Iced Buns

Directions

1. To make the dough, first combine milk with boiling water in a measuring pitcher, then beat in the eggs. In the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the dry ingredients and mix briefly to combine. Add butter and egg mixture and mix for 5 minutes.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for another few minutes. Transfer to a large, lightly greased bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
3. Once the dough has risen, divide it into two equal halves and flatten them out. Combine nutmeg and almond extract and spread over one of the halves. Sprinkle cardamom onto the other. Knead each piece of dough to knock out the air and distribute the spices throughout.
4. Divide each piece into eight equal portions. Roll into 16 balls and then shape into “fingers” about 4½ to 5 inches long. Place them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing the rolls about an inch apart so they will be touching once they’ve risen. (Be sure to keep the two flavors separate. You might want to mark the parchment paper to keep track of which batch is which.) Leave in a warm place to prove again for 30 minutes to an hour, until doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 410°F. Bake rolls for 9 minutes, then swap the trays around in the oven and bake for another 4 minutes to ensure they brown evenly. Set aside to cool.
6. To make the raspberry jam, put berries in a small, deep pan with the sugar and pectin, and cook over low heat. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the berries. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Pour the jam mixture through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl, pushing the pulp through and scraping the pulp from the bottom of the sieve. Then pour the strained juice and seedless pulp back into the pan and stir.
7. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 4-5 minutes or until the temperature reaches 220°F on an instant-read thermometer. Drop a little jam onto a saucer and place it in the fridge for a minute, then run a finger through the jam. If the surface wrinkles, the jam is done. If not, boil for another minute or so, retesting after each additional minute until it’s ready. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Transfer to a flat baking pan and refrigerate until set.
8. To make the almond cream, warm the milk and sugar in a saucepan. In a heat-proof bowl, whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch. While whisking, slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture. Return mixture to the pan and heat, stirring continuously, until thickened. (Reserve the bowl to use for making the frangipane.) Continue cooking and stirring for 2-3 more minutes to cook out the starchy flavor. Remove pan from heat and add the salt and almond extract.
9. Transfer pastry cream to a clean bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap; leave to cool completely. (Reserve pan for making frangipane.) Right before assembling the iced buns, whip the cream until soft peaks form, then fold into the cooled pastry cream.
10. To make the frangipane, pour milk into the same saucepan used for the almond cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
11. In the same bowl used for the almond cream, beat the egg and yolk with ¼ cup sugar until foamy. Whisk in the flour, then slowly add the hot milk, whisking continuously until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Pour back into the saucepan.
12. Over low heat, bring mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Add the remaining ½ cup sugar, walnuts and flavoring. Let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. (Can be made 3-4 days ahead of time if refrigerated.)
13. To make the amaretto icing, beat fondant icing sugar* with amaretto and water, using a wooden spoon, until smooth and thick. Add food coloring and stir until well incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a wide, flat-tipped nozzle.
14. To make the maple icing, beat the fondant icing sugar* with the maple syrup, using a wooden spoon. Then add water, ½ tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and thick. Add maple extract to taste. Stir until well incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a wide, flat-tipped nozzle.
15. To make the Chantilly cream, put all ingredients in a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. (If you haven’t whipped the cream to add to the almond cream, do so now.)
16. To assemble, slice all the buns in half lengthwise. Pipe amaretto icing on the top half of each nutmeg-flavored bun. Pipe maple icing on the top half of each cardamom bun.
17. On the bottom half of each cardamom bun, spread a layer of walnut frangipane. Then pipe Chantilly cream on top of the frangipane. Place the maple-iced tops on top of the cream.
18. On the bottom half of each nutmeg-flavored bun, spread a layer of raspberry jam, then pipe almond cream on top of the jam. Place the amaretto-iced tops on top of the cream. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.