FRENCH WEDDING CAKE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Cake Pans - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour the pans, then line the bottoms with wax or parchment paper.
• Sift the Dry Ingredients - Using a sifter, sift the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside.
• Beat the Butter and Sugar - With an electric mixer, beat the butter for three minutes at medium-high speed. Next, add the sugar and beat for an additional three minutes.
• Add the Eggs - Add the eggs into the batter, one at a time. Beat until incorporated before adding the next egg.
• Add the Dry Mixture and Milk - Add the flour mixture in one cup at a time. Alternate adding a bit of the milk after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
• Bake the Cake - Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. To fully cool let the cakes on a wire rack.
• Make the Frosting - Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, beating well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Add in the milk and beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk until it reaches the proper consistency.
• Decorate the Cake - Once the cakes are fully cool, level the tops. Between each layer of the cake add a layer of frosting. Use the remaining frosting to decorate the sides and top of the cake.

Steps:

• For the pastry: Carefully heat water with milk and butter in a big pot. As soon as the butter is melted, bring to a boil. Sift in the flour and salt and turn the temperature down. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the dough has absorbed all of the water and easily comes loose from the pot. (A white film my form on the base of the pan). Remove from heat and let cool.
• One at a time, stir the eggs into the dough until the dough is smooth and glossy. Preheat oven to 200°C (approximately 390°F). With a teaspoon, form the dough into large balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Since the pastry, while baking, will grow to approximately three times its original size, leave space between the dough balls. Bake for about 25 minutes, remove from the oven and pierce the pastries with a knife to allow steam to escape and to prevent the balls from softening.
• For the cream: Place the milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir together the flour, cornstarch and a little cold water, add to the milk, quickly stir in and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until white-creamy. Mix in the vanilla pudding powder and, while constantly stirring, heat but do not let boil. Remove from heat and stir the butter in. Cover cream with parchment paper so that the top layer doesn't solidify. Let cool and, with a piping bag, fill pastries with the cream.
• For the caramel: Dissolve sugar in water with lemon juice over medium heat and simmer until golden brown. Then immediately remove from the heat and place on a cold surface. The pot should have a bottom that is as thick as possible so that it can retain the heat as long as necessary, though it may be necessary to warm again in between uses. With a fork, dip the balls one after the other into the caramel. Arrange the balls on a plate in layers of successively smaller rings so as to form a cone. As desired, pull out a few long strands of caramel.
• Dip a fork in the remaining caramel and, with fast movements, pull out gossamer-thin strands of caramel. For best results, work over a greased marble slab or parchment paper. As desired, lay the gossamer spun sugar around and on the cake and serve.