The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Read Online Free PDF Page B

mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one a time, beating after each until incorporated and scraping down the sides as needed. Add the almond extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour and mixing on the lowest speed to combine. Finish by scraping down and folding the batter together with a rubber spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake for about 25 minutes, until the cakes feel soft but firm when touched lightly in the center or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
For the frosting, beat all the frosting ingredients together until smooth, creamy, and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed, about 7 minutes.
To assemble the cake, place 1 cake top-side down on a cardboard round. Spread the cherry preserves on top of the cake all the way to the edges. Top with the second cake, top-side up. Spread about 1 cup of the frosting on top of the cake. Place the remaining frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a border around the edges of the cake. Line the inside of the border with maraschino cherries placed about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the middle space with the toasted sliced almonds. You can also pipe stars against the cherry filling, 1 inch apart, for a pretty touch.
    Serves 8
    Custard is very, very British. In the mid-1800s a British chemist whose wife was allergic to eggs invented a custard thickened with cornstarch instead of eggs, which he sold as a powder, and since then custard sauce appears with just about every dessert. True cooks prefer to make a rich egg custard rather than using the instant powder that's easier to make but doesn't taste as good. Also, the British often refer to layer cakes as “sandwich cakes.” Like the Victoria Sponge, the layers are dense and rich rather than light and fluffy.
Custard Sponge Sandwich (from Hagrid)
    Sponge Cake
    1½ cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
    1 cup granulated sugar
    3 large eggs, at room temperature
    Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
    Custard Filling
    1 cup whole milk plus ½ cup heavy cream or 1½ cups whole milk
    ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
    3 tablespoons cornstarch
    Pinch salt
    3 egg large yolks
    ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    1 tablespoon butter (if not using heavy cream) Whipped cream, for serving, optional
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until incorporated and scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flour mixture and mix on the slowest speed until combined. Finish by scraping down and folding the batter together with a rubber spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for about 20 minutes until the cakes are golden brown around the edges — the tops of the cakes will be pale — and the cakes feel soft but set when touched lightly in the center or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To make the custard, combine the milk or milk and heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk the yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl until smooth.
Heat the milk mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is hot but not bubbling. Reduce the heat to low. Pour