Milk Crumb:

30min to prep and bake + 30min to cool + 15min to coat in white chocolate...jump ahead while baking/cooling
from Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi

1. Heat the oven to 250F.
2. Combine the 40g milk powder, the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
3. Spread the clusters on a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes (4-Oct-2017: I baked convection for 25min). The crumbs should be sandy at that point, and your kitchen should smell like buttery heaven. Cool the crumbs completely.
4. Crumble any milk crumb clusters that are larger than ½ inch in diameter, and put the crumbs in a medium bowl. Add the 20g milk powder and toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
5. Pour the melted white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are enrobed. Then continue tossing them every 5 minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters are no longer sticky. The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month. Set aside for assembly.

Soak:

from Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi

Red Velvet Sheet Cake:

makes one quarter sheet pan
adapted from Pioneer Woman

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly spray a quarter sheet cake pan with nonstick baking spray and coat the bottom with parchment. Be sure to get in all the corners of the pan.
2. Sift together the cake flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda and egg. Add the vinegar and stir. Set aside.
4. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa and red food coloring. Set aside.
5. Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk/egg mixture until all combined. Pour in the red mixture and beat until combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet cake pan. Use a large offset spatula or knife to even out the surface. Bake for 20 minutes (4-Oct-2017: I baked convection for 20min).
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
8. Place a large cutting board on top of the cake pan, then invert the cake, allowing it to turn out onto the cutting board. Allow the cake to cool completely.

Liquid Cheesecake

Cream Cheese Frosting

Rich, thick, delicious cream cheese frosting that's the perfect consistency for piping on cupcakes!
Serves: 1½-2 cups Adapted from javacupcake.com

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the slightly room temperature butter and cream cheese just until combined.
2. One cup at a time, add the powdered sugar and slowly mix to combine. Do not mixer longer than it takes to combine.
3. Pour the vanilla evenly over the frosting and mix slowly to combine.
4. Scrape the sides of the bowl then mix on high for 5-7 seconds. STOP MIXING!
5. Test the consistency of the frosting, if it is too thick add a teaspoon of heavy cream and mix only until incorporated.

Assembly

method adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook by Christina Tosi

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.

2. layer 1, the bottom

   1. 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.
   2. 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.
   3. Dunk a pastry brush in the soak and give the layer of cake a good, healthy bath of half of the soak.
   4. Use the back of a spoon to spread half of the liquid cheesecake in an even layer over the cake.
   5. Sprinkle one-third of the crumbs evenly over the frosting. Use the back of your hand to anchor them in place.
   6. Use the back of a spoon to spread one-third (or slightly less to save a tiny bit more for the top) of the frosting as evenly as possible over the crumbs.

3. layer 2, the middle

   1. With your index finger, gently tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top ¼ 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.
   2. Set a cake round on top of the 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).

4. layer 3, the top

   1. Nestle the remaining cake round into the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining frosting. Give it volume and swirls, or do as we do and opt for a perfectly flat top. garnish the frosting with the remaining crumbs.
5. 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.
6. at least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate, and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours (wrapped well in plastic, the cake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days).
7. slice the cake into wedges and serve.