Baker Rose Wilde prefers to eat from root to blossom, using the whole plant in her decorative cakes, and turning ephemeral ingredients into jams and preserved fruits.
Wilde organizes her new cookbook, Bread and Roses, into chapters based on where heirloom grains originate around the globe. In the Americas, she focuses on quinoa, amaranth, and corn. Growing up in Ecuador, her meals centered around the former but she explains she would like to see more people use corn in their baking.
Corn Tres Leches Honeysuckle Cake is a one-layer, counter cake meant to be snacked on throughout the day. Photo by Rebecca Stumpf.
"[Corn has] been maligned because it's part of our industrial monoculture farming but it has such a heritage and a biodiversity we could reclaim," says Wilde.
Corn can add tenderness to the crumb of a bake. She refers to her Corn Tres Leches Honeysuckle Cake as a counter cake — an easy, one-layer cake meant to be snacked on throughout the day. Wilde infuses cream with honeysuckle because the fat allows the delicate flavor to express itself.
Corn Tres Leches Honeysuckle Cake
Makes one 8-inch cake
A tres leches cake is a classic dessert in South and Central America. Soaked cakes go back centuries; they stay fresh longer because of the liquids added to them. I think it also makes cake super moist and provides another opportunity to add flavor to your cake. This update includes corn flour for a golden cake. The honeysuckle flowers are delicate, sweet, and juicy. Infused into the soak, they make this cake subtle and irresistible. Be sure to paint on the soak slowly so the cake can absorb the maximum amount; pouring it on will only make it run off the cake, spilling over your work surface. I like to punch up the flowers’ flavor with honey in the cream topping, which keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. A great casual weekday dinner dessert, this cake is also wonderful for celebrations.
Ingredients
For the honey suckle soak
- 5 g honeysuckle flowers
- 500 g heavy whipping cream
- 300 g evaporated milk
- 300 g sweetened condensed milk
For the cake
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 200 g sugar
- 30 g corn flour
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 10 g baking powder
- 3 g salt
- 80 g whole milk
For the honey cream
- 500 g heavy whipping cream
- 60 g honey
- 2 g salt
Instructions
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Make the soak: Combine all the soak ingredients in a small saucepot and heat gently over medium heat to infuse the honeysuckle. Remove from the heat when you see small bubbles around the edges, then use an immersion blender to blend the honeysuckle into the cream. Let cool completely. Strain and set aside.
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Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Set aside.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with half (100 g) of the sugar until soft peaks form. Place all the remaining cake ingredients, including the egg yolks and the remaining 100 g of sugar, in a separate bowl. Use a whisk to mix until just combined.
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Use a spatula to very gently fold egg whites into the flour mixture until incorporated. Scrape the spatula against the sides of the bowl and bring through to the center of the batter. Continue until the mixture is uniform, careful to maintain as much air as possible.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes; the center should be puffed and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and run an offset spatula along the edges to release the cake. Let cool completely in the pan before turning out onto cooling rack.
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Place a serving dish with a small lip upside down over the cake pan and flip the cake onto it. Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Use a pastry brush to paint one-third of the soak mixture over the top of the cake. Let rest for 30 minutes. Paint another third of the soak mixture over the top. Let rest for 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining soak mixture for slicing and serving.
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Make the honey cream: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the honey cream ingredients and whip on medium-high speed until medium peaks form.
Transfer the whipped cream mixture onto the cake and use an offset spatula to smooth a thick layer on top of the cake all the way to the edges. Place the cake and reserved soak mixture in the fridge and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve cold.
Rose Wilde incorporates herbs into her baking under the theory that "cake is salad." Photo by Rebecca Stumpf.
Working with Sadalsuud Foundation, Wilde spent time in Lebanon at a bakery employing Syrian refugees, helping to broaden their menu. People in the region primarily use spelt and khorasan, which has a sandy texture that gives bakes a tenderness with buttery and grassy notes. A long, blonde grain, khorasan is best used in pasta doughs and tarts. You might see it marketed as Kamut.
The cookbook "Bread and Roses" is organized by the global regions where various heirloom grains are grown. Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company.