Step 1

DIRECTIONS - PAVLOVA:

Step 2

Preheat oven with rack in middle to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw two 7 inch circles with a gap of at least 4 inches between the two circles

Step 3

In a very clean stand mixer with very clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on low speed and work your way up gradually to medium high speed until soft peaks are formed

Step 4

Start adding the sugar on high speed a table spoon at a time until egg whites are stiff and shiny...test by holding bowl upside down...whites shouldn't move. As well, take a bit of meringue and test between fingers...should be smooth with no grittiness left from sugar...takes about 5-7 minutes

Step 5

Sift the cornstarch over the meringue and whisk again on medium for max 5 seconds

Step 6

With spatula, gently fold in the vanilla and vinegar into the meringue until combined

Step 7

Take spatula and evenly divide the meringue into the two circles traced on the parchment paper

Step 8

Take an off set spatula and smooth out into circles and smooth out tops...you can make swirls or kisses on the side for an interesting design

Step 9

Place baking tray with meringues in 325 F pre heated oven but immediately turn down to 300 F and bake for 1 hour.

Step 10

Once bake time is finished, turn oven off, but do not remove or open door to oven!!! Leave in oven for at least 2-3 more hours. !Important otherwise major cracking and/or sinking pavlova! (keep in mind a little sinking and a little cracking is okay!)

Step 11

Allow to complete cooling outside in room temperature

Step 12

DIRECTIONS - CURD:

Step 13

While the pavlova is baking, in a medium saucepan, cook the stemmed white currants and the water for about 5 minutes all the while mashing them with a potato masher

Step 14

Once the berries have reduced, remove from heat and push the currant puree through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl... (you'll be left with about ¾ cup of currant puree) ..discard seeds and skin

Step 15

In a clean saucepan over medium heat add the egg yolks, sugar and white currant puree until well mixed and dissolved- whisking constantly about 4 minutes

Step 16

Add butter cubes one at a time once mixture warms up and is lightly bubbling and whisk frequently for another 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and bubbling

Step 17

Strain through sieve into a bowl (for quicker cooler, use a baking tray lined with parchment paper.)

Step 18

Cover with plastic film so it touches the curd and refrigerate

Step 19

DIRECTIONS - WHIPPED CREAM:

Step 20

Take a clean stand mixer bowl, the whisk attachment, the cream and pop in freezer for 10 minutes

Step 21

Put the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in the cold stand mixer bowl and whisk on high speed for 1-1½ minutes or until medium stiff peaks form - do not over mix!

Step 22

ASSEMBLING PAVLOVA:

Step 23

Place first meringue layer down on your cake stand, take an offset spatula and spread the cooled down white currant curd evenly over the layer

Step 24

Place next meringue layer on top ...top with all the whipped cream

Step 25

Garnish with some white currant berries

Step 26

Keep refrigerated for up to 2 days, however be aware pav will become soggy. Best to consume same day it's been prepared.

Step 27

Pavlova discs can be made a few days in advance and stored at room temperature in an air tight container with parchment paper between the discs to avoid them from sticking

Step 28

Instructions for the dough Scald 1/3 cup milk in small sauce pan till small bubbles form at side of pan or until it reaches a temperature of 110-120 F and is very warm to the touch but not so hot that it’s unbearable to touch Gently stir in the teaspoon of sugar and tablespoon of yeast. Set aside to poof to double it’s size… about 8-10 minutes In stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix the buttermilk, the eggs, salt and 1/2 cup sugar with the 6 tablespoons of very soft room temperature butter… Don’t worry too much if the butter is lumpy. Once the yeast has poofed pour into the stand mixer bowl and stir for a few seconds Swap out the paddle attachment now with the hook attachment Add about half the flour in until shaggy and somewhat combined, then add the rest of the flour and knead for about 8 minutes on low speed. Dough should be smooth, shiny, tacky and stick to the bottom of the bowl (not the sides) don’t be tempted to keep adding flour. Only add more if it’s sticking to sides and bottom…and add a spoonful at a time only. Less is more here. If it’s too dry, add a spoon of milk Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl keeping in mind the dough will double…cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm part of home…2 - 2 1/2 hours Line with parchment or generously butter a 12 inch baking pan or pizza pan (with no holes on the bottom. I used a pizza pan) and set aside In a medium bowl, mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and espresso powder together and set aside Once the dough has risen to at least double, lightly dust a work surface with flour Punch dough down and transfer to counter. Take sharp serrated knife or dough scraper and cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each of the pieces out in a rectangular shape about 8 inches by 12 inches Slather/spread about two tablespoons (from the half cup butter) on each rectangle using your fingers and leaving about half an inch on the edge of the entire border Sprinkle and spread about a quarter of the filling per rectangle and roll snuggly Not mandatory but very helpful at this point to chill the rolled dough for about 15 minutes before proceeding to next step - slightly chilled dough makes it easier to work with. Once all four have been rolled, take a very sharp serrated knife and cut down lengthwise centre and set aside You should have 8 tendrils now Refer to pics above for the following steps Take the tendril and bend at the center to make a “U” Twist/braid the the two 'legs' so they weave together Now starting from the center end, roll the weaved tendril all the way in a swirl motion. Once you’ve reached the end, tuck that tail under the bun Repeat with all 8 tendrils Arrange your rosy buns on your baking pan or pizza pan and completely cover with a damp cheesecloth or light kitchen towel (dampen cloths by soaking with water than wringing out excess water) Place in warm area for the second rise (until they’ve almost doubled in size) about 1 hour Preheat oven to 375 F and place rack to middle position in oven Brush on/pour over the 1/4 cup of cream all over the buns…make sure you use the entire 1/4 cup…its okay if it puddles between the buns…the liquid will get absorbed as it bakes Bake for 20-22 minutes…I usually tent mine with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes as my buns tend to brown rather quickly towards the end. All ovens vary, so keep an eye on your buns to avoid over browning! They are ready once the internal temperature in the center of the buns reads 185 F on a thermometer and no longer looks doughy. While the buns are baking, prepare the frosting With paddle attachment, beat the room temperature cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then add the butter and beat until fully incorporated (if it gets lumpy, blow a hair dryer over the frosting while it’s beating for a few seconds) Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and silky

Step 29

There are a few ways to serve with the frosting. You can slather the entire pan of buns with the frosting while they are still a bit warm (not hot) Probably the most appetizing, but also the messiest and unestheitcally pleasing as the frosting completely covers the beautiful rosette buns The other way to serve is by lightly drizzling the frosting over the buns with a spoon or fork once they’ve cooled and serving with a heaping dollup of extra frosting on the side. Or serve these buns as is with a side of frosting for dunking. Anyway you pick, it’ll all be super yummy and fun.

Step 30

In stand mixer bowl with hook attachment, sift flour, sugar and salt and give quick mix (with a whisk)

Step 31

In small sauce pan, on medium low heat, scald the milk until it forms little bubbles on the side of pan or reaches a temperature of 180 F. Turn heat off and allow to cool to about 110 F or touch with hand. Should be very warm to the touch... but not too hot that it's unbearable to touch

Step 32

Measure out ½ cup of the warm milk in a bowl and add the yeast and 1 teaspoon white sugar and give quick stir. Set aside and allow to poof (double its size)- about 10 minutes

Step 33

Drop the 2 Earl Grey tea bags in the remaining warm milk in sauce pan and let steep for 4 minutes. Remove bags and squeeze excess milk

Step 34

You should be left with about ⅓ cup of Earl Grey infused milk

Step 35

In stand mixer, still with kneading hook, stir in the Earl Grey infused milk

Step 36

Then add the milk with yeast and stir - Mixture will look shaggy and ragged. This is okay.

Step 37

Add the eggs in one at a time while stirring on low- scrape sides and bottom with a spatula a couple times while kneading.

Step 38

Add the butter in a table spoon at a time. waiting for butter to be incorporated fully before adding the next chunk in - dough will look sticky but keep kneading until the dough looks shiny and smooth

Step 39

If still dry and not coming together after 2 or 3 minutes, add a teaspoon of water or milk until dough comes together. If opposite issue of too wet, add an extra flour, a tablespoon at a time. You don't want it too sticky like pizza dough nor too taut... refer to pic above.

Step 40

Continue to knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, shiny and no longer sticky

Step 41

Form the dough into a ball

Step 42

Grease with vegetable oil a large bowl until it is lightly covered

Step 43

Lightly roll the dough around in the greased bowl (Make sure bowl is large enough to accommodate the fact that dough will double in size)

Step 44

Cover with plastic film and allow to rise in warm area of home for 3 hours.

Step 45

In the meanwhile make the FILLING

Step 46

Loosely crush the sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle or zip in blender for a few seconds or put in ziplock and crush with rolling pin. You want a few seeds crushed. Crushing it will release some lovely nutty flavour

Step 47

Mix with spatula in bowl, the softened ½ cup butter and ½ cup brown cassonade until well blended- set aside

Step 48

ASSEMBLING THE WEAVE:

Step 49

*There are a series of pictures above which will help with the assembly

Step 50

After the first rise, take dough and cut into 4 equal pieces

Step 51

Roll each piece into flat oval shapes - about 12 inches in diameter

Step 52

Take about a quarter of the filling and spread leaving about half an inch on the edge

Step 53

Roll up all the way

Step 54

Do this for the rest of the dough sections

Step 55

Pop in refrigerator for 15 minutes on baking tray lined with parchment paper covered with plastic (Optional- I find this step helps keep the dough a bit firm when shaping)

Step 56

With a sharp serrated knife, cut the rolls down the centre middle in half lengthwise.

Step 57

Create a "tic tac toe" grid with the tendrils (refer to pic)

Step 58

Overlap the tendril pairs so they are alternating with the overlaps (see pic)

Step 59

Take all the tendril pairs that are on the underneath another tendril pair to overlap the pair that is clockwise to it. (refer to pic)

Step 60

Carefully tuck the tendril ends under the loaf

Step 61

Put on a large baking tray lined with parchment with at least 4 inches on all sides (to allow for the second rise and the spread during bake)

Step 62

Cover with a damp tea towel for second rise, place in warm part of house- about 1½ hours

Step 63

BAKING THE WEAVE:

Step 64

Preheat oven to 375 F

Step 65

Remove tea towel and bake for 20 minutes or until somewhat browned on the top

Step 66

Remove from oven and cover loosely with sheet of foil and bake for another 15-18 minutes

Step 67

Test bread by pressing close to centre...should be firm

Step 68

Immediately brush maple syrup all over bread

Step 69

NOTES:

Step 70

*When yeast doesn't poof, it usually means the milk was too warm or too cold. If you don't have a food thermometer, test by touching water. It should be very warm but not so hot that your fingers can't take it.

Step 71

Another issue could be the yeast has expired or simply died.

Step 72

If you only have raw sesame seeds, toast on pan over medium high heat for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

Step 73

This weave bread is best consumed within a couple days, however can be kept up to 5 days at room temperature wrapped with plastic

Step 74

Can also be frozen for about a month

Step 75

Preheat oven to 350 F and place oven rack in middle Grease sides of pan with butter and dust some flour then trace and cut out bottom of 9 inch pan with parchment paper and place inside pan. Set aside Chop semi sweet chocolate into small bits and put in large bowl and sift cocoa powder over chocolate, and add the 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder or instant coffee Bring a pot or kettle of water to boil (at least 3 1/2 cups) But pour only 2 1/2 cups of boiling water over chocolate and whisk until it becomes smooth and silky. set aside In large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, whisk well and set aside Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, put sugar in bowl and add egg in one at a time making sure each egg has been incorporated into sugar. Once egg and sugar have become thoroughly combined, add the vegetable oil in a slow steady stream stirring on low- scrape sides and mix again Stir in the yogurt and vanilla extract Reduce to lowest speed and stir in flour in three additions and chocolate mixture in two additions. Mix until flour streaks have dissolved. Do not over mix Divide the batter equally into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out with just a few clean crumbs Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Place wire cooling rack on pans and invert cakes removing the parchment paper. Generously brush SUGAR SYRUP (instructions just below) while cake is warm Allow to cool completely another 1 1/2 hours

Step 76

While cake is baking, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil stirring until sugar has completely dissolved Add the Grand Marnier while syrup is just a touch warm. Generously slather on both cake layers about 5 minutes after cake has come out of oven

Step 77

Leave oven on at 350 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper Place the walnuts in centre of tray and drizzle with the maple syrup and mix with wooden spoon spread nuts out evenly and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once halfway at about 8 minutes after Let cool for about 3 minutes before separating the walnuts and sprinkling the sea salts Keep all the caramelized bits of maple syrup to dress cake with

Step 78

In a medium saucepan filled with couple inches of water on medium heat, place the stand mixer bowl with the 6 egg whites and 2 cups of white sugar and bring water to a simmer Whisk constantly until candy thermometer reads 160 F- check by rubbing a bit between your thumb and finger that the sugar has completely dissolved and isn't gritty Fit the mixer bowl in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form and the bowl returns to room temperature about 10 minutes Whisk together the instant espresso or coffee powder with the milk until all the powder has been dissolved Turn the mixer down and stir in the vanilla extract and the epresso/coffee milk mix Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and start dropping in the room temperature butter in a couple table spoons at a time. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next dollop of butter. Once all the butter has been added beat another 5 minutes on medium Buttercream may look a bit lumpy at times...be patient, it'll smooth out with a couple minutes of beating.

Step 79

First...make sure cakes are completely cool. Refrigerating overnight or freezing for about 15 minutes makes icing easier. Place first cake layer on your cake stand and spread out about a quarter of the buttercream with an offset spatula Top with the next layer of cake and spread buttercream with offset spatula on top and on sides of cake Sprinkle the walnuts and the caramelized maple glass