I turned 42 this year. How that happened, I don’t know. One day I am young; I have my entire life ahead of me. And then people my age suddenly have children old enough to graduate high school. People my age are posting on Facebook about their grandchildren. People my age have as much of their lives in the past as they do in the future. Call it whatever you like – middle age, seasoned, etc – the reality is that like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. And as of my birthday this year, I’ve had 15,695 of them. That’s worth celebrating.
So I decided that I would pick a special treat to mark the end of one year and the beginning of a brand new year of me. Part of what I’ve learned on my journey is that by virtue of just being me, I am worthy. I have value. And until I embrace that and celebrate it, I can’t expect anyone else to.
I may have had Brene Brown in my head as I took the time to mix and stir, to fold and frost in celebration of me. But having love and compassion for ourselves allows us to experience love and compassion for others. This year, love and compassion tasted like Ginger Milk Cake.
Ken’s Ginger Milk Cake
Adapted from Hungry Rabbit
BAH Note: I’m not going to kid you, this cake is very hands on. It’s not something I would attempt with lots of distractions like children, Candy Crush, or a Dance Moms marathon to pull your attention away from the task at hand. If cupcakes aren’t your thing, or if you have better portion self control than I do, this batter will make two 8″ layers.
Ginger Milk Mousse
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup coconut milk (full fat please)
- 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon super fine sugar
Cake
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon grated ginger and allow to sit, off the heat, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the 4 egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt together in a medium bowl until pale yellow, smooth, and fully combined.
Sprinkle the gelatin into 1/4 cup of the coconut milk in a small bowl or ramekin.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk, 3/4 cup heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon grated ginger to a small saucepan and heat to just simmering. Remove from heat and allow to sit for least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly stir a few tablespoons of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Stir all of the tempered egg mixture into the hot milk and return the pan to the stove. Cook over medium heat until the milk mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Off the heat, stir in the gelatin mixture and vanilla. Pour the ginger cream through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap and allow to cool completely.
While the ginger cream cools, strain the butter ginger mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl. Stir in the vanilla.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, ground ginger, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt into a medium bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl (non reactive s’il vous plait) set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the 4 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar. Continue to whisk until it reaches about 115 degrees (if you don’t have a thermometer, this is a touch warmer than body temperature but should not be HOT). Transfer the heated egg and sugar to the workbowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed for about 5 minutes or until the mixture triples in volume.
Warm the melted butter in your microwave for about 10 seconds, just to loosen it up. Whisk 1 cup of the egg mixture into the melted butter and set aside. Sift half of the flour mixture onto the batter and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour and fold it in just until the flour is no longer visible. Gently fold in the butter mixture until just incorporated.
Divide the batter into lined muffin tins and bake until the cake just begins to pull away from the baking paper and a tester comes out clean. Start checking for doneness at about 15 minutes…I honestly don’t remember how long mine were in the oven but Ken calls for 18 to 22 minutes for an 8 inch layer cake. So cupcakes should be in the 15 to 20 minute range.
Transfer the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely. When ready to frost, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream plus 1 tablespoon superfine sugar in your mixer until you get soft peaks. Stir about one cup of the whipped cream into the ginger cream and then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Frost the cupcakes and then top with crystallized ginger.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready.
Bon Appetit Hon 