🍰 Churro Cake 🍰
This Churro Cake has soft, cinnamon cake layers with a rich praline filling, and a buttercream frosting with melted dark and white chocolates mixed in. This is hands down one of the best cakes you will ever eat.
📋 Ingredients:
Cake:
3/4 cups unsalted butter 🧈
1 1/2 cups sugar 🍬
1/2 cup light brown sugar 🍬
3 large eggs 🥚
3 large egg yolks 🥚
1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other neutral oil such as coconut oil 🥥
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 🍨
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 🌾
2 tablespoons corn starch 🌽
3/4 teaspoon baking powder 🌟
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 🧂
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 🌿
3/4 cup buttermilk 🥛
Praline Filling:
2 cups pecans 🥜
1/2 cup maple syrup 🍁
1 teaspoon kosher salt 🧂
Pinch cayenne pepper 🌶️
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips 🍫
1/2 cup light corn syrup 🌽
1 1/4 teaspoon miso paste 🥣
1 teaspoon kosher salt 🧂
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar 🍬
1 1/3 cups whipping cream 🥛
Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 🧈
1/2 cup all vegetable shortening 🥥
3 cups powdered sugar 🍬
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 🍨
1 teaspoon cinnamon 🌿
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 🧂
4 ounces dark chocolate chips 🍫
4 ounces white chocolate chips 🍫
3-4 tablespoons whipping cream 🥛
👩🍳 Instructions:
1️⃣ To Make Cake:
First, brown the butter. Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until butter turns amber in color and has a nutty smell, about 10 minutes. Transfer butter to a heat-safe bowl and allow to re-harden for at least an hour. You can also put it in the fridge and use it again the next day.
When ready to make the cake, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line 3, 8″ baking pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
Beat together butter, sugar, and light brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
With mixer on low, slowly beat in eggs, egg yolks, grapeseed oil, and vanilla.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, baking powder, kosher salt, and cinnamon.
Slowly beat about 1/2 cup flour mixture into sugar/butter mixture. Then, beat in about 1/3 of the buttermilk. Alternate beating in the rest of the flour and buttermilk, ending with the flour.
Spread batter evenly between the three prepared pans.
Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.
Let cool completely before assembling the cake.
2️⃣ To Make Praline:
Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In a small bowl, mix together pecans, maple syrup, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Lay pecans out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes, stir, then bake for another 8 minutes.
Let pecans cool for at least 5 minutes. Then, place pecans in a food processor and grind until they turn into a butter consistency, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
In a small pot over medium-low heat, add white chocolate, corn syrup, miso, salt, and brown sugar. Stir constantly until chocolate melts.
Once chocolate melts, turn heat to medium and continue stirring constantly until the mixture turns to a light brown color.
Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Once cream and chocolate are well mixed, fold in the pecan butter.
Place in fridge for at least 6 hours before using. Note: I only use half of this for each cake, so I freeze the other half to use again. It freezes well in an airtight container and I have used it up to 6 months later.
3️⃣ To Make Frosting:
In a small bowl, melt dark chocolate. Place in microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Once melted and smooth, repeat with white chocolate. Set aside to cool.
Beat together butter and shortening until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
On medium speed, beat in powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time. Scrape down sides with spatula as needed.
Beat in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly mix in melted chocolates. Once incorporated, beat on high speed for about 30 seconds to mix thoroughly.
Mix in 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream to reach desired consistency.
4️⃣ Assembly:
If needed, level cakes. As there is not much leavening and the cake does not rise much, this step may not be necessary.
Place one layer of cake on a cake board. Put frosting in a pastry bag and pipe a border along the outside of the layer. Fill inside border with desired amount of praline filling (about 1/4 of the mixture for each layer). Place a second layer on top and repeat. Finally, place the third layer on top.
Use frosting to lightly frost the outside of the cake. Place cake in fridge for about 15 minutes, then finish frosting and decorating as desired.
Use a cinnamon/sugar mixture to sprinkle the top of the cake.
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