The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (109 page)

5.
Wrap exterior of a springform pan (including base) in 2 layers of foil. Butter sides of pan; set aside. Put cream cheese into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and flour, mixing until smooth. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix in eggs, one at a time, until just combined; do not overmix.

6.
Stir 2 cups cream cheese mixture into squash mixture; set aside. Pour remaining cream cheese mixture into prepared pan on top of the crust. Drop dollops of squash–cream cheese mixture on top. Gently swirl with a butter knife.

7.
Set pan in a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to the oven. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cheesecake. Bake until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 to 60 minutes. Turn off oven; let stand in oven with door slightly ajar 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. To serve, run a knife around sides of cake; and unmold.

berry pound cakes

MAKES TWO 4 ½ X 8 ½-INCH LOAVES

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2¼ cups granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white

1 cup whole milk

1½ cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1 cup fresh blueberries (about 4 ounces)

1 cup fresh raspberries (about 4 ounces)

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 4½ × 8½-inch loaf pans. Line with parchment paper, allowing a 1-inch overhang on long sides. Butter the parchment; set aside. Whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.
Put butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the milk.

3.
Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until dark golden and a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Lift cakes out; let cool completely on rack. Trim tops of cakes to make level. The cakes can be stored at room temperature, covered, up to 1 day.

4.
Put cream and confectioners’ sugar into the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a leaf tip (such as Ateco #113). Pipe a ruffled pattern on tops of cakes. Pile blueberries in center of 1 cake, and raspberries in center of the other.

cherry blossom cake

MAKES ONE 9-INCH LAYER CAKE

for the cake

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup whole milk

for the buttercream frosting

3 cups packed light-brown sugar

12 large egg whites

2 pounds (8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-size pieces

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

for decorating

Gel-paste food coloring in assorted hues

Pastry tips (Ateco #2 round tip, #102 petal tip, #3 round tip, #349 leaf tip)

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut a 9-inch round of parchment or waxed paper to line the bottom of a 9-inch (2-inch deep) round cake pan. Butter and line pan. Butter lining, then flour pan, tapping out excess.

2.
Make the cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream on medium-high speed until pale, 2 to 3 minutes. On medium speed, add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla, and mix, scraping down sides of bowl. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with two batches of milk. Stir batter with a rubber spatula until evenly blended.

3.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a small offset spatula. Tap pan on work surface several times to release air pockets.

4.
Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack, 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen. Invert cake to remove from pan, and peel off parchment. Re-invert, and let cool completely on rack. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to decorate.

5.
Make the buttercream frosting: Whisk sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes.

6.
Fit an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat the egg white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks and mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.

7.
Reduce speed to medium-low, and add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Add vanilla; beat until frosting comes together, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat on lowest speed until air bubbles diminish, about 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

8.
Assemble the cake: Trim the top of the cake with a long serrated knife to make the surface level. Using a ruler as a guide, insert toothpicks or wooden skewers into the sides of the cake at 2-inch intervals to mark 2 equal layers. Rest the serrated knife on the toothpicks, and halve the cake horizontally using a sawing motion. Carefully slide the top cake layer onto a cardboard round, and set it aside.

9.
With a small offset spatula, spread top of bottom cake layer with 1 ¼ cups frosting; carefully slide the second cake layer back on top of the first cake layer.

10.
Gently brush away loose crumbs from top and sides of cake with a pastry brush. With the offset spatula, spread about 1½ cups frosting over top and sides of cake to form a crumb coat. Refrigerate cake until frosting is firm, about 15 minutes.

11.
With a large offset spatula, spread about 2 more cups frosting over top and sides to form a second coat. Smooth top and remove excess frosting with the large offset spatula. Smooth sides with a bench scraper. Return cake to refrigerator, and chill until second coat is firm, about 15 minutes.

12.
Tint 1 ½ cups frosting pale pink (for flowers and buds). Tint ½ cup frosting a darker pink (for more flowers and buds). Tint ½ cup chocolate brown (for branches), and ½ cup green (for leaves). Tint ¼ cup yellow (for dots). Set aside.

13.
Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, mark a pattern on the frosting to serve as a guideline for piping branches.

14.
Decorate cake: Follow instructions below.

15.
Refrigerate cake; let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving. Slice into wedges: To avoid crumbs on surface, make each cut with one downward motion, pulling knife back toward you (not upward) and wiping knife clean after each cut.

teatime coconut layer cake

SERVES 10 TO 12

Vegetable oil cooking spray

3
¹
/
₃
cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

2¼ cups superfine sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

Salt

¾ cup vegetable oil

11 large eggs, separated, plus 3 egg whites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup cream of coconut

Coconut Meringue Buttercream (recipe follows)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

²
/
₃
cup unsweetened coconut shavings, for garnish

1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat three 9 × 2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; line with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.
Sift flour, 1¾ cups superfine sugar, the baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whisk together ¾ cup water, the vegetable oil, egg yolks, and vanilla in another bowl. Add yolk mixture to flour mixture; mix on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.

3.
Put egg whites and a pinch of salt into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium speed until foamy. Raise speed to medium-high; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ½ cup superfine sugar; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

4.
Fold one-quarter of egg white mixture into batter with a rubber spatula. Fold in remaining egg white mixture in 2 batches. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden brown and spring back when pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks to cool; remove parchment.

5.
Make coconut syrup: Bring 1 cup water, the granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, and the cream of coconut to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat, and let stand.

6.
Trim cakes to make level. Place 1 cake on a serving plate, and brush with
¹
/
₃
cup coconut syrup. Spread with 1 cup buttercream, and sprinkle with
¹
/
₃
cup sweetened coconut. Top with another cake. Brush with
¹
/
₃
cup syrup; spread with 1 cup buttercream, and sprinkle with
¹
/
₃
cup sweetened coconut. Top with final cake; brush with remaining
¹
/
₃
cup syrup. Refrigerate until firm.

7.
Spread 1¼ cups buttercream over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes.

8.
Spread 1½ cups buttercream over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate until buttercream is very firm, at least 1 hour. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch basketweave tip (such as Ateco #898) with buttercream. Holding bag perpendicular to cake, pipe sides in a back-and-forth motion, starting at the bottom. Refill bag as needed. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 cup sweetened coconut and the unsweetened coconut shavings. The cake can be refrigerated up to 2 days; let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.

coconut meringue buttercream

MAKES ABOUT 9 CUPS

10 large egg whites

2¼ cups sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

4 cups (8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup cream of coconut

½ teaspoon pure coconut extract

1.
Whisk egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar has dissolved and mixture registers 160°F, about 3 minutes.

2.
Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until cooled, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add butter; beat until pale and fluffy. Mix in cream of coconut and coconut extract. The buttercream can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days; beat before using.

triple-chocolate mousse cakes

MAKES 8 SMALL CAKES

Vegetable oil cooking spray

²
/
₃
cup all-purpose flour

¹
/
₃
cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

²
/
₃
cup sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, room temperature

¼ cup whole milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Mousses (recipe follows)

2 ounces solid semisweet chocolate

Chocolate curls, for garnish

1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place eight 6-ounce (3½-inch diameter) ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and coat with cooking spray; set aside.

2.
Stir flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and ¼ cup water; mix on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.

3.
Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Run a knife around sides of cakes; unmold. The cakes can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.

4.
Trim each cake to 1 inch high. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut eight 10¾ × 4-inch strips of parchment paper. Wrap a parchment collar around base of each cake, keeping bottom flush with baking sheet. Secure each collar with tape; set aside.

5.
Transfer bittersweet-chocolate mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip (such as Ateco #808). Pipe a 1-inch layer of mousse into each parchment collar; refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes. Repeat with milk chocolate mousse, piping on top of the bittersweet chocolate mousse. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.