Citrus Almond Champagne Cake Recipe 445

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix Ingredients in a stand mixer or bowl and pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 according to the box directions. Allow to cool, before you add the frosting. If you don't, the heat from the cake will absorb the frosting (not necessarily bad I guess). Frosting: In a bowl, pour in champagne and OJ, slowly add in the powdered sugar and whisk as you go, mixing it to the desired consistency. Pour frosting over cooled bundt cake. Top with chopped almonds if desired. Tips: If you have any frosting left over, serve in a small bowl along side the champagne cake (warmed perhaps?), so you can pour on more if desired. (I love frosting). The alcohol is not necessary for this simple cake recipe, so if you want to make a more kid-friendly version you can make the 7-Up cake I linked to above, or substitute sparkling cider for the champagne (Cream soda might be yummy).

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, champagne and citrus zest until the mixture is smooth and without lumps.

Steps:

• To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch-diameter cake pan. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the milk. Gradually beat in the oil. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the almonds. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Place cake pan on baking pan to collect any possible spills. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake and place on serving platter, top side up. Sift powdered sugar over the cake.
• To make the citrus compote: Stir the orange peel, blossom water, and 2 tablespoons of accumulated juices from the segmented fruit in a small bowl to blend. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments decoratively in a wide shallow bowl. Pour the blossom water mixture over. Cover and let stand 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.
• Cut the cake into wedges and spoon the citrus compote alongside.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line with baking parchment. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Put the 200g caster sugar, flour and ground almonds in a large bowl and mix well. Whisk the eggs and 75g yogurt into the cooled melted butter, then pour this into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Zest the lemon and orange over the bowl. Stir with a spatula until there are no streaks of flour, then scrape into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 mins.
• Cut a few slices each from the zested lemon and orange, then squeeze the juice from what's left of each into a saucepan (you'll need about 6 tbsp total). Add the 2 tbsp caster sugar and the fruit slices to the pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-10 mins, or until the juice has reduced to a thin syrup and the fruit slices have softened. Leave to cool. Remove the fruit slices to a sheet of baking parchment and leave to dry.
• Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake - it should come out dry, with no wet cake mix clinging to it. If it's not ready, bake for 5-10 mins more and check again. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then spoon over the citrus syrup. Leave to cool for 10 mins more, then remove from the tin. To freeze, first leave to cool completely, then wrap the cake well. Will keep frozen for up to three months.
• Mix the 2 tbsp yogurt with the icing sugar to make a thick icing. Spoon this onto the centre of the cake and use the back of a spoon to ease it to the edge (it should drip over the side). Scatter over the flaked almonds and decorate with the fruit slices. Serve warm, or leave to cool completely. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to five days.

Steps:

• For the Margarita Semifreddo
• Put twenty 2 x 2-inch ring molds on a tray and put them in the freezer at least 1 hour before you start to make the semifreddo.
• Stir the tequila, Cointreau, simple syrup, and lime juice and zest together to make the margarita base. Measure 2/3 cup (drink the rest).
• Pour about 3 tablespoons of the margarita base into a small glass bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Let sit for about 1 minute, then microwave for 45 seconds or heat gently in a small saucepan until melted.
• Put the egg, egg yolks, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water-make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water-and whisk until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot. Whisk in the gelatin.
• Move the bowl to the standing mixer fitted with the whisk and whisk at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and light and the sides of the bowl are cool.
• In a separate bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks.
• Fold about half of the remaining margarita base into the eggs. Fold in half the cream, then repeat, folding in the remaining base and the cream, gently but thoroughly.
• Fill a pastry bag and pipe the semifreddo into the ring molds (see Note), leaving about 1/3 inch of headroom. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
• For the Sponge Cake
• Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection. Spray eight to nine 1-ounce aluminum timbale molds with cooking spray and coat them with sugar (vanilla sugar, page 185, would be best). Set the molds on a baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, rub the sugar, orange and lemon zests, and vanilla seeds (rinse, dry, and save the pod for another use) together with your fingers.
• Whisk the almond flour, cornstarch, and salt together.
• Put the egg and egg yolk in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Whisk at medium speed until frothy. Add the sugar mixture and beat at medium-high speed until light and doubled in volume. Add the dry ingredients gradually, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter regains its original volume, about 3 minutes. You can prepare the batter about 2 hours in advance. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it right away.
• If you've made the batter in advance, whisk it again on high speed for about a minute. Fill a pastry bag and pipe the batter into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until puffed, golden, and firm, about 11 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
• Unmold the cakes right away. You'll need to nudge them out of the molds with a small knife. Serve them warm.
• To Serve
• Mix the orange zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the warm sponge cakes into the sugar and set them on small plates. Garnish with the candied kumquats and lemon zest. Unmold the margarita semifreddos by rubbing each mold briskly between your palms and then pushing the semifreddo out of the mold. Add them to the plates.