RED VELVET “TWINKIES”
with Crème Fraîche Filling
MAKES 14 TWINKIES
Once you have the molds for the Peanut Butter and Jelly “Twinkies” here, you’ll be thinking of all the different flavors you can make. Red velvet cake used to be a Southern or Texas specialty, but now it’s beloved all over the country—and perhaps nowhere more than in New York City. Here is my handheld Twinkie version of the classic. For the best color, use red food coloring gel or paste, not liquid.
RED VELVET TWINKIE CAKES
Softened butter and flour, for the molds
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (155 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon red food coloring gel or paste, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
CRÈME FRAÎCHE FILLING
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving
Special Equipment: 2 (9-cup) or 1 (24-cup) Christmas, buche, or yule log silicone (also called Flexipan) baking pans, each mold measuring about 3
by 1⅜ inches; 2 medium pastry bags; round bristle brush (optional); 2-ounce-capacity portion scoop (optional); 1 large Bismarck tip (Ateco 230) or 1 (¼-inch) French star tip (Ateco 862); chopstick or mini–melon baller
1. To make the cakes: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the insides of 14 silicone log molds, taking extra care not to leave any gaps (a round bristle brush works best); shake out the excess flour. Do not skip this step because the molds are flexible, but not actually nonstick. Place the pans on an 18-by-13-inch half-sheet pan.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, whisk in the food coloring and vanilla, and partially cover to keep warm.
3. Whip the granulated sugar, eggs, and egg yolk in the bowl of a heavy-duty standing mixer with the whisk attachment at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a slowly dissolving, thick ribbon on the surface when the whisk is lifted, about 3 minutes. With the machine on medium-low speed, gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the mixer bowl. With the machine on low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. If desired, tint the batter with additional red food coloring. Divide the batter evenly among the molds, filling them about three-quarters full. (A 2-ounce-capacity portion scoop works best for transferring the batter.)
4. Bake until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with a fingertip, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans. Do not rush this step. Run a dull knife around the inside of the molds, and carefully unmold the cakes.
5. To make the filling: Mix the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar together in a medium bowl on medium speed until smooth. Add the crème fraîche, vanilla extract, and vanilla paste and mix on high speed until combined. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch star tip. (If you have it, a large Bismarck tip is made for filling long pastries and works best.) Using a chopstick, poke a tunnel through the center of each cake. (A mini–melon baller also works very well to scoop out a hole for the tunnel.) Working with one cake at a time, pipe the filling into both sides of the cake to fill the tunnel. Smooth the ends of the cake with your fingertip. Pipe an elongated swirl decoration onto the top of each cake.
6. Refrigerate the cakes to set the filling, about 10 minutes. Loosely cover the cakes and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 8 hours. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
WHITE CHOCOLATE
BLONDIES
with SEMISWEET CHIPS
MAKES 12 LARGE BLONDIES
Everyone loves brownies, but for me, blondies are the way to go. Flavored with sweet and vanilla-y white chocolate, these moist and chewy squares are chock-full of semisweet chocolate chips as well. Be careful when purchasing white chocolate, as some inferior brands are made with palm oil, so check the ingredients to make sure that cacao butter is listed.
Softened butter and flour, for the pan
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut up
1¼ cups sugar
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch quarter-sheet pan, dust with flour, and tap out the excess flour. (If you’d like to use a standard 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan, butter the pan. Take an 18-inch-long piece of parchment paper and fold or cut it lengthwise so it is 9 inches wide. Fit it into the pan to line the bottom and two short sides, letting the excess paper hang over the sides as handles. Because the parchment paper is nonstick, buttering and flouring it is optional.)
2. Beat the eggs, yolk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Put the white chocolate in the bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Pour over the white chocolate, let stand until softened, and whisk until smooth. Attach the bowl to the mixer and affix the paddle attachment. With the machine on medium-low speed, gradually beat in the sugar, followed by the egg mixture. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour and salt, followed by the chips. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
3. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire cake rack. Run a dinner knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the blondie. (If using a standard baking pan, lift up on the paper handles to remove the blondie in one piece.) Cut the blondies into 12 equal pieces and serve. (The blondies can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)