Ice Cream Petit Fours
Ok… I got a little bit disappointed with the whole of this month challenge, first of all… a challenge of making another bombe? or another frozen cake? almost like repeating the last one… c’mon daring bakers it’s been a long time since we had savory bake or something really different and daring. Secondly..arghh… I’m not really a fan of frozen cake, I like my cake warm freshly baked… Ice cream is my favorite food but not with frozen cake. This brown butter cake is soooo delicious when it’s just came right out of the oven… but to freeze it, just like eating frozen butter with sugar.
I know some of the DB patiessrie chefs could make this desserts look so beautiful but taste wise, even with the chocolate glaze the dessert is just some what mediocre.
The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.
Brown Butter Pound Cake
19 tablespoons (9.5 oz) (275g) unsalted (sweet) butter
2 cups (200g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) (See “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
1/2 cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
1/3 (75g) cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.
2. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.
3. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.
5. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.
6. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
I can understand the disappointment.
Your petit four looks good all the same. Since I covered mine in ganache, and kept it in the fridge for a few hours before serving, my cake layer was really soft and nice.
That’s exactly what I thought when I saw the recipe at the beginning of the month! There is a lack of diversity lately…
Anyhow, your petits fours look lovely!
Cheers,
Rosa
Haha, glad to see some more critical Bakers! Thought I was the only one amidst the general cake-adoring crowd… What did you cover yours with? Looks really nice.
White chocolate and green tea, thank’s
I agree that warm cake is yummiest, and if you want to combine it with icecream the best way is with self-saucing pudding. Sounds like the pound cake is good enough to be worth making in its own right.
Same thought crossed my mind. And I totally agree that it’s a great shame to freeze such a delicious and rich pound cake. Nevertheless, your petits look great!
Sorry about the challenge, but your petit four looks gorgeous…