Tipsy Cake
A golden, buttery brioche cake soaked in silky vanilla cream with notes of Sauternes and brandy. Soft, luscious, and irresistibly luxurious dessert.
Buns
Tools
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
- 120 g whole milk
19 g fresh yeast
10 ml honey
5 large eggs
1 egg yolk
10 ml vanilla bean paste
60 g granulated sugar
500 g all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt
250 g butter, soft but not warm, divided into 4 portions, plus extra for brushing
Tipsy Cream
- 75 g granulated sugar
75 g demerara or turbinado sugar
40 g Sauternes or a sweet dessert wine
60 g brandy, plus extra for serving
10 ml vanilla bean paste
500 g whipping cream
Here's how
Day 1 – Brioche Dough
- Place the milk, yeast, vanilla paste and honey in the Ankarsrum bowl. Whisk gently until the yeast has dissolved.
- Add the eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Attach the dough roller and dough knife and run the machine on speed 2–3 (on a 10-point scale) for about 5 minutes.
- Start adding the butter, one portion at a time, allowing each portion to fully incorporate for approximately 2.5–3 minutes before adding the next.
- Once all the butter has been incorporated, increase the speed to 5–6 and knead for 25–30 minutes, until the dough is glossy and the gluten is fully developed
- Cover the bowl with the proofing lid and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2 – Tipsy Cream
- Place both sugars and the alcohol in a container and blend with an immersion blender on high speed for about 5 minutes.
- Place the cream in a bowl and pour the sugar and alcohol mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over the cream. Prepare no later than 2 hours before baking.
Brioche & Assembly
- Remove half of the dough and roll it out to approximately 1/16-inch thick (1.6 mm). Cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) strips, then into about 1/2 -oz. (12 g) square pieces (about the size of a walnut). Place briefly in the freezer to chill.
- Roll each piece into a smooth ball, preferably using a hand-stretching technique. At this stage, the dough balls can be frozen and used at a later time.
- For baking, dip each ball in butter and coat lightly with sugar. Place 5 balls in each cast iron pot. Cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm place until doubled in size, about 4 hours if frozen.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and place a pizza stone inside. Position the cast iron pots next to the stone and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pots, make small incisions where the brioches have joined and ladle 2 tbsp (25 g) of Tipsy Cream into each pot. Return the pots directly onto the pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove again, add another 2 ½ tsp (12 g) of cream and return to the oven.
- Repeat the process one final time.
- To Serve Brush each brioche lightly with brandy just before serving.