BEST BAKERY RECIPE
Raspberry Rooibos Cake

Rebecca Michaels, Pastry Chef & Owner
Flying Monkey Patisserie
Philadelphia, PA 19016
(215) 238-1907
www.flyingmonkeyphilly.com

About Rebecca Michaels
After receiving a Master’s degree in child development, Rebecca Michaels decided that her future lay in her lifelong passion for baking. Trained at The French Culinary Institute in New York City in both pastry arts and international breads, she has worked in the pastry kitchens of three-star restaurants and bakeries and studied under some of New York’s most notable pastry chefs. As the pastry chef and owner of Flying Monkey Patisserie, a specialty dessert catering company that provides pastries to wholesale and private clients, Rebecca specializes in cakes, chocolates, and confections, all made with a European influence and a distinctive American simplicity. Organic style combined with high quality ingredients is Rebecca’s approach to baking. A featured dessert columnist on cdkitchen.com, Rebecca is a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs and the Bread Bakers Guild of America. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband Adam.

RECIPE
Raspberry Rooibos Cake
Makes one 9-inch round cake with four layers
 

Cake

1 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 tablespoons of vanilla rooibos tea leaves
180 grams of beurre noisette (brown butter), lightly warmed
6 large egg yolks
320 grams of cake flour
350 grams of sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Heat milk and heavy cream to a near boil. Add rooibos and steep for 20 minutes. Strain. Measure out 1 cup of liquid. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with butter and flour. Line bottoms of pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Sift together cake flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Beat in beurre noisette and milk. Scrape down bowl and beat in yolks, one at a time, in 15 second intervals. Spread batter into pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.

Framboise-Vanilla Syrup

200 grams of sugar
200 grams of water
1 tablesoon of Framboise
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Boil sugar and water together. Add Framboise and vanilla extract and allow to cool.

Raspberry Buttercream Filling

200 grams of sugar
75 grams of light corn syrup
1/4 cup of water
150 grams of egg white
454 grams of unsalted butter, slightly softened
120 grams of raspberry puree
120 grams of fresh or thawed whole raspberries
1 1/2 teaspoons of Framboise

In a pot, heat sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water on high heat. Meanwhile in a stand mixer, using a whisk attachment, beat whites. When sugar reaches soft-ball stage (240ºF), pour over beating whites. Continue beating until cool, then switch to a paddle attachment and beat in softened butter. Beat in raspberry puree, whole raspberries, and Framboise.

Chocolate Frosting

454 grams of milk chocolate, chopped
200 grams of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
240 grams of heavy cream
454 gram of unsalted butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Melt chocolates together in a double-boiler or microwave. Heat cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir in butter and corn syrup. Whisk until incorporated. Whisk occasionally until cool and thick enough to spread.

Assembly
Slice the cake into four even layers. Brush each layer with the syrup. Starting from the bottom, fill the first layer with raspberry buttercream, the second with chocolate frosting, and the third with raspberry buttercream. Frost and finish cake with remaining chocolate frosting.