Maple pecan chiffon cake with brown butter icing

Much the same way I bought Alissa Huntsman's latest cookbook because of her beautiful previous one, I could not wait to get my hands on Julie Richardson's new cookbook since I adore her "Rustic Fruit Desserts" so much - a book full of cake recipes? You know I like that a lot. :D
I first thought of making an angel food cake - because of the insane amount of egg whites in my freezer - but when I saw this chiffon cake I had to make it: after all, it's not everyday I'll find a cake as freckled as myself. :D

The icing is super rich and delicious - the brown butter tastes like caramel here - but if you are not in the mood for all that sugar and butter the cake tastes delicious on its own, too.

Maple pecan chiffon cake with brown butter icing
from the absolutely beautiful Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today's Sweet Tooth

Cake:
2 ¼ cups (270g) cake flour (homemade: measure 270g of all purpose flour, remove 4 tablespoons and complete with corn starch)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup (132g) brown sugar, packed
6 egg yolks, room temperature
½ cup (120ml) canola oil
½ cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
¼ cup (60ml) water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
8 egg whites, room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (55g) toasted pecans, cooled and finely chopped

Icing:
450g (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 165°C/325°F. Have ready an ungreased 25cm (10in) tube pan with a removable bottom, bottom lined with a circle of baking paper (this is the pan I used).
In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks, oil, maple syrup, water, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and briskly stir with a rubber spatula until just smooth. Do not overmix.
In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and whip on high speed until soft peaks form. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. Kick the mixer up to high speed and whip until the whites just hold firm (not stiff!) glossy peaks.
Fold a third of the whites into the batter using as few strokes as possible. Add the remaining whites, folding only until evenly incorporated. Lightly fold in the pecans during the last few strokes. Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs attached, 50 to 55 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool upside down by inverting the cake pan onto its legs. To remove the cooled cake from the pan, slide a long thin knife or spatula along the sides to loosen and knock the pan sharply on a hard surface until the cake drops out. Remove all the crumbs of the cake sides and top before icing it.

Icing: put the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Using a pan with a light-colored bottom will help you keep track of the color. Let the color of the butter darken from lemony to golden brown (swirl the pan occasionally to ensure even heating). Once the butter is dark brown and you begin to smell a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the butter over the confectioners’ sugar and add the cream, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth. As the butter cools, the icing will become firmer. If using the icing as a glaze, use it immediately. If you plan to use the icing as a frosting, allow it to cool to a good spreading consistency (I refrigerated it for 15 minutes).
Frost the top and sides with the icing. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Serves 10-12

Tangerine-poppy seed chiffon cake

Up until a couple of weekends ago the only chiffon cakes I’d baked were layer cakes: they were delicious and perfect for birthday celebrations, but I wanted to make one of those tall, elegant chiffon cakes (baked in tube pans) I’d seen on some cookbooks and blogs. I chose this recipe because I love tangerines and the idea of a cake made with them sounded very refreshing, exactly what that very warm Saturday called for. The cake turned out fine – there was a bit of swearing during the unmolding moments, but nothing serious – and eating it felt like biting a cloud (not that I have ever bitten a cloud, but you get the picture), but unfortunately the tangerine flavor was too mild – maybe because I did not add the tangerine oil, I don’t know. Therefore, I have suggestion for you: make this cake using lemons or limes instead and go wild with the zest – I promise you I’m not being biased (at least not this time). :D

Tangerine-poppy seed chiffon cake
from the great The Art and Soul of Baking

Cake:
1¾ cups (210g) cake flour*
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons (176g), plus ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup poppy seeds (optional)
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons flavorless vegetable oil
6 large eggs, separated
finely grated zest of 2 large tangerines
½ cup (120ml) strained freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon pure tangerine oil**
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar

Icing:
1 ½ cups (210g) confectioners' sugar
1½ -2 tablespoons strained freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1/8 teaspoon pure tangerine oil**

Preheat the oven to 165°C/325°F. Have ready an ungreased 25cm (10in) tube pan with a removable bottom (I once made an angel food cake with a regular tube pan and it worked out fine – I just placed a ring of baking paper in the bottom of the pan).
Make the cake: sift the cake flour, the 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons (176g) granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt into the large bowl. Add the poppy seeds and whisk to blend. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, egg yolks, tangerine zest and juice, vanilla extract, and tangerine oil. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is very smooth. Set aside.
Make sure your whisk attachment (or beaters) and your mixing bowl are scrupulously clean. In the bowl of the stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium just until frothy. You can also use a hand mixer and a medium bowl. Add the cream of tartar and whip on medium-high until soft peaks form. With the mixer on medium, slowly add the remaining ¼ cup (50g) of granulated sugar and whip until the whites hold very firm peaks. (This cake requires stiff egg whites for its height and open texture, so don't be afraid to beat a few seconds longer than you normally would for firm peaks.) To check for firm peaks, with a spoon scoop bowl when the spoon was lifted should hold their shape.
Use the spatula to gently stir a mound of beaten whites into the bowl of batter. This step slightly lightens and loosens the mixture, making it easier to fold in the remaining whites without deflating them. Scrape the remaining egg whites into the bowl and gently but thoroughly fold them into the batter until no streaks of egg whites remain.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the cake has risen, the top is lightly golden and feels firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately invert the pan onto its feet or over the wine or soda bottle***. Allow to cool completely, at least 2 hours.
Invert the cake so it is right side up. Run the thin, flexible knife or spatula around the edges to loosen it from the pan. As you do this, gently press the knife into the side of the pan to avoid gouging the cake. Push the removable bottom upward to free the cake from the side. Run the same knife around the inside tube and along the bottom of the cake, if necessary, to finish loosening it. Place a plate on top of the cake and invert, removing the cake from the pan, then invert it again to set it right side up.

Make the icing: sift the confectioners' sugar into the medium bowl. Whisk in the tangerine juice and tangerine oil until the mixture is very smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

The cake will keep well at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap or under a cake dome, for several days. Once cut, press a piece of plastic wrap firmly against the cut surfaces to help keep it fresh

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

** I did not use the tangerine oil (I’ve never seen it here in Brazil) that could be the reason why the tangerine flavor in the cake and the icing wasn’t strong enough

*** I could not find a bottle that fit into the tube of my pan, so I inverted it onto a cooling rack

Serves 10-12

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing

Certain flavor combinations are wonderful and we already know they work perfectly, while others might seem a bit unusual to some of us. I’d seen lemon + lavender everywhere – in bars, cookies, cakes and frozen yogurt – but hadn’t given it a try yet. After seeing a beautiful cake in an old magazine, I decided to try the combination, using limes instead.

Now this combo can go straight to the all time favorites list, with apples + cinnamon and chocolate + hazelnuts. :)

Lavender chiffon cake with lime curd, cream and lime icing
adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes, idea from Donna Hay magazine

Cake:
6 eggs, separated
¼ cup (60ml) neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or soybean
6 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups (300g) caster sugar
1 ½ teaspoons dried edible lavender buds
1 1/3 cups (187g) cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Lime curd:
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon corn starch
6 tablespoons caster sugar
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, room temperature
finely grated zest of 1 lime
2/3 cups (160ml) whipping cream, whipped to firm peaks with 2 tablespoons icing sugar (do it just before assembling the cake)

Lime icing:
2 cups (280g) icing sugar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line the bottoms of three 20cm (8in) round cake pans with baking paper; do not grease.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil and water. Set aside.
Place 1 cup (200g) of the sugar in a food processor, add the lavender buds and process. Sift into a large bowl, discarding the excess lavender. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the sugar and whisk gently to combine. Add the yolk mixture and whisk to form a smooth batter.
Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment on medium-high speed until frothy. Slowly add the remaining ½ cup (100g) sugar and the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft, droopy peaks form. Fold ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter, taking care not to deflate the mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whites. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden and a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow layers to cool completely in the pans. To remove, run a blunt knife around the edges, invert each pan and tap out the cake onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the paper.
While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the lime curd and chill completely.

Lime curd: in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn starch. Combine the sugar and lime juice in a non-reactive saucepan and whisk in the egg yolk mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat whisking gently the entire time. Allow to boil for 1 minute, still stirring – curd will thicken.
Pour through a sieve into a heatproof bowl and whisk in the butter until it is completely melted. Whisk in the zest. Let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.

Lime icing: sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl and gradually add the lime juice and water, mixing well until the desired consistency.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate and spread half the lime curd over the top. Top with half the whipped cream. Repeat with another cake layers and the remaining lime curd and cream. Top with the third cake layer and drizzle with the lime icing.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 12-16 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above for a two-layer cake