Cooking Gluten-Free with Anna

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Celebrating Valentines Day with Neapolitan Cakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream




This dessert has it all, good looks and a sweet attitude. Nothing can compare with its three layers of buttercream, unfolding in your mouth in soft waves. Each cloud-like layer is infused with its own heavenly delights, rich chocolate, delicate vanilla, and sweet raspberry. It's a beauty, all right.

The original recipe is from Sweetapolita. A place full of gorgeous photographs and inspiring recipes. I happened up on this site by default. A fellow blogger was in the thrals of baking a rainbow-colored cake for her daughter's birthday. She, in turn, had found her cake recipe on the aforementioned blog. It was fate (I think). True happiness is to find a cookbook or blog that shares your philosophy. I can always tell by the photographs, and these are good enough to eat.

My version is, of course, gluten-free, and, of course, heavenly. The cake recipe is my own, and I used Sweetapolita's Swiss Meringue Buttercream. When I served it to my husband, five seconds later, it was gone... It was well received. Try it yourself!






Neapolitan Cakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream


Makes 6 mini cakes


Ingredients


3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

6 tbsp potato starch

4 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut


Sweetapolita’s Swiss Meringue Buttercream

5 large fresh egg whites

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt




Baking Instructions


Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Line a jelly roll pan (rectangular pan about 16”x 11” x 11”) with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow ribbons form.

In a medium sized-bowl, mix the potato starch, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and coconut.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Meanwhile, cut a piece of parchment the same size as the jelly pan, and place on the kitchen counter. Sprinkle sugar all over the parchment paper.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 6 minutes.

Invert cake onto prepared parchment paper.

Slowly, starting at one corner, remove the parchment from the bottom of cake. If the paper sticks to the cake - using a pastry brush, brush the paper with a little cold water, then remove the paper.

Place a clean kitchen towel on top of the cake. Let cool completely.



Prepare Sweetapolita’s Swiss meringue buttercream: This buttercream is just amazing. I found it on a www.sweetapolita.com - a blog featuring gorgeous cakes, with tons of tips. Even for a gluten-free baker!

Add egg whites and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 160°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so).

Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).

Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined. You can also add a wide variety of flavorings, extracts, and more, but always add the vanilla first, as it brings out the true taste of the other flavors.

Makes approximately 5 cups of buttercream.

Divide buttercream evenly into 3 bowls. Flavor 1/3 with chocolate, 1/3 with 4 tbsp raspberry jam, and leave final 1/3 vanilla.

For Chocolate Buttercream: melt 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave oven for 10 seconds, stir, continuing in 10 seconds intervals until melted. Blend with buttercream until smooth. Use good quality chocolate. I like Ghirardelli Chocolate.

For Raspberry Buttercream: add 3-4 tablespoons of raspberry jam to taste. Blend until combined.

You’ll end up with leftover buttercream. Not a problem. Keep buttercream in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week, leaving out at room temperature when needed, re-whipping in mixer for 5 minutes. Or freeze for up to 6-8 weeks. To thaw, place on counter overnight, and rewhip for 5 minutes with paddle attachment in an electric mixer.


Assembly of the Neapolitan Cakes

Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 18 rounds of the cake. The recipe makes 6 mini cakes - 3 rounds for each cake. Lay out 6 cake-circles in front of you on the kitchen counter or on a platter.



Spread the bottom layers with the chocolate buttercream. Add the second cake layers. Spread with vanilla buttercream. Add the top cake layers, and spread with raspberry buttercream. Top with GF chocolate sprinkles, if desired.

Cover the cakes loosely with plastic wrap or a cake dome. The cakes keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator 3 hours before serving, to let the buttercream soften. If eaten the same day, keep the cakes covered at room temperature.



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4 comments:

  1. Happy Valentine´s Anna!

    Så vackert du beskriver denna bakelse och så fina de blev! Marängkräm är jag nyfiken på.. är det godare än buttercream som jag tycker blir lite för smörigt..? Jag måste nog ge det en chans till tror jag. Jag ser många olika variationer på denna kräm.

    Fina bilder du har fixat till! Förresten, måste scrolla ner och läsa mer om dina pannkaksrecept.

    Ha en fin Alla Hjärtans Dag - kram Sanna

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  2. Hejsan Sanna,

    Tack ska du ha! Maräng buttercream är supergott, inte alls lika smörigt som smörkräm. Prova. Du förstog nog att det var dig jag pratade om...om regnbågstårtan! ha ha Du har ju alltid så fina blder. Hur vart tårtan?? Hoppas din dotter gillade den.

    Nu är det bara 2 1/2 veckor tills jag kommer till Sverige, och stannar i 2 hela månader. Längtar. Ska bli så kul!

    Kram, Anna

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    Replies
    1. Hej hej!

      Anade att det var mig du menade ;) Hm ja, tårtan.. lagren blev som jag föreställt mig och god var den också MEN, utsidan kunde blivit bättre. Man är väl självkritisk och sockerpastan gjorde mig besviken. Jobbade som sjutton med den och läste alla tips o råd jag kunde hitta. Tyvärr hjälpte inte det. Den sprack hela vägen runt om när jag skulle rulla ut den över tårtan och det såg mer eller mindre ut som ett katastrof-område ha! Jämn och fin blev den minst sagt inte. Man får lära av misstagen och försöka igen antar jag. Bilder finns på bloggen nu om du vill kika (dock inte "fulbilderna" haha). Så du ska till Sverige snart?! Kul! Blir ett stort kramkalas med släkt och vänner då förstår jag. Hoppas vi har fått lite mer vårfeeling tills dess. Idag har solen skinit och fåglarna kvittrat som galna över Östergötland. En så vacker dag!

      Ha det så bra - kram Sanna

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  3. Sanna, tårtan ser ju helt otroligt bra ut. Så färgstark och fin! Jag har aldrig försökt mig på sockerpasta, men kanske funkar det som marzipan? Brukar göra marzipan till princesstårta, och den brukar ibland spricka, Man blir galen!! Ofta funkar det när man blöter fingret och drar det över sprickan och sluten den samman igen med lite florsocker. men sockerpasta kanske är nåt helt annat. jag tror det tar flera försök att riktigt lära sig. Men ville fråga dig vilket program du använder för att redigera dina bilder? Och lägga upp dom två och två på bloggen? Dina fotografier är så vackra! Är du kanske fotograf??

    Kram,
    Anna

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