a fork; slowly pour remaining sauce over cake, allowing sauce to absorb into cake. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve with reserved sauce and, if desired, whipped cream and glazed pecans.

LEMON, CRèME FRAîCHE & CHESTNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.
• Put the egg yolks into a mixing bowl with the caster sugar and, using an electric whisk, beat for a 1-2 mins until light and creamy. Stir in the crème fraiche and lemon zest. Add the sifted flour and baking powder (gluten free, if necessary)
• In a separate bowl, whisk 4 egg whites until stiff, then fold into the cake mix using the whisk blades.
• Pour into the tin and bake for 35-40 mins until the cake feels firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve.