#pudding filling

[creatures-by-ada-street]

Baking experiment!

Found this pic of a cake I made that I call 'hooked on a filling' style.

Middle layer is mostly chocolate pudding, as thick as the cake layers! process making it was like this:

baked two layers of chocolate cake in rounds

baked a chocolate cheesecake, same width, with chocolate cookie crumbs around the outside of it (not the bottom)

cut a big ol' circle out of the middle of the cheesecake, to leave only a ring of cheesecake to go around the pudding layer.

prepped some layers together thus: chocolate cake layer stuck to cardboard round covered in foil, cheesecake ring on top of that with melted chocolate under the ring, but not across the middle, and put in fridge to chill and cool the chocolate 'glue'

mixed up some instant chocolate pudding, WITH some unflavored gelatin in it to help it firm up a little and not be toooooo squishy - important that it still be soft and easily eaten with a spoon, though... (tested amounts previously on a test batch of pudding) ...filled the center ring with pudding and back in the fridge to chill.

after pudding chilled, used more melted chocolate around the cheesecake ring to stick the top layer of chocolate cake on top.

made a topping of whipped cream stabilized with gelatin and put it over top like frosting (might have also incorporated the cream filling that had been taken out of the cookies that had been used around the outside edge of the cheesecake)

before the cream topping was totally set, pushed some oreo cookies into the top of the cake, and then drizzled melty chocolate all over the whole thing. (and again chilled it, though this cake was designed to remain stable when served at room temperature later, and it was ^_^)

It came out very tasty, although I deplore how messy the execution of this experiment came out looking. Someday I want to try again, making the same thing but hopefully prettier. [I think I also put cookie crumbs around the outside edges of the cake layers, but hadn't done an even job of patting the crumbs around the sides of the cake pans (was in a bit of a hurry at the time) and I think some of it broke off when assembling the cake, making it so that layers baked in the exact same size pans ended up sorta not the same width around when stacked up together. I was, however, pleased with how well the whole thing held together (pudding included) and could sit at room temperature and be sliced up and served in slices]

Note to self: Maybe someday make one of these with the whipped cream stuff made up like a cream filling to go in the middle instead of chocolate pudding.

[almost-better-than-martha]

CROQEMBOUSCHE

(Basically, cream puffs stacked into a tower... Pain in the butt, not worth it, just make the cream puffs and eat, BUT if you need an eligant presentation, here you go.)

*Cream Puffs*

-Pudding filling:

2 cups white sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

4 cups milk

4 egg yolks

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornstarch and 3 cups milk. If making chocolate, mix in cocoa powder. Bring to a boil and stir frequently until mixture thickens.

Whisk together last cup of milk with egg yolks. As pudding thickens, add egg yolk mixture and stir frequently. Bring to a boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Put in refrigerator to cool.

-Patachu (pastry)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.

When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells. (If you want to make croquembousche, pipe filling in)

-Spun Sugar

2 1\2 cups gran sugar

1\2 cup water

1\2 cup corn syrup

Mix the ingredients together in a medium pot and, using a pastry brush soaked in water, wash down the sides of the pot to make sure there is no caramelization to color the sugar before you get to temperature.

Heat the ingredients on the stove top to 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and cool to 275 degrees over a water bath.

Use as "glue" to make your tower of cream puffs. Dip a fork in the sugar syrup and stretch the sugar syrup back and forth across the bottom of a pre-greased bowl, going as quickly as possible.

[eyesweets]

I am taking a Wilton cake decorating class and this is the second week product. I baked a vanilla cake and we brought it in to decorate in class. It's all buttercream but dyed with different gel colors. Fun stuff!