Spun Sugar Nest Recipes

SPUN SUGAR

Steps:

• Mix the ingredients together in a medium pot and, using a pastry brush soaked in water, wash down the sides of the pot to make sure there is no caramelization to color the sugar before you get to temperature.
• Heat the ingredients on the stove top to 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and cool to 275 degrees over a water bath.
• Dip a fork in the sugar syrup and stretch the sugar syrup back and forth across the bottom of a pre-greased bowl, going as quickly as possible. Gently gather the spun sugar and place it on a dessert plate.

SPUN SUGAR

Steps:

• Using masking tape, attach 2 wooden spoons to your work surface, placing them side by side with handles extended over edge. Lightly brush oil over handles. Cover floor with newspaper.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cook until mixture turns pale amber, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer pan to ice-water bath. Let cool until slightly thickened (like the consistency of honey), about 1 minute.
• Cut the looped ends of a wire whisk with wire cutters (or use 2 forks held back to back). Dip ends into caramel. From about 2 feet above spoon handles, swing caramel back and forth like a pendulum in long arcs, allowing strands to fall in thin threads over the handles. Immediately gather strands into a loose nest. (If caramel becomes too stiff, gently reheat over low.) Use immediately.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE-CARDAMOM CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM, SPUN SUGAR BIRD'S NESTS AND JEWEL-ENCRUSTED BIRD'S EGGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line mini cupcake pans with 48 mini cupcake liners.
• Melt the chocolate in the boiling water. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy and stiff but not dry. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and vanilla on medium speed until fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Blend in the melted chocolate. Sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the chocolate mixture, beating after each addition until smooth. Fold in the Chocolate-Cardamom Ganache. Fold in the beaten whites. Fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
• To assemble: When the cupcakes are cool to the touch, prepare a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Fill the bag with Chocolate Buttercream and pipe the tops of each mini cupcake, keeping the icing in low profile. Dust the top of the cupcakes with the cocoa powder. Place a Spun Sugar Bird's Nest on top of each cake. Carefully peel the Jewel-Encrusted Bird's Egg off the silicon mat. Place an egg inside each nest.
• Crush the cardamom in a spice grinder. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the cream and cardamom just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until cool. Beginning near the center and working outward, stir the melted chocolate into the cream until the mixture is combined and smooth (do not over stir).
• In a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy and at desired consistency.
• Secure a long-handled wooden spoon under a heavy cutting board on the edge of counter, with the handle facing out and extending over the edge. Place newspaper on the floor directly under the cutting board.
• In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and corn syrup and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook until the mixture turns pale amber and registers 340 degrees F (hard-crack stage) on the candy thermometer. Dip the prepared whisk into the caramel. Holding the whisk about 2 feet above the spoon handle, swing the caramel back and forth like a pendulum in long arcs, allowing the strands to fall in threads over the handle. Let stand until ready to use. Gently gather the strands into a ball, shaping nests with your fingers, about 1-inch in diameter.
• Heat the white chocolate over a double boiler until melted. Remove from the heat. When the chocolate begins to cool, transfer it to a pastry bag and tie off the top of the bag using a twist tie.
• Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Cut a small slice off the end of the pastry bag (if the chocolate runs out to quickly let it sit a bit longer). Draw an oval egg no bigger than 1/4-inch. As soon as you draw the shape, sprinkle it with an assortment of the crystal sugars, layering them on top and next to one another. (Make it easy by putting the sugars into small ramekins so you can easily get to the desired color.) Place the eggs in the fridge to set up for a few minutes.

SPUN-SUGAR NEST

Steps:

• Cover a low counter or work surface with parchment paper. Using masking tape, attach a wooden spoon to the counter so its handle extends over the edge. Cover floor of surrounding area with parchment paper.
• Stir together 2/3 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. (Do not stir.) Cover; cook until sugar crystals are dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover; cook until mixture turns amber, about 5 minutes. Swirl pan to even out color. Remove caramel from heat.
• Cut the looped ends of a wire whisk with wire cutters (or use two forks held back to back). Dip ends into caramel. Standing over the spoon handle, swing caramel back and forth like a pendulum over the handle in long arcs. The sugar should solidify slightly in the air, drawing out long threadlike strands. As sugar drapes itself over handle, gather it up in small bunches, and transfer to parchment paper. Arrange small bunches of spun sugar around base of hen cake to make the nest.

EASTER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and sit the cake ring on top. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar in a separate bowl, or a mixer, until stiff peaks form.
• Once stiff, use a large metal spoon to stir one-quarter of the whites into the yolks, then pour the mixture back into the remaining egg whites, and gently fold to combine. Sieve in the cocoa powder and gently fold again until just combined.
• Pour into the cake ring and level out with a spatula or spoon. Bake for 15-20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the ring - the middle will sink.
• Once the cake has cooled, slide a knife around the inside of the ring to release the cake and lift the ring off. Trim the edge of the cake with scissors. Clean the ring and place it back around the sponge on a cake board, or on a cake stand.
• Boil the kettle. In a large clean bowl, or a freestanding mixer, whisk the egg whites and sugar until medium peaks form.
• Set a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and melt the chocolate to around 50C. In a separate bowl, whisk 50ml hot water with the cocoa powder, then add the yolks. Tip onto the melted chocolate, but don't stir it in yet.
• Briskly whisk one-quarter of the egg whites into the melted chocolate and egg yolk mixture - this ensures that the mousse has an even texture. Use a spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites until fully combined.
• Pour the mousse onto the sponge, then chill for at least 2 hrs or up to 24 hrs. Meanwhile, make the chocolate croustillant, white chocolate feathers and spun sugar nest, if using (see opposite).
• Melt half the chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water. Once melted, stir in the remaining chocolate, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 5 mins. Using a palette knife, spread the chocolate across the acetate band in a thin, even layer to cover. Leave to set for 1-2 mins.
• Lift off the cake ring, then wrap the acetate around the cake so that the chocolate touches the mousse. Stick it tightly and hold for a second to make sure it stays in place - don't worry if it overlaps a little. Chill for 30 mins. Meanwhile, make the butterscotch sauce (see opposite).
• To assemble the cake, remove from the fridge and peel off the acetate carefully, breaking off any overlapping chocolate.
• Spoon half the lemon butterscotch sauce over the mousse, then top with the spun sugar nest and chocolate feathers, if using. Add the shards of broken chocolate croustillant and a decorative egg, if you like. Serve within 1 hr with the remaining sauce on the side.
• Melt 50g chopped white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Use a small palette knife to spread a thin layer of the chocolate on a piece of baking parchment in a feather shape. You can set the parchment on the inside of an upturned cake tin to set the chocolate feather in a curved shape, if you like. Once set, peel off the parchment and use a small knife to notch the edges to give them a feathery effect.
• Fill the sink with cold water and cover an area of your work surface (about 1m x 50cm) with baking parchment or cling film. Put 150g fondant icing and 20g liquid glucose in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook until the fondant melts, then increase the heat and bubble until it turns to a deep caramel. Quickly cool down the pan by dipping the base in the cold water in the sink, but make sure no water splashes into the pan. This should stop the sugar from cooking and thicken the caramel slightly. Using 2 forks, pull strands of caramel from the pan, and flick them quickly from a height over your covered work surface to create multiple thin sugar threads. Keep going until you have a large mass - enough to make a nest. If the caramel starts to set, put it back on the heat to soften it a little. Use your hands to shape the sugar threads gently into a loose cylinder, then wrap into a nest shape. Will keep for a couple of days in a cool, dry container. If it comes into contact with any moisture or heat, it will dissolve.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Mix the sugar and cocoa in a bowl. In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter with the chocolate and glucose over a gentle heat. Once melted, whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder mixture and 50ml cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 secs-1 min until slightly thickened.
• Spread a third of the mixture onto a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet. Lay another piece of parchment on top and, using a rolling pin, roll out the croustillant as thin as possible. Set in the freezer for 5 mins until the top sheet of parchment peels off easily. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, or freeze for another day.
• Peel off the top layer of parchment and bake in the centre of the oven for 5 mins. When it is bubbling, it's cooked. Cool completely before breaking into large pieces.
• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, liquid glucose and 1 tbsp water. Set over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves, but do not stir. Once dissolved, bring to the boil and cook until the sugar syrup turns into a caramel and is lightly golden. Warm the lemon zest and juice in the microwave on High for 1 min, then heat the whipping cream in a separate bowl in the microwave on High for 2 mins. Once the caramel is golden, pour in the lemon and cream. Boil for 30 secs, then set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge, covered with cling film, until needed