112 NOVEMBER 2019
- Bake in preheated oven until cakes are
light golden brown and a wooden pick
inserted in cake centers comes out clean,
16 to 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on a
wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cakes from
cake pans; transfer to wire racks, and let
cool completely, about 30 minutes. - When ready to assemble cakes, make
the ginger–cream cheese frosting: Place
grated ginger in center of a square of
folded cheesecloth; gather edges of
cheesecloth, and squeeze ginger over a
small bowl to equal 2 tablespoons juice.
Discard solids; set aside ginger juice. - Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and
salt in a medium bowl with an electric
mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on
medium-high speed until light and fluffy,
about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down
sides of bowl as needed. - Stir together ginger juice and heavy
cream in a small bowl. With mixer running
on medium-high speed, gradually drizzle
ginger juice mixture into cream cheese
mixture; beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3
minutes. Use immediately. - Assemble the cake: Place 1 cake layer
on a serving platter. Spread top with about
(^1) / 3 cup frosting. Spoon (^3) / 4 cup frosting into
a ziplock plastic bag; cut a^1 / 3 -inch hole in
one corner. Pipe a^1 / 3 -inch-tall ring of frost-
ing just inside the top edge of frosted cake
layer (to create a barrier). Spread half of
the cooled compote (about^2 / 3 cup) in an
even layer inside piped ring. Top with
second cake layer; repeat process with
frosting, frosting ring, and remaining
compote. Top with third cake layer; spread
remaining frosting over top and sides of
cake. Refrigerate assembled cake at least
4 hours or up to 1 day. Serve chilled.
MAKE AHEAD Cake layers can be made a
day ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap, and
stored at room temperature. Cake may be
assembled and kept chilled up to 1 day.
Apple-Rum Compote
ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 25 MIN
MAKES ABOUT 1^1 / 4 CUPS
McIntosh apples have a sweet aroma while
Granny Smiths bring acidity and texture
that holds up to cooking. The two apple
varieties combine for a super-flavorful cake
filling. This deeply flavored, smooth, and
rich compote also makes a delicious top-
ping for waffles or latkes.
1 medium McIntosh, Braeburn, or Fuji
apple, peeled, cored, and cut into^1 / 2 -
inch pieces
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled,
cored, and cut into^1 / 2 -inch pieces
5 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
(^1) / 4 tsp. kosher salt
(^1) / 8 tsp. ground cinnamon
(^1) / 2 cup (4 oz.) gold rum (such as Bacardí)
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
(^1) / 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Stir together apples, sugar, flour, salt, and
cinnamon in a large skillet. Let stand at
room temperature, stirring occasionally,
until sugar begins to dissolve, about 30
minutes. - Cook apple mixture in skillet over
medium-high, stirring often, until tender,
about 5 minutes. - Pour rum into a heatproof measuring cup
with a pour spout. Remove skillet from heat;
turn off burner. Pour rum into skillet. Care-
fully ignite the fumes just above the rum
mixture with a long match. Gently shake skil-
let until flames extinguish, about 1 minute. - Return skillet to heat over medium-high;
cook, stirring often, until liquid has almost
completely evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. - Break up apple mixture using a potato
masher or fork until mostly smooth. Stir in
lemon juice and vanilla. Set aside at room
temperature to cool completely, about 30
minutes.
MAKE AHEAD Compote can be prepared up
to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight
container in refrigerator.
Butterscotch Pudding Parfait
with Gingersnap Crumble
PHOTO P. 111
TOTAL 50 MIN, PLUS 6 HR REFRIGERATION
SERVES 8Layers of spiked homemade pudding and
crème fraîche–whipped cream lift up this
approachable dessert. Joanne Chang bakes
her own gingersnaps to sprinkle over the top
of the parfaits; use your favorite store-
bought cookies for a shortcut.BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING
11 / 2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk, divided
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
11 / 4 tsp. kosher salt
4 large egg yolks(^1) / 4 cup cornstarch (about 1 (^1) / 8 oz.)
2 Tbsp. (1 oz.) dark rum or Scotch
whiskey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
(^1) / 2 cup cold unsalted butter (4 oz.),
cut into^1 /^2 -inch pieces
Apple-Rum Spice Cake
ACTIVE 1 HR; TOTAL 1 HR 40 MIN, PLUS 4 HR
CHILLING; SERVES 10 TO 12
A stunning dessert for the grown-ups’
table, warm spices and more than a shot
of rum pair with tender chiffon cake and
billowy ginger–cream cheese frosting.
Make the Apple-Rum Compote up to three
days ahead and assemble the cake a full
day ahead. Served directly from the fridge,
the result is a crowd-pleaser.
CA K E L AY E RS
Vegetable shortening
21 / 4 cups sifted bleached cake flour
(such as Swans Down) (about 7^1 / 2
oz.), plus more for dusting pans
11 / 4 cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon(^1) / 2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
(^1) / 2 tsp. kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
(^2) / 3 cup water
(^1) / (^2) cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
(^1) / 2 tsp. cream of tartar
GINGER–CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger,
unpeeled and grated on a
Microplane (about 3 Tbsp.)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
(^1) / 3 cup granulated sugar
11 /^2 tsp. vanilla extract
(^1) / 4 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT
Apple-Rum Compote (recipe
follows)
- Make the cake layers: Preheat oven to
350°F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans
with shortening; dust with flour. Whisk
together flour, sugar, baking powder, cin-
namon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together egg yolks,^2 / 3 cup water,
oil, lemon juice, and vanilla in a separate
bowl until smooth. Whisk egg yolk mixture
into flour mixture until batter is just
combined. - Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with
an electric mixer fitted with the whisk
attachment on medium-high speed until
foamy, about 1 minute. Add cream of tar-
tar; beat until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 min-
utes. Fold one-third of egg white mixture
into batter. Add remaining egg white mix-
ture; gently fold until just combined. Divide
batter evenly among prepared pans. recipes continued on p. 124