Curious George Birthday Cake with Hazelnut Frosting

To Make the Chocolate Cake:

• Line two 10×2-inch cake pan with parchment, and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. (9-inch pans could also be substituted nonetheless will take just a bit longer to arrange dinner via.) Preheat the oven to 350 F.

• Add the butter and every sugars to the bowl of a giant stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them collectively on medium-high tempo, until delicate and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs individually, beating correctly after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.

• In a separate bowl, whisk collectively the buttermilk, bitter cream, and water (or espresso, if using). In a definite bowl, sift collectively the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer working on low, add 1 / 4 of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have just about all disappeared, add a third of the liquid to the mixing bowl. When that’s built-in, proceed in order so as to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry parts.

• When the dry parts are virtually built-in, stop the mixer. Scrape down the underside and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and clear it into a good layer. Bake the truffles for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs linked. Cool the truffles throughout the pans for 10 minutes, then flip them out on a wire rack and permit them to chill totally. Repeat a second time so that you have 4 cake layers.

• The truffles could also be made quite a lot of days upfront and saved, well-wrapped and refrigerated or frozen, until ready to utilize.

To Make the Hazelnut Frosting:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Unfold the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and roast them throughout the oven for about 7-10 minutes, stirring quite a lot of situations via the course of in order that they get evenly toasted. Stop as soon as they’re fragrant and golden brown.

• Swap the brand new nuts to a meals processor and course of at full tempo until they seem to be a clear paste, scraping down the sides of the processor when compulsory. Let the hazelnut paste cool to room temperature.

• Place the hazelnut paste, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt throughout the bowl of {an electrical} mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low tempo until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you are employed. Add 2 tablespoons of cream and beat on medium-high tempo until the mix is delicate and clear. Add additional cream if compulsory, to get a lightweight and clear texture. The hazelnut frosting could also be made upfront and saved in an airtight container throughout the fridge until you’re ready to utilize it.

To Make the Vanilla Buttercream:

• Combine the egg whites and the granulated sugar throughout the bowl of a giant stand mixer, and whisk them collectively. Choose a small saucepan that allows you to match the underside of the stand mixer snugly into the very best of the saucepan—that’s your makeshift scorching water tub. (Alternately, it’s worthwhile to use a definite bowl or an exact bain marie after which swap the mix to a mixing bowl as quickly because it’s heated.) Add an inch of water to the underside of the saucepan, and produce the water to a simmer.

• Place the mixing bowl on excessive of the saucepan, guaranteeing that the underside isn’t concerned with the water, and heat the egg white mixture. Whisk steadily so that the egg whites don’t put together dinner. Proceed to heat the whites until they’re scorching to the contact, and when you rub a bit between your fingers, you don’t actually really feel any grittiness from the sugar. As quickly because the whites are scorching, swap the mixing bowl to your mixer and match it with a whisk attachment.

• Beat the whites on medium-high tempo until they seem to be a shiny, stiff, voluminous meringue, and should not warmth to the contact—actually really feel the floor of the bowl, and assure that it is spherical room temperature. Relying in your mixer and the temperature of your setting, this may take 15-20 minutes, or additional. Reduce the tempo to medium-low and add the softened nonetheless cool butter in small chunks, a tablespoon at a time, guaranteeing to attend in between additions. It might separate or look just a bit gloopy at this degree—fear not. As quickly as all the butter is added, enhance the tempo as soon as extra and whip until it comes collectively and is delicate and fluffy. If, after 5 minutes, it hasn’t come collectively, refrigerate the mixing bowl for 5-7 minutes, to sit back the mix down, and whip it as soon as extra until it has thickened and is clear and silky. Add the vanilla extract and salt.

• The buttercream could also be made upfront and saved at room temperature once you’re going to utilize it the an identical day, or refrigerated. If it has been chilled, let it sit at room temperature until totally comfy, then re-whip it to get the smooth texture once more sooner than you utilize it. Sooner than use, divide it and tint it to irrespective of colors you need.

To Make the Banana Ganache:

• Place 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat it until it simmers and small bubbles sort all alongside the edges of the pan, nonetheless do not allow it to come back again to a full boil.

• Whereas the cream is heating, put collectively the white chocolate and banana mixture. In case you’ve got a meals processor, place the half banana throughout the meals processor and mix until the banana has liquefied.

• Add the white chocolate chips to the banana and course of until the white chocolate is in small objects.

• The mix will clump collectively, so stop the processor quite a lot of situations to scrape it down. As quickly because the cream is simmering, with the processor on, rigorously pour the brand new cream in a small stream down into the bowl of the processor and let it run until the white chocolate has melted and the ganache is clear and free of lumps.

• Must you would not have a meals processor, this can be achieved in a mixer, or you can mash the banana by hand and add very finely chopped white chocolate to it, stirring until correctly blended. Pour the brand new cream over the white chocolate-banana mixture and whisk it until it is clear. This system produces a ganache that tastes the an identical, nonetheless there’s maybe small objects of banana that are not built-in.

• As quickly as each little factor is clear, scrape the ganache proper right into a bowl and whisk in 1 tsp of banana extract. Fashion the mix, and add additional extract if desired, to get a strong banana style. At this degree, you can pause, press a layer of cling wrap on excessive of the ganache, and depart it on the counter for quite a lot of days sooner than persevering with.

• In case you’re capable of assemble the cake, whisk collectively the gelatin and chilly water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes so that the gelatin absorbs the water. Microwave the bowl for 15-20 seconds, until the gelatin is liquefied. Microwave the banana ganache in 20-second increments, whisking after every 20 seconds, until it has softened and is the texture of peanut butter.

• Beat the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream in a mixer until it holds medium peaks—it must be pillowy like shaving cream, not be curdled or crumbly. Whisk the melted gelatin into the softened ganache, then fold throughout the whipped cream in 2-3 batches, gently stirring as a way to not deflate the cream. The banana mixture will start to set after a time, due to the gelatin, so it’s important to start out out assembling the cake correct after you add the gelatin and whipped cream.

To Assemble:

• If compulsory, trim the tops of the truffles so that they’re diploma. Place some vanilla frosting in a piping bag fitted with a coupler or 1/2-inch spherical tip. Place one cake spherical on a 10-inch cardboard cake circle, and pipe a circle of frosting throughout the outer fringe of the cake. Unfold half of the banana ganache on the cake, smoothing it into a good layer contained within the buttercream circle.

• Place a second cake spherical on excessive, and pipe a frosting ring throughout the cake layer. Scrape the hazelnut frosting onto the cake, and unfold it into a good layer. Repeat this course of with a third cake layer, topping this one with the remaining banana ganache. Lastly, place the ultimate cake spherical on excessive, press down gently, and make sure the edges of the cake are straight. Unfold a very skinny layer of frosting on the sides and excessive of the cake—merely enough to entice any stray crumbs. Refrigerate the cake for an hour, to set the fillings and company up the buttercream.

• After an hour, beautify the cake with the remaining frosting throughout the pattern of your choice. The cake could also be saved throughout the fridge for quite a lot of days, nonetheless for probably the greatest fashion and texture, allow it to come back again to room temperature sooner than serving.

• Mud your work flooring with powdered sugar. In case you’ve got plastic food-safe gloves, now’s an efficient time to placed on them, so that your arms obtained’t get meals coloring on them.

• Divide the fondant into the number of colors that you just need. Press one piece proper right into a disc, and put a few drops of gel meals coloring throughout the coronary heart. Fold the sides over the coloring, so you’ve got gotten a fondant ball, and knead it between your arms. Rapidly you’ll start seeing streaks of color come via the fondant. Proceed to knead until the fondant is a uniform color. Add additional meals coloring if compulsory, until you get a vibrant yellow. If at any time the fondant will get too sticky, mud your arms with powdered sugar. Repeat with the rest of the fondant balls until you’ve got gotten all the colors you want. Wrap the fondant you’re not using in plastic wrap.

• Roll out a ball of fondant until it’s about 1/8-inch thick. Cut back out shapes collectively along with your cookie cutters. Snip the wire into the lengths you need—keep in mind, you’ll want to provide your self a great deal of room to remain them deep into the cake for stability!

• Gently poke a wire into the aspect of a balloon, taking care to not angle it so it breaks via the fondant. Stick it deep into the balloon. Place the wired balloon on a baking sheet very evenly dusted with powdered sugar. Repeat until you’ve got gotten the entire balloons you need, making a few extras in case of breakage.

• Let the balloons sit at room temperature so the fondant hardens, for as a minimum 2-3 days (longer is good!).