Parsnip Hazelnut Cake With Praline Cremeux Recipes

BRAISED PARSNIPS WITH MAPLE SYRUP AND PECANS

Steps:

• 1. Heat butter a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts and starts to get brown, add the pecans, cumin and coriander. Stir the pecans and "toast" them with the spices for a minute. Remove the pecans from the pan and set aside. Add the maple syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
• 2. Place the parsnips in a large skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the parsnips 15 to 20 minutes or until the parsnips are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Note: I often find recipes don't give me enough liquid to work with. Parsnips can vary in size so feel free to add a splash of water to finish the cooking process, if needed. Drain off any remaining liquid. Sprinkle the parsnips with salt and toss with reserved maple syrup mixture and seasoned pecans. Serve immediately.

NO FLOUR HAZELNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl combine the ground hazelnuts, egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl beat egg the whites until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of egg white mixture to the hazelnut mixture and incorporate. Add the remaining egg whites and fold together until no streaks are left from the egg whites, taking care not to deflate the egg whites. Pour the mixture into a nonstick springform cake pan and bake until a fork comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake, about 50 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, let cool slightly and release the sides. To serve, slice the cake and top with chocolate mousse and berries, or whipped cream, if desired.

PARSNIP SHEET CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND GINGER

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. Line with parchment paper, butter the parchment, then flour the pan, tapping out excess.
• Place the walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast until fragrant and turning golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Stir in the parsnips, raisins and walnuts.
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when touched, the cake is turning brown around the edges, and a toothpick comes out dry, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack, peel off parchment, and let cool completely. When cooled, invert onto a serving platter.
• Prepare the frosting: Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a mixing bowl, if using a hand mixer). Cream the cream cheese until smooth, then add the butter, confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Beat until well combined and fluffy. Spread over the top of the cooled cake almost to the edges. Top with the candied ginger. The cake keeps well for several days at room temperature.

PARSNIP CAKE WITH APPLE COMPOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grate the parsnips over the largest hole of a box grater to yield about 2 cups, packed. Set aside. In another bowl, add the dry ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
• In another bowl, add the wet ingredients: brown sugar (technically a dry ingredient, but will mix better with the wet ingredients), vanilla extract, eggs, and vegetable oil. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches, whisking after each addition. Fold in the parsnips; batter will look dry at first, but will loosen up as the parsnips release their water. Set aside.
• Grease the loaf pan with butter, then spread batter into the prepared pan. Place into the oven on the middle rack. Bake until cooked through, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the Apple Compote.
• Apple Compote: In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter, apples, brown sugar, and star anise. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes. Then cover and continue to simmer at a low heat until apples are soft, 8-10 minutes.
• Check cake for doneness: The cake should be golden brown and bounce back to the touch; a knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and continue cooling on the rack, 30 more minutes. Meanwhile, remove Apple Compote from heat and stir in a sprinkle of salt; remove and discard the star anise. Transfer compote to a serving dish.
• Assembly: Slice the cake into 1-inch slices, and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Apple Compote on the side.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH HAZELNUT PRALINE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (nonfan)/375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of 2 (20-centimeter/8-inch) cake pans (tins) with a removable base with parchment paper and grease the sides. Alternatively, grease the bottoms and sides of 2 (20-centimeter/8-inch) regular cake pans, line with parchment, and grease the parchment.
• In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugars. In a separate bowl, add the oil, eggs and kefir, and whisk just to combine. Add to the dry mixture and use a spatula to gently fold through. Add the 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons/220 grams hot coffee and mix gently to combine. It'll look very runny at first, but will soon come together into a glossy, pourable batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, about 21 ounces/600 grams per pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes, then slide a butter knife along the sides to help release the cake. Brush the tops lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon/14 grams extra coffee (discard any extra).
• Invert one cake onto a board, remove the parchment, then invert it again onto a cake stand or the platter you intend to serve it on (domed side up now). Invert the other cake onto a board (don't remove the paper). Invert it again, onto a plate, so that it's paper side down. (This will help prevent it from sticking.) Set both cakes aside to cool completely.
• Make the praline: With the oven still at 200 degrees Celsius/375 degrees Fahrenheit, spread the hazelnuts onto a parchment-lined medium baking sheet (tray) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until deeply golden, shaking the pan halfway through baking. Set aside, keeping the tray and parchment paper. You'll use them again later.
• Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and, once quite hot, sprinkle in a third of the caster sugar to cover the base. It should immediately start to melt at the sides but not brown too quickly. Swirl the sugar in the pan a little, then add another third of the sugar, allowing it to melt a little before adding the remaining third. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the sugar is an amber caramel, stirring with a spatula just a couple times (but not much more). Add the hazelnuts and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring to coat, then quickly transfer the mixture to your parchment-lined tray and leave to cool completely.
• Once cool, roughly break apart the praline and add it to a food processor. Pulse a few times until you have very coarse crumbs, then measure out about 1/2 cup/75 grams of the mixture and transfer to a bowl. Blitz the remaining mixture in the food processor for about 5 minutes or until it turns into the consistency of a smooth nut butter, stopping to scrape the inside of the bowl as necessary. Transfer this to a separate bowl.
• Make the mascarpone cream: Add all the ingredients to a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until you have medium peaks. Refrigerate if not assembling right away (you want it nice and cold).
• When ready to assemble, top the cake on your cake stand with half the cream mixture. Spoon over about 2 tablespoons of the smooth praline and gently swirl it through the cream with your spatula. Top with another 2 tablespoons of the praline, this time without swirling. Sprinkle with half the praline crumble. Carefully invert the other cake on top now, removing the paper. Top with the remaining cream and repeat the same process with the smooth praline and praline crumble. Serve right away, or refrigerate overnight to firm up the cream before serving. (The cake will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

HAZELNUT PRALINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast them in the oven until they are fragrant, about 8 minutes. Transfer nuts to a clean kitchen towel, and rub nuts in towel vigorously between your hands to remove the brown skins. Lightly brush an 8-by-12-inch rimmed baking pan with the oil. Spread the peeled nuts in the pan.
• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, brushing down sides of pan with a damp pastry brush to remove any sugar crystals that may form, until mixture is amber, about 9 minutes; do not stir. (Pan may be swirled gently about halfway through to incorporate any uncooked sugar.) Pour directly over nuts to create a thin layer. Set aside to cool, at least 30 minutes.
• Place half the praline in the bowl of a food processor; process until the praline is very fine with no sharp pieces. Cut the remaining praline into small pieces for decoration.