Merida’s Spell Cake from Brave

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Start by preparing the crust

• In a food processor combine flour and sugar by pulsing a few times until combined.
• Slowly add in cold butter cubes a little at a time and pulse until the butter is pea sized.
• In a separate bowl mix egg yolk and 2 tbs of ice cold water together. Then add mix to food processor and pulse until course meal forms.
• Remove dough from food processor and knead a few times to form into a ball.
• Lightly flatten into a disc and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Meanwhile start to prepare the filling

• Whip butter in a standing mixer or with hand mixer in a bowl.
• Add Powdered sugar and whip till well combined.
• Add room temperature eggs, almond extract and mix till combined.
• Add almond meal and flour and mix till well combined.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to use.

Forming the cakes

• Lightly flour work surface and roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick.
• Disassemble springform pans.
• Place disassembled springform pan bases and outer rings onto rolled out dough. You will use these as a stencil to cut out dough to fit into springform pans.
• Trace and cut out bases exactly the same size. Over trace and cut out rings by about half inch all the way around. Save extra dough to form braids later.
• Reassemble springform pans and place the larger piece of dough you cut out inside the bottom of the pan. Trying to place it in the pan as evenly as possible all the way around. The dough should only go up the sides of the pan about 3/4 of the way. Set aside the smaller pieces of dough you cut out for the tops later.
• Freeze pans with dough for 10 mins.
• Roll out remaining dough into a long strip and cut into 6 pieces to form 2 long braids and set aside.
• Remove pans from freezer and filling from the refrigerator.
• Fill crust with filling, but be sure to not over fill!
• Using a pastry brush, brush outer edges of dough in the pan with a little bit of water.
• Place top piece of dough we cut out earlier on top and lightly press edges together until fully secure. You do not want filling to leak out.
• Using pastry brush again brush outer edges of dough top with a little bit of water and then place dough braids you made on outer edges. Lightly press down to secure braid to top crust.
• using a knife cut cross in the top of crust to release steam while cooking.
• Brush entire tops with egg wash.
• Bake in oven for 31 minutes. Then cover tops with foil and bake for an additional 5 mins.
• Let cool till able to handle pans. Then carefully remove cake from springform pan.
• Using a knife cut out small hole in the center of cake top to place jam inside.
• Top with powder sugar. I used parchment paper and cut a small stencil to avoid getting powdered sugar on braids.
• Fill hole you cut with jam of your choice. I used Raspberry!
• Serve with Fresh Blueberries and Enjoy!