RUMSFORD BEST BAKERY RECIPE
Sweet-N-Salty Cake

Kristine Moberg, Head Finisher and Blair Van Sant, Head Baker
Baked
359 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 222-0345
www.bakednyc.com

About Kristine Moberg
Originally a science major, Kristine Moberg toiled in many kitchens in her home state of South Dakota before moving to New York City. Kristine worked at Polka Dot Cake Studio in the West Village before coming to Baked as the head finisher. Kristine is a buttercream and fondant artist, and she has made many beautiful wedding and specialty occasion cakes for the people of Brooklyn and beyond.

About Blair Van Sant
Blair Van Sant has been perfecting his baking skills for the past ten years. Hailing from the South, Blair spent many years baking cakes and breads at Provence Breads in Nashville and Big City Breads in Athens, Georgia. Before becoming the head baker for Baked, Blair worked for Le Pain Quotidien in New York City. Blair is a graduate of the Pastry Baking Arts and Management programs at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE).
 

3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup of hot water
2/3 cup of sour cream
2 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of unflavored vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch round cake pans. Mix cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream together and set aside to cool. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Beat butter and shortening together until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Mixture will appear to "string" throughout the bowl. Add the sugars then beat until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, mixing between additions until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients in batches, beginning and ending with the dry. Pour batter into pans and bake until lightly firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 18 to 24 minutes.

Caramel with Salt

1/4 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel

Boil the cream with the fleur de sel to dissolve the salt. Mix together water, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan and caramelize over high heat, until it reaches 350°F. Let caramel rest off heat for 1 minute then add the cream. Whisk in the sour cream. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Whipped Caramel Ganache Icing

16 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1 pound of unsalted butter, softened but still cool

Bring cream to a boil. In a separate pot, combine water, sugar, and corn syrup and cook over high heat to 350°F. Rest off heat for 1 minute then stir sugar syrup into cream. Let the mixture cool slightly before pouring over the chopped chocolate. Let rest for one minute, then stir, starting from the center of the bowl, until all of the chocolate has melted. Allow ganache to cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer, paddle icing on low speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Add softened butter, and beat on medium-high speed until slightly whipped.

Assembling the Cake

sea salt

Trim the tops of all three layers of chocolate cake. Place first layer of cake on a cardboard round or plate. Spread a thin layer of caramel on the cake, letting it soak into the cake. Follow the caramel with a layer of whipped caramel ganache icing. Sprinkle a small amount of sea salt (about 1/8 of a teaspoon) over top. Place second layer of cake on top and repeat. After the three layers are assembled, ice the outside of the cake with the rest of the icing and sprinkle the top with more salt.

  back to the 2006 Golden Scoop Awards