Photography by Jim Bathie |Recipe Development by Ola Agbodza and Kathleen Kanen | Food Styling by Katie Moon Dickerson | Styling by Haley Bowen
The cherry on these cakes is not just for decoration. Though it’s a pretty touch, it is said to represent the sweetness of life and blessings in the spring.
St. Joseph Cakes
Makes 7 cakes
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, room temperature and divided
- Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
- 7 Amarena cherries
- Garnish: confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, ⅓ cup water, milk, granulated sugar, and salt; bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until a skin forms on bottom of pan and mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat at medium speed until dough cools slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. (Batter will be shiny and will slowly move back together when a spatula is dragged through it.) Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Position oven racks in center and top of oven. Place a sheet of foil on top rack. Preheat oven to 375°.
- On 2 sheets of parchment paper, using a 2½-inch round cutter, draw 4 circles each. Place parchment, ink side down, on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
- Transfer batter to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch open star piping tip (Ateco #826). Place tip on a drawn circle, and start by applying even pressure. Hold tip about ¾ inch above parchment paper, and slowly pipe around drawn circles and into center of circle. Begin to lessen pressure on pastry bag as dough comes to center; stop applying pressure, letting it overlap slightly at center. Wet your finger with water, and gently pat down overlap. Repeat with remaining batter.
- In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1 egg until well combined. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush egg onto piped dough.
- Bake on center rack for 20 minutes. Rotate pan; remove foil from top rack, and place it on cakes. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely on pans on wire racks.
- Using a serrated knife, cut each cooled cake in half horizontally.
- Transfer Pastry Cream to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch open star piping tip (Ateco #826). Pipe tall rosettes around bottom half of each cake. Cover with top half, and gently press down. Pipe a rosette on top of each cake, and place a cherry on top. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Pastry Cream
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 large egg yolks
- 7 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, ½ cup sugar, and vanilla. Heat over medium heat until steaming. (Do not boil.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, and remaining ½ cup sugar.
- Gradually add warm milk mixture, whisking constantly.
- Pour egg yolk mixture into saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and boiling, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another large bowl.
- Add butter in two additions, stirring until combined after each addition.
- Cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 4 hours, or overnight.
