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In the Oven: Vanilla Bean Malt Cake

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For our August 10 posting date: a simple little Bundt cake. Happy baking!

Vanilla Bean Malt Cake
Yield: One 6-cup Bundt cake

For the Vanilla Bean Malt Cake
1 teaspoon good-quality bourbon
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon malted milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
7 ounces (13⁄4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1⁄4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1⁄2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the Vanilla Glaze
2⁄3 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons whole milk, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the vanilla Bean Malt cake
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously coat the inside of a 6-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it thoroughly, dust it with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

Place the bourbon in a small bowl. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using the tip of a knife or a small spoon, scrape the seeds into the bourbon. Discard the vanilla bean pod or save it for another use. Stir the mixture to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again for 15 seconds. Add the bourbon mixture and beat until well blended, about 20 seconds.

Turn the mixer to low, add about half of the flour mixture, then stream in the butter- milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth with an offset spatula. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 45 minutes. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the vanilla glaze
Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. The glaze should be loose enough to drizzle. (If it is too thick, add a little more milk; if it is too loose add a little more confectioners’ sugar.)

Drizzle the glaze over the cake in a zigzag pattern. Allow the glaze to set for 15 minutes prior to serving.
The cake can be stored at room temperature, covered with a cake dome or in a cake saver, for up to 3 days.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

In the Oven: Milk Chocolate Malt Semifreddo with Chocolate Syrup

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Bakers, are you ready for a nice cool summer treat?
The next posting date is Sunday, August 3rd.

Yield: Two 9-by-5-inch semifreddi
10 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) malted milk balls (such as Whoppers or Malteasers)
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup malted milk powder
5 large eggs, separated*
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

*The eggs in this recipe are not cooked, which may be of concern if salmonella is a problem in your area.

Simple Chocolate Syrup, warmed (optional, below)

Line two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with plastic wrap and allow generous overhang on all sides. Spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and wipe the plastic wrap with it so that the plastic wrap is nonstick but not oily.

In a food processor, pulse the malted milk balls until they are coarsely chopped. (Do not process until powdery—you want some decent sized chunks.) Sprinkle the bottom of each loaf pan with approximately one-quarter of the chopped malted milk balls.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the malted milk powder, and the egg yolks fairly vigorously until the mixture turns pale, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a chilled medium bowl, vigorously whisk the cream for 1 minute, sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and the vanilla over top of the cream, then continue beating until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt just until stiff peaks form. Do not whip past the stiff peak stage or the whites will become dry and unusable.

Fold one-third of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk base. Add half of the remaining egg whites and gently fold until almost incorporated. Fold in the remaining egg whites.

Use a large spoon to fill each loaf pan halfway with the semifreddo. Smooth out the surface with the back of the spoon and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove the loaf pans from the freezer and sprinkle the remaining chopped malted milk balls over the semifreddo in each pan. Then cover each malted milk ball layer with the remaining semifreddo. Smooth out the top with the back of the spoon. Cover the pans tightly with the plastic wrap overhang and freeze until firm, about 6 hours.

To serve, invert the semifreddi onto a platter and remove the plastic wrap. Drizzle some of the chocolate syrup over the tops. Using a hot knife (dip in hot water and dry thoroughly), slice the semifreddi into 1-inch (or slightly larger) slices. Serve the remaining chocolate syrup on the side.

Simple Chocolate Syrup

Yield: 1 cup
1/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Make sure you use a large enough saucepan as this mixture will bubble up considerably while cooking. If the mixture starts to bubble up, reduce the heat for a minute or two.

In a medium to large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the cocoa powder and 1/2 cup of water until dissolved. Whisk in the sugar and increase the heat to medium-high. Boil the mixture for about 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Let cool to room temperature before using.

The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 3 weeks. Feel free to warm gently if using as a topping or use directly from the refrigerator as a milk shake mix-in.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

In the Oven: Devil Dogs with Malted Buttercream Filling

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Posting date: Sunday, 27 October

For the Devil Dog Cakes
1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into ½-inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1.5 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), melted and cooled
1 large egg yolk
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken

For the Malted Buttercream Filling
1/4 cup malted milk powder
2 Tablespoons boiling water
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Baked Note: You can bump up the malt quotient and add a pleasant texture to the Devil Dogs by rolling the edges of the filled dogs in coarsely chopped or crushed malted milk balls (they will stick to the filling)—just 1/4 cup of Whoppers or Maltesers should be plenty to coat all 12 dogs.

Make the Devil Dog Cakes
Sift the cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together on medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the chocolate and egg yolk and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl again, then turn the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl again, then mix for a few more seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the bowl one last time and gather the batter into the middle. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scrape the chilled batter into a pastry bag fitted with the largest simple tip (usually about 1/2 inch in diameter). Slowly pipe twenty-four 4-by-1-inch long strips (approximately 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of batter in each, but no more) directly onto the parchment, about 1 1/2 inches apart. (Alternatively, pipe the batter in “bone” shapes by piping 2 strips side by side with a flare on the top and bottom of each strip (think two elongated back-to-back Cs).

Bake the cakes for 7 to 9 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until they are just dry to the touch and spring back ever so slightly when gently pressed. Do not overbake.

Place the baking sheets on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Then use a spatula to transfer the cakes to the racks to cool completely.

Make the Malted Buttercream Filling
In a small bowl, dissolve the malted milk powder in the boiling water. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk, cream, and malted milk mixture. Whisk in the flour and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl (to hasten the cooling process). Whisk vigorously for about 1 minute to release excess heat and set aside to cool to nearly room temperature.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and stream in the cooled milk mixture. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the filling is fluffy and stiff peaks start to form.

Assemble the Devil Dogs
Turn half of the cooled cakes flat side up. Using a pastry bag, or a small spoon and offset spatula, pipe or spread about 3 tablespoons of filling onto the flat side of a cake, place another cake flat side down on top of the filling, and press down slightly so that the filling just spreads to the edges of the cake. Repeat until all the cakes are used. Put the Devil Dogs in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 minutes to firm up before serving.

Devil Dogs are meant to be eaten the day they are made. If you really want to save a few, they can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, up to 24 hours.

Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.