Strawberries Corn Cream Layer Cake With White Chocolate Capn Crunch Crumbs Recipe 445

Steps:

• CAKE: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8x2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds after each addition. Return the mixer to medium speed and beat until homogenous and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Combine the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a 1-cup measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the batter is almost white and twice the volume of the original fluffy butter and sugar mixture, 4 to 6 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until incorporated, 45 to 60 seconds. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans and smooth with a spatula. Bake the cakes until they're golden-brown, bouncy to the touch, and a tester inserted in the center of each comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes (rotate and swap the pans' positions after 10 minutes). Cool the cakes in their pans on wire racks. CORN CRUMBS: Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. In a food processor, grind the cereal to a powder. Combine the cereal, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Add the melted butter and toss with a rubber spatula until the mixture is evenly moistened. Squeeze the crumbs with your hands to make small clumps no bigger than peas and sprinkle them evenly on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the crumbs are a shade darker, about 15 minutes (rotate the sheets after 8 minutes). Cool completely on racks. While the crumbs cool, melt the white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, using 15-second high-power intervals. Let the melted chocolate cool until no longer hot to the touch. Transfer the cooled crumbs to a large bowl and pour the melted white chocolate over them. Toss with your hands until the crumbs are enrobed in the chocolate. Continue tossing with your hands every 5 minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the crumbs are no longer sticky, 30 to 40 minutes total. Break up any clumps that are larger than peas. CORN CREAM: Purée the corn with 1/3 cup water in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve set over a measuring cup, pressing on the solids, until you have 9 fluid ounces of corn juice. Put 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let bloom for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the corn juice, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk for 2 minutes to cook out the starch in the corn. (The mixture will thicken as it heats.) Remove from the heat, stir in the gelatin, transfer to a heatproof container, and freeze until set to a pudding-like consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. In a large bowl, whip the sour cream, heavy cream, and confectioners' sugar with a whisk to very soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cold corn mixture and slowly whisk until the color is even. Refrigerate until ready to use. ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Assemble an 8-inch springform pan. Cut two 12x14-inch rectangular strips of parchment. Fold the two strips lengthwise to get two 6x14-inch strips. Line the inside of the pan with the strips, nestling them into each other with the folded edge on the top. Release the edges of the cakes with a paring knife. Turn the cakes out onto a clean work surface. Fit one of the cake layers into the springform pan, trimming it to fit snugly if necessary. Use the back of a spoon to spread half the corn cream over the cake base in an even layer. Sprinkle half of the corn crumbs evenly over the corn cream. In a medium bowl, whisk the strawberry preserves to loosen them. Use the back of a spoon to spread one-third of the strawberry jam as evenly as possible over the corn crumbs. Sprinkle 2/3 cup of the fresh berries evenly across the jam. Set another cake round (trimmed as needed to fit) on top of the berries and gently press it down. Repeat the process with the remaining corn cream and corn crumbs, half of the remaining preserves, and the remaining 2/3 cup berries. Fit the remaining cake round atop the fresh berries and spread the remaining preserves over the cake. Freeze the cake for a minimum of 12 hours to set it. One to two days before serving, remove the side of the pan and let the cake completely defrost in the refrigerator-this will take about 36 hours. Do not thaw at room temperature. Just before serving, carefully remove the parchment collar and garnish the top of the cake with freshly hulled and quartered strawberries. Serve cold. MAKE AHEAD TIPS: The assembled cake (minus the fresh strawberry garnish) will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks; if you plan on freezing it this long, wrap it in plastic once it's completely frozen. Be sure to defrost it in the refrigerator as per the instructions above. Do not thaw at room temperature. NOTE: Use homemade strawberry preserves or all-natural, store-bought preserves made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cover 3 baking sheets with parchment; spray with cooking spray. Beat cake mix, oil, water and eggsin large bowl with mixer until blended. Drop 1 cup batter into 2 mounds on 1 of the prepared baking sheets, using 1/2 cup batter for each mound and placing mounds 8 inches apart.
• Spread each mound of batter into 6-inch round with back of spoon. Repeat with remaining batter on remaining 2 prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 12 min. or until tops spring back when gently pressed in centers. Cool completely. Gently run offset spatula under each cake layer to loosen cake from parchment.
• Microwave chocolate and 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP (about half of tub) in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min.; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Cool until thickened. Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Fold in remaining COOL WHIP. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Place 1 cake layer on plate; spread with 1/3 of the chocolate mixture. Cover with second cake layer, 1/3 of the pudding mixture and 1/2 cup strawberries.
• Repeat layers twice. Refrigerate 2 hours.

Steps:

• Fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and set over medium heat until the water steams.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop about a quarter of the strawberries and combine in a medium heatproof bowl with the sugar. Cover the bowl tightly and set it over the saucepan. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the water just below a simmer and allow the berries to sit, swirling the bowl once or twice to dissolve any stubborn sugar clumps, until they've released all their juices, are mushy, and swim in a translucent red liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, uncover and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup of strawberry syrup.) The mushy berries will have given off their color and flavor, and even though you won't use them in the cake, they're still tasty. Reserve the berries for spooning over pancakes or yogurt.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, crème fraîche and salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously by hand, or beat with a hand mixer on medium-high, until thick, light and holding a medium peak. Chill the bowl of whipped cream. Thinly slice the remaining raw strawberries lengthwise.
• Invert the sponge cake on a flat serving plate or cake stand. Holding a long serrated knife horizontally and parallel to the work surface, use it to lightly score all around the side of the cake at the midway point. Then, using long, even strokes and still holding the knife parallel to the surface, slice clean through the cake, using the score marks as a guide, to cut it into two even layers. Set the top layer aside.
• Use a pastry brush to dab several tablespoons of the strawberry syrup across the bottom layer, lightly soaking the entire surface. Pull the bowl of cream from the refrigerator and dollop about half of it across the soaked layer, then spread in an even layer all the way to the edges. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, then place the second cake layer on top of the first, cut side up. Lightly soak the top layer of cake with the strawberry syrup, reserving any remaining syrup for serving. Spread the remaining cream on top of the cake, then pile the remaining sliced strawberries over top. (If not serving immediately, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.)
• Slice the cake with a serrated knife and serve. Drizzle the slices with any remaining strawberry syrup. The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep, covered and chilled, for up to 3 days.