Tropical Snowstorm Cake with Pineapple and Mango

Festive Alternatives for Holiday Entertaining

A tropical snowstorm on a cake stand is about as close as we’re going to get to a blizzard here in Thailand, but why not seize on a wintry recollection as a flourishing finale for a holiday feast with fanciful swirls of marshmallow drifts atop a cake layered with fresh pineapple and mango and light flurry of toasted coconut.

‘Tis the season to pull out all the stops in the kitchen, cook up storm, and share the pleasures of good food at celebratory gatherings and festive homey meals with family and friends !

Tropical Cake with Mango and Pineapple

Fruit filling:

• 1 whole pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons super fine sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons + 1 ½ teaspoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the orange juice, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the cornstarch until dissolved. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, while stirring, until thickened. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and add the diced pineapple and mango and stir until well combined. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

Cake: preheat oven to 350F/180C  Prepare 2 8 inch cake pans lined with parchment circles cut to the size of the bottom of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment circles and the sides of the pans.

• 4 0z/125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
•  1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups cake flour
• 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
•  1 ½ cups super fine sugar
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 4 egg whites, unbeaten
• ½ teaspoon orange extract
• zest of 1 orange

With the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Combine the milk and yogurt and stir until combined and smooth.

With the mixer running at medium speed add the dry ingredients and milk/yogurt mixture to the whipped butter alternately. Once combined turn the mixer up to high speed and add the egg whites (unbeaten), orange extract, and orange zest and continue to beat for 2 minutes. The mixture may look slightly curdled which is OK!

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Test by inserting a thin skewer into the center of the cake. If the skewer is clean when removed the cake is finished. Set the cake layers on a cooling rack until cool.

Marshmallow frosting:

• 1 ½ cups super fine sugar
• 2/3 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup spring water
• 4 egg whites (2/3 cup)
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Place the sugar, cream of tartar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture has come to a boil. Cover and boil for 3 minutes.

Uncover and insert a candy thermometer into the sugar syrup and continue to boil without stirring until the syrup reaches 242F/116C. This will take several minutes.

While the syrup is cooking place the egg whites and salt in a clean chilled mixer bowl, the mixer fitted with the wire whip, and whip until the egg whites are stiff and softly peaking. Remove the sugar syrup from the stove and with the mixer set at high speed slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites from about 12 inches above,  in a very thin steady stream. Beat for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens into a glossy white marshmallow like consistency. Add the vanilla and whip until combined.

Set the frosting aside at room temperature until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Assembling the cake:

• 1/3 cup toasted shredded coconut. Lightly toast the shredded coconut in a dry saute pan and set aside to cool.

Remove the cake layers from the baking pans and remove the parchment from the bottom of the layers. Place a cake layer in the center of a flat platter or cake stand and top the layer with a thick layer of the pineapple and mango filling. Place the second cake layer on top of the filling.

Ice the side and top of the cake with a generous layer of frosting and smooth it out with an icing spatula. Place a large pastry ring on the top of the cake and build a thick layer of icing swirled into peaks around the pastry ring. Remove the pastry ring and fill the circle with pineapple mango filling. If there is filling left over set it aside to serve along with the cake.

Lightly dust the top and sides of the cake with the toasted coconut and serve the cake at room temperature.

The marshmallow frosting holds up well at room temperature, but you can refrigerate the cake for later use, bringing the cake back to room temperature before serving

 

Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings

Hearty Fall Cookery

“Good and plenty” are these old fashioned country apple dumplings! Come fall, the apple harvest in full swing, is the perfect time to roll out some dough, wrap it around crisp apples popped in the oven, bathed in caramel syrup , and served with warm milk. Perfect for a warming breakfast, a barn raising picnic, or mid-day Sunday dinner just like they do down on the farm in Pennsylvania.

Pastry dough

• 1/4 cup (2oz) unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (or lard), cold
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose or unbleached flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

Combine the butter, shortening, and salt in a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle and mix for several minutes on low speed until the butter and shortening soften, then turn up the speed to medium and mix until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as you mix. Combine the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and begin adding the flour mixture in three batches until the mixture resembles a course balls the size of small peas. Turn the mixer off and sprinkle the milk over the dough. Turn the mixer on at low speed and mix very briefly just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead several times and form the dough into rectangular brick shape. Flatten the dough and wrap in plastic film and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Apples, Stuffing, and Syrup

Choosing the right apple for baking: moderate size, hard, crisp, and tart.

• 4 medium apples, peeled and cored
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar + 2 tablespoons for stuffing
• 1 ½ cups water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons walnuts

Combine 1 ½ cups brown sugar and 1 ½ cups water in a sauce pan and simmer 5-8 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the butter and cinnamon and mix until butter is melted into the syrup. Set aside. Combine the raisins, walnuts, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar in a small bowl, mix, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C

When the dough is firm, remove from the fridge and roll out into a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Place an apple in the center of each piece. Stuff the core cavity with raisin walnut brown sugar mixture. Draw the sides of the dough up around the apple. The dough will be quite delicate but don’t get all “fehutzed and fehuddeled” about cracks or tears which will be closed when encasing the apple in the dough. Use both hands to press the dough tightly around the apple, closing the top tightly. Don’t “fret” about what the dough looks like pressed around the apple, once baked it will look just fine. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining apples.

Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings

Place the dumplings in a lightly buttered baking pan leaving room between each apple for even baking. Pour the syrup over the apples and into the baking pan.  Place in the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Baste the dumplings with the pan syrup at 15 minute intervals during baking and rotate the pan to ensure even baking and browning. Add additional water to the syrup if it becomes to thick while baking. 

Remove the dumplings from the oven and set aside to cool for 30 minutes, allowing the crust to set before carefully lifting the dumplings out of the baking tray and placing them into individual serving bowls. Transfer the pan syrup to a small sauce pan and reduce if the syrup needs thickening.

Serving Serve the dumplings warm with some warmed milk and drizzled with pan syrup over the top of the dumplings.