Makes 4 individual portions, or one 8″ x 8″ large portion
Ingredients
Cake
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup milk
Sauce
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly grease 4 individual (0.25L) mini-cocottes, ramekins or other ovenproof dishes and place them onto a baking tray
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until a rough, crumbly mixture – similar to thick breadcrumbs, or damp sand, is achieved
Add the milk, and stir just until the mixture comes together
Spoon this into the prepared smaller baking dishes. Set aside while you prepare the sauce
Sauce
Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, water, butter, and vanilla in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally
Once it reaches a rolling boil, remove it from the heat and ladle this over the cake in the ramekins
Bake the puddings for about 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into the centre of a pudding comes out almost clean
Remove from the oven and let the puddings cool for about 15 minutes before serving (be careful syrup is hot!)
Add the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
Whip on low speed until combined and then turn the mixer to high and whip until stiff peaks form
Turn the mixer to medium and mix in the vanilla extract and sugar (adding only 1/4 the sugar at a time), just until combined
In a separate bowl, combine the ground pecans, cake flour and baking powder. Whisk until well combined and remove any large lumps of pecans
Fold in the pecan mixture very carefully with a rubber spatula in two or three additions. Work carefully so as not to deflate the mix
Add the batter to an Angel Food Cake pan and bake at 350 degree F for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean
Cool upside-down until completely cool, and slice into three even layers, horizontally, with a serrated knife
Frosting & Filling
Whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside
Spread the frosting between the layers of the cake and after you stack the layers, spread the remainder of the frosting over the whole cake
Caramel Sauce
Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat
Add the brown sugar and heavy whipping cream, whisking over the heat until smooth and until the mixture reaches a boil
Boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly
Add the vanilla and remove from the heat, allowing it to cool completely before drizzling it over the top of the cake
To Assemble
Press the ground pecans into the side of the cake, all the way around
Add pecans to the top of the cake in a circular design
Refrigerate the cake in the fridge for 2 hours before serving
Remove and let come to room temperature for 20 minutes. Drizzle with the caramel sauce before slicing. Any additional caramel sauce may be served over individual slices
Add the fancy molasses, egg, and beat until well combined
In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 stages, alternately with milk
Bring dough together into a ball. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After this divide the dough into 2, flatten into disk shapes, 1 inch thickness, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight
When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350F
Remove 1 disk of dough from the fridge and let rest for 10 minutes while you lightly flour a counter and line 2 cookie trays with baking parchment
Roll the cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick (these cookies are not thin)
Using a round cookie cutter (2-2 ½ inch), cut into individual cookies and transfer to your prepared cookie trays, spacing 1 ½ inches apart
Bake at 350F for 12 minutes, once baked remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoon chai spice mixture
Method
Madeleines
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 12-shell madeleine pans with baking spray or cake release. (Or brush with melted butter and coat with flour, tapping out the excess flour)
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is a brown color, It will now start to have a “nutty” smell. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool (You’ll notice small brown/black particles. Don’t worry these are all part of brown butter!)
In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, mixed spice and tonka bean. Whisk., to combine and set aside until needed
In a stand mixer bowl add the eggs and sugar and with the whisk attachment mix on medium-high until the mixture is light in color, thick, and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin puree and mix on slow until combined
After removing the bowl from the mixer, fold in the flour mixture gently by hand. Once the flour is completely added, gently pour in the cooled melted butter and fold it into the mixture until completely incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure no pockets of unmixed ingredients
Pour the madeleine batter into a large piping bag (fitted with plain circular nozzle, or snip the end of the bag off)
Fill the prepared trays with batter in each mould to 3/4 depth
Bake the madeleines for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and golden
Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack
*Keep in an airtight container for up to for 2-3 days. The madeleines can also be frozen for up to 2 months and then reheated in the microwave or in a 350F oven before serving.
Caramel Dipping Sauce
In a heavy-based saucepan combine the brown sugar and water. Heat until the sugar dissolves
Increase the heat and allow the sugar mixture to deepen in color, approximately 240F (Soft Crack on sugar thermometer)
*exercise care in these next few steps!
Remove the saucepan with the melted sugar from the heat and add in the salted butter. Whisk briskly and carefully so that it melts and becomes incorporated into the sugar mixture. It may hiss and spit so please take care!
Next add the cream in a steady stream and stir to fully incorporate. Again take care at this point.
Stir in the chai spice mixture
Pour into the small ramekins or mini-milk bottles to serve with the pumpkin madeleines
**The final caramel sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in your refrigerator. I find it’s best if removed from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to allow it the return to full “saucy goodness”. If you prefer it warmed, heat in a microwavable container in 10-15 second bursts until it at desired temperature
In a bowl beat together the filling ingredients until fully combined and smooth
Transfer to a piping bag and set aside until needed
Pumpkin Loaf
Preheat your oven to 325F
Prepare two 2lb loaf tins with cake release or grease and line with baking parchment
In a bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices
In a stand mixer, combine the sugar, butter and mix for at least 10mins until light fluffy
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until fully combined
Add in the pumpkin puree and mix on slow until just combined. Don’t worry if it looks like the mixture has split
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Keep the mixer going until just combined – make sure there are no white flour pockets. Scrape down the sides of the bowl at regular intervals
Remove the bowl and fold in the chocolate chips to incorporate
Pour the mixture equally between the two prepared tins to 1/2 level
Pipe, or spoon, a stripe of cheesecake mixture from the piping bag into each tin. Ensure that the cheesecake mixture doesn’t touch the sides of the loaf tin
Once all the cheesecake mixture has been used, use the remaining pumpkin batter to fill up the loaf tins. Level the tops of the mixture
Bake in the oven for 60-70mins until a skewer comes out with slight crumb
Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the tins until fully cooled. When cool, remove from the tins and wrap in clingfilm until needed
Crumbs In My Beard 