Milk-and-Cookies Cake
CAKE
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for pans
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising), plusmore for pans
1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed dark-brown
sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips, plus more for decorating
WALNUT TOFFEE CRUNCH
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup plus
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup walnut halves, toasted ½ teaspoon kosher salt
CRÈME ANGLAISE BUTTERCREAM
10 large egg whites
2 ½ cups granulated sugar 8 sticks (4 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon vanilla extract ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder Instructions: Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bush two 9-inch round cake pans with butter. Line with parchment paper; butter parchment paper. Dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add whole eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula. Bake until cake tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cakes onto rack to cool completely.
Make the walnut toffee crunch: In a medium saucepan, heat butter and sugar over high heat, stirring, until butter is melted. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is dark amber, 8 to 10 minutes. Add toasted walnuts and salt, and stir to combine; transfer immediately to a baking sheet lined with a nonstick baking mat to set. Once cooled, roughly chop.
Make the buttercream: In bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar. Cook, whisking occasionally, untilmixture is completely smooth when rubbed between two fingers, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer, whisk on low speed for 1 minute; then increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add butter, few pieces at a time, until all is incorporated. Add vanilla and then nonfat milk powder, and whisk to combine. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat on low speed about 2 minutes to remove any air bubbles.
To assemble the cake: With serrated knife, split each cake in half horizontally to form a total of 4 layers. Anchor bottom layer on a cake board with a dab of buttercream. Spread a generous 1 cup buttercream evenly over cake layer, then top with one-third of walnut toffee crunch. Top with a second layer, pressing down lightly to adhere. Repeat process, finishing with final cake layer bottom-side up. Spread a thin, even layer of buttercreamover top and sides to create a crumb coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides, finishing top with a decorative swirl, if desired. Using remaining mini chocolate chips, create a dot pattern round sides of cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Makes one 9-inch layer cake