- Pre-heat oven to 400F.
- Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl.
- Work the softened butter into the dry ingredient with a fork or your fingertips. Do this until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a flour-coated work surface. Knead until the dough becomes cohesive and bumpy (12 - 14 turns, do not overknead, you do not want it to be smooth).
- Pat the dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height.
- Place on a greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf.
- Bake until loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the surface with the melted butter.
Ignore this baking pan, I just needed somewhere to set the loaf...
- Cool to room temperature, 30-40 minutes.
Baking Illustrated
Classic Irish Soda Bread
Classic Irish Soda Bread
From Baking Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen
3 cups (15 oz) low-protein unbleached all-purpose flour (although I used regular all-purpose flour and it came out okay)
1 cup (4 oz) plain cake flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp softened unsalted butter, plus 1 tbps melted butter for crust
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
42422
Boston Cream Disaster
Glaze:
- Bring the cream and corn syrup to a full simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
- Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; cover and let stand for 8 minutes. (If the chocolate has not completely melted, return the saucepan to low heat; stir constantly until melted.)
- Add the vanilla; stir very gently until the mixture is smooth.
- Cook until tepid so that a spoonful drizzled back into the pan mounds slightly. (The glaze can be refrigerated to speed up the cooling process, stirring every few minutes to ensure even cooling.)
- While the glaze is cooling, place one cake layer on a cardboard round on a wire rack set over waxed paper.
- Carefully spoon the pastry cream onto the cake and spread it evenly up to the edges.
- Place the second cake layer on top, make sure the layers line up properly.
- Pour the glaze onto the middle of the top layer and let it flow down the cake sides.
- Use a metal spatula, if necessary, to completely coat the cake. Use a small needle to puncture any air bubbles.
- Let the cake sit until the glaze fully sets, about 1 hour. Serve the same day, preferably within a couple of hours.
Related: dessert, 52 weeks of baking, boston cream pie, Pastry Cream, baking illustrated, sponge cake
Pastry Cream
Pastry Cream
From Baking Illustrated
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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- Heat the half-and-half, 6 tbsp of the sugar and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
- Heat the half-and-half, 6 tbsp of the sugar and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds.
- Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
- When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.
- Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Foolproof Sponge Cake
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- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease pan and cover bottom with parchment or waxed paper.
- Whisk the flours, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.
- Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Cover and keep warm.
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- Separate 3 eggs, placing whites in the bowl of standing mixer, reserving the 3 yolks plus the remaining 2 whole eggs in another mixing bowl.
- Beat the 3 whites at low speed until foamy.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and gradually add 6 tbsp of the sugar; continue to beat the whites to soft, moist peaks. (Do not overbeat.)
- Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl and add the whole-egg mixture to the mixer bowl.
- Separate 3 eggs, placing whites in the bowl of standing mixer, reserving the 3 yolks plus the remaining 2 whole eggs in another mixing bowl.
- Beat the whole-egg mixture with the remaining 6 tbsp sugar.
- Beat at medium-high speed until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow color, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs to the whites.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the beaten eggs and whites; fold very gently 12 times with a large rubber spatula.
- Make a well in one side the batter and pour the milk mixture into the bowl.
- Continue folding until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and whole eggs are evenly mixed, about 8 additional strokes.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the beaten eggs and whites; fold very gently 12 times with a large rubber spatula.
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pans; bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, about 16 minutes for 9-inch cake pans and 20 minutes for 8-inch cake pans.
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pans; bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, about 16 minutes for 9-inch cake pans and 20 minutes for 8-inch cake pans.
- Immediately run a knife around the pan perimeters to loosen the cakes.
- Place one pan on a towel and cover the pan with a large plate.
- Using the towel to protect your hands and catch the cake, invert the pan and remove the pan from the cake.
- Peel off the parchment.
- Reinvert the cake from the plate onto the rack.
- Repeat with the remaining cake. Cool cake layers to room temp before proceeding.
Note* I made this cake at someone else's house. This was the only cake pan they had. It still turned out perfectly.
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