Okay, you might think that lately I've been obsessed with Brie. I have been. Probably because my next book is titled TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE. 14 days. Whee!
In the last month, I've shared a Brie Pizza, Brie Salad, and a Brie cookie dessert.
In the past, I've shared a Brie soup and so many other things. I love Brie. It's soft, it's easy, it's so pretty.
But today, because I made the most delicious dessert for New Year's Eve, I have to share this dessert recipe that I found in a magazine...tweaked, of course.
Warning: This is possibly the most intense cooking experience I've ever had. So many steps. So WORTH IT! And though it appeared as a regular cake recipe, I was able to make it gluten-free. I found the recipe in CULTURE magazine, which many of you know is one of my favorite magazines. The magazine always has such great information about cheese. And gorgeous recipes! This recipe includes mascarpone, which I have used in ice creams and other recipes. It's luscious and adds the richness of cream to anything.
Enjoy! And Say Brie ...makes you smile, doesn't it? Hint: Don't say fromage. It makes you frown.
GANACHE MASCARPONE CAKE
Tweaked to be Gluten-free from Culture Magazine
Ingredients:
CAKE:
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
powder plus a little to dust pans
2 cups gluten-free flour (I
used mixture sweet rice flour and tapioca starch)
1 tablespoon whey powder
½ teaspoon Xanthan gum
1 1/1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup water
¾ cup unsalted butter,
softened
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanillin
NOTE: IF YOU WANT REGULAR CAKE, switch out regular flour with the GF flour and don't use Xanthan gum. You can use real vanilla, too. :)
MASCARPONE FILLING:
3 cups mascarpone
3/8 cup frozen orange juice
concentrate, defrosted
3 tablespoons grated orange
or nectarine zest
GANACHE:
6 ounces bittersweet
chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% dark)
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
Candied orange peel, if
desired (see below)
Directions:
TO MAKE THE CAKE:
Heat oven to 350
degrees. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with wax or parchment
paper. Grease pans and dust about 2 teaspoons cocoa powder. Whisk the other
cocoa powder, gluten-free flour, whey powder, Xanthan gum, baking soda, and
salt in a medium bowl.
Combine the buttermilk and
water in a small bow.
In a large bowl, beat the
butter with a mixer on high until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add in the vanillin. With
the mixer on low, add the cocoa mixture alternately with the buttermilk/water
mixture. Takes about three portions. Beat until just blended. Do not
overbeat. Divide the batter evenly
between the two prepared cake pans.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Combine the mascarpone,
orange juice concentrate, and zest in a medium bowl and mix until combined. Set
in the refrigerator until ready to use.
TO MAKE THE GANACHE:
Break the chocolate into
small bits and place in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium
heat until the sides start to bubble. DO NOT OVER BOIL. Pour the hot cream into
the bowl with the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts. [If you need
to, insert bowl into microwave at short bursts, no more than 10 seconds at a
time, to melt chocolate entirely.] Stir in the butter. Let the ganache cool for
10 minutes before using.
TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
Trim the “domed” top of one
cake (set aside for nibbling). Cut both
cakes horizontally in half. Set one bottom of cake on cake plate. Spread 1/3 of
the mascarpone filling on one bottom layer of cake. Top with “dome-less” layer
of cake. Repeat with filling. Top with other bottom of cake. Top with filling.
Put the domed layer on the top. Pour ganache on the cake and guide it with a
knife or spoon to spill down the sides.
Garnish with candied orange peel, if desired.
 |
| By the way, this upper layer makes the most fabulous "snack"- like a brownie |
TO MAKE CANDIED ORANGE PEEL: To make this, peel the skin of an orange (or nectarine) in thin strips, doing your best to avoid the white layer of pith by the fruit (hard to do!!). Cut the peeled strips into thin slices. Soak them for three minutes in boiled water; drain and rinse.
Heat ¼ cup sugar and 1
tablespoon water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the orange strips and cook 1
minute. Transfer peel to wax paper. Sprinkle with sugar and let dry 30
minutes. {Truthfully, I’m not sure how
to “curl” them.}
Enjoy! You deserved it!
* * * * * * *
The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series:
TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
coming February 2013.
You can pre-order the book HERE.
Click this link to watch the TRAILER
Click this link to read an EXCERPT.
Click this link to hear a PODCAST
coming February 2013.
You can pre-order the book HERE.
Click this link to watch the TRAILER
Click this link to read an EXCERPT.
Click this link to hear a PODCAST
And if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list
so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests!
Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013
Say cheese!
Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013
"She" doesn't say all the same things "Avery" does. Promise.
Say cheese!
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