Episode 4 Showstopper: Present Stack Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Food Coloring: red, green, bright white

Top Tier - Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Butter Cake:
• 3 cups gluten free all-purpose flour"
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (226g) (room temp)
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 TBSP vanilla bean paste
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup smooth almond butter
• 4 tbsp. dark cocoa
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

For the chocolate cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup black cocoa powder
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 cup brewed coffee (room temp)

For the peppermint cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (226g) (room temp)
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp clear Mexican vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk

For vanilla cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (226g) (room temp)
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp clear Mexican vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk

White Chocolate Mint Ganache:

• 6 oz. high quality white chocolate
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Chopped red and green peppermints

Chocolate Ganache:

• 8oz semi-sweet chocolate bars
• 1 cup heavy cream In glass microwave boil heat cream for 2 min to a simmer. Chop the chocolate and pour the heavy cream over it. Let it cool then use to ice layers of cake.

For the Italian Meringue Buttercream Icing:

• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 cup water

For Decorations:

Fondant (white, black, red, green, light blue (32 oz)
Gum paste
Wafer paper (about 10 sheets)

METHOD:

For the GF Chocolate Almond Butter Cake:

1. Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt together in a bowl. In mixer cream together butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cream and paste. Divide batter in thirds. 1/3 plain vanilla. 1/3 add 1 cup of almond butter and 1/3 add 4 oz of melted chocolate and Mix colors into batters – yellow (for stars) tan (for Jesus in a manger) and brown (for stable) and super black (for night sky).

2. Pour yellow, tan and brown batter in small shallow pans and bake at 350 for 35 min. Use cookie cutters to cut out baby Jesus, stable and star. Like and stray 4x4 inch pan and stack bakes pieces of cake inside. Pour the dark chocolate cake on top of those pieces. And bake at 350 for an additional 35 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the chocolate cake:

1. Add cream, butter, eggs and vanilla and mix on med until combined. Add dry ingredients to mixer and mix to combine. Reduce speed to low and add coffee. Mix on high for 1 min.

2. Divide batter into 2 pans. Pour one in a cake pan and bake for 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 C) for 25-30 min.

For Peppermint cake:

1. Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt together in a bowl. In mixer cream together butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cream and paste.

2. Divide the batter into three bowls. Red and white and green with white being the largest mount remaining. Add about a tablespoon of white food color to the larger cup of batter and a tablespoon of super red and green to the smaller cups of batter.

3. Grease pan with Crisco and cut parchment paper to fit the bottom.

4. Start with white in middle of pan pour until count of 3 and then add red on top of that – count to 2 for red batter. Keep alternating until pan is 2/3s full.

5. Repeat for the 2nd pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 C) for 25-30 min.

For Vanilla Cake:

6. Cream butter and oil, add sugar. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.

7. Mix flour baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Add vanilla, sour cream and milk, mix until incorporated. Add flour until just incorporated.

8. Divide batter into 2. Pour one in a cake pan and bake for 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 C) for 25-30 min. reserve the other vanilla batter for later.

Italian meringue buttercream:

1. Mix water and 1 cup sugar and heat on medium to 230-235f. When the sugar is there start

to beat the whites. Once frothy add . cup sugar (stiff peaks).

2. When syrup is 245F pour syrup in bowl and mix on high pouring in a slow steady stream.

3. Beat for 10 – 15 min until cool

4. Add butter piece by piece scraping down bowl

5. Once all added turn speed to high and beat 10-15 min

6. Add vanilla and beat additional 2 min.

Black and White Cake Assembly:

1. After one chocolate and one vanilla cake have cooled. Level each with a serrated knife and divide in half. Use square cookie cutters to cut three squares from each cake. Alternate each layer to create 4 checkered layers.

2. Stack the layers and ice with chocolate ganache. Put in fridge to set up.

Nativity surprise:

1. Use the remainder of the white cake batter dye . yellow, . tan and . light brown. Pour batter all together on one swiss roll pan. Bake at 350 (176 C) for 15 min. Once cool, cut several stars from yellow, stables from brown and baby Jesus from tan. Grease 4 inch square pan with Crisco line with paper on bottom and sides. Stack stables back to back, stars back to back and pour remainder of the chocolate batter on top. Bake at 350 (176C) for 20 min.