salted pretzel cake

makes 1 (6-inch) layer cake, 5-6 inches tall. serves 6-8 people

1 recipe of pretzel cake (recipe below)

65 g chocolate stout ( cup)
1 recipe pretzel crunch (recipe below)
1 recipe honey frosting

special equipment:
1 (6-inch) cake ring
2 strips acetate, each 3 inches wide and 20 inches long

1. put a piece of parchment or a silpat on the counter. invert the cake onto it and
peel off the parchment or silpat from the bottom of the cake. use the cake ring to
stamp out 2 circles from the cake. these are your top 2 cake layers. the remaining cake
scrap will come together to make the bottom layer of the cake.
layer 1, the bottom
2. clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean
parchment or a silpat. use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring.
3. put the cake scraps together inside the ring and use the back of your hand to
tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.
4. dunk a pastry brush in the chocolate stout and give the layer of cake a good,
healthy bath of half of the stout.
5. use the back of a spoon to spread about a cup of the honey frosting in an
even layer over the cake.
6. sprinkle half of the pretzel crunch evenly over the frosting. use the back of your
hand to anchor them in place.
7. use the back of a spoon to spread another cup of honey frosting as evenly as
possible over the crumbs.
layer 2, the middle
8. with your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake
ring and the top inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of
acetate 5 to 6 inches tall high enough to support the height of the finished cake. set a
cake round on top of the honey frosting, and repeat the process for layer 1 (if 1 of your
2 cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier
one for the top).
layer 3, the top
9. nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. cover the top of the cake with
the remaining honey frosting. give it volume and swirls, or do as we do and opt for a
perfectly flat top. garnish the frosting with the remaining milk crumbs.
10. transfer the sheet pan to the freezer and freeze for a minimum of 12 hours to
set the cake and filling. the cake will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
pretzel cake
makes sheet pan of cake
150 g pretzels (3 cups)
115 g unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)
250 g granulated sugar (1 cups)
15 g molasses (1 tablespoon)
3 large eggs
75 g buttermilk ( cup)
75 g grapeseed oil ( cup)
3 g baking soda ( teaspoon)
5 g baking powder (1 teaspoons)
13 g kosher salt (1 tablespoon + teaspoon)
120 g cake flour ( cup)

1. heat oven to 350.

2. in a blender or food processor, grind down the pretzels into a fine powder, you
should have cup of pretzel powder. set aside.
3. combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. scrape
down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and molasses, and mix on medium-high for 2
to 3 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.
4. on low speed, stream in the buttermilk and oil. increase the mixer speed to
medium-high and paddle for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture is much lighter in color,
twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture, and completely
homogenous. dont rush the process. youre basically forcing too much liquid into an
already fatty mixture that doesnt want to make room for the liquid. there should be no
streaks of fat or liquid. stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. on low speed, add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cake flour and pretzel
powder. mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together. scrape down
the sides of the bowl.
6. grease a quarter sheet pan and line it with parchment, or just line the pan with
a Silpat. using a spatula, spread the cake batter in an even layer in the pan.
7. bake the cake for 30-35 minutes. the cake will rise and puff, rising to the top of
the sheet pan. at 30 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger: the
cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. leave the
cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes if it doesnt pass these tests.
8. take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack or, in a pinch, in the fridge
or freezer (dont worry, its not cheating). the cooled cake can be stored in the fridge,
wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.

pretzel crunch
makes about 2 cups (250 grams)

100 g pretzels (2 cups)

60g light brown sugar ( cup, tightly packed)
25 g granulated sugar (2 tablespoons)
20 g milk powder ( cup)
10 g malt powder (1 tablespoon)
100 g unsalted butter, melted (7 tablespoons)

1. heat the oven to 275f

2. in a bowl, crush the pretzels down until they're the size of rice krispies.
3. add and toss the pretzel pieces with the sugars, milk powder and malt powder.
add the melted butter and toss to coat.
4. spread the clusters on a parchment or silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for 20
minutes, at which point they should look toasted and smell buttery.
5. cool completely before layering in cake.

honey frosting
makes 2 cups (400 grams)

230 g unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)

80 g powdered sugar ( cup)
2 g kosher salt ( teaspoon)
170 g honey ( cup)

1. cream together butter and powdered sugar until fluffy, 4-5 minutes.
2. add salt and honey and continue to cream for 30 seconds until light and
combined.
3. use immediately!