Skipping across my feed lately have been a series of articles on chefs adapting to life during the pandemic.  As we know, the food industry has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19.  Restaurants, bakeries, caterers have worked hard to adapt to the harsh reality of the pandemic.  It hasn’t been easy and we have lost so many restaurants and businesses it’s depressing.  There are some bright spots though and Joy Cho is one of them.  Her Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes has taken Brooklyn by storm.

Laid off from her position at the Grammercy Tavern (she has CHOPS people) she created these wonderful little cakes in her Brooklyn home.  The cakes went viral and let’s just say ordering a box of these babies is like trying to score a table at the French Laundry pre-COVID, without the last name of Newsom (JUST KIDDING).

Lucky for those of us who don’t live in Brooklyn, Ms. Cho’s recipe for her ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS Gem Cakes is available on Epicurious.  It immediately went viral, I stumbled upon it and yep, got busy in the kitchen.

A Gem of a Recipe

These are crazy good and pretty easy to make.  Here’s what makes these gems stand out.

All-purpose Flour and Sweet Rice Flour- The combination of the two flours is the best of both worlds.  Tender, cakey, moist, with a bit of springiness.  They have a nice balance of cakiness and chewiness.  Using just sweet rice flour would result in a denser, chewier texture, a classic mochi dessert without any sort of crumb.  All AP flour will give you a regular old cupcake and come on peeps, we are looking for something FRESH.

Butter, eggs and sour cream – The trifecta of fat that adds richness, flavor, moisture, and tenderness to the cake.

Be sure to keep a light hand which means don’t overmix the batter.  Your batter should be light and fluffy.  Finish incorporating the flour by folding the ingredients together by hand. You want to retain the air bubbles in the batter to keep the cakes light.  Overmixing develops the gluten in the AP flour which makes the cakes tough. The batter may look a little curdled at some points but keep gently folding and the batter will come together. Promise.

The original Gem Cakes are baked in a brownie bundt pan. I made them in a standard muffin tin which worked out well (don’t you think?).

Bake until the cakes are golden brown.  If you like your cakes a bit crispier on the outside bake a couple of minutes longer.

A Sparkling Finish

Genius Glaze – The glaze for the little cakes is a simple powdered sugar, a little bit of milk, and any flavor your heart desires.  The original recipe includes strawberry matcha and milk tea glazes.  Strawberry jam is used for the glaze, while the matcha and milk tea glazes start with powders.  Not having milk tea powder, I went with two jam flavors, strawberry and blackberry and a black sesame seed icing using black sesame powder I found at the Asian grocery store. You can make your own by grinding roasted black sesame seeds into a powder.

Dippity Do-Da-Dippity-Damn These are Delicious

While the cakes cool, make your glazes.  Speed is of the essence with the glaze as it sets pretty quickly.  Glaze your cakes by inverting the cupcakes and dipping them into the icing.  Rotate the cakes in a circular motion.  You will get drips down the side which adds to the appeal.  Set them on a wire rack and garnish each cake immediately after glazing before it hardens.

For the black sesame icing, I started with a tablespoon of black sesame powder, start with less, and add to taste.   My next batch will include a Citron-flavored glaze made with Citron Tea which is popular in Korea.  The array of freeze-dried fruits that can be crushed and used to flavor frostings and icings would also work well (just like Eric Kim’s Lofthouse Cookie frosting-so good).  You may need a smidge more milk to thin the glaze made with powders.  Use your imagination, the sky’s the limit. I’m thinking Mocha glaze with cocoa nibs to garnish.

Garnish adds that visual zing, nuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, citrus zest, so once again, be creative.  These cakes are scrumptious-make some now. Or if you are going to Brooklyn soon, please, be a GEM and bring me a box!

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5 from 2 votes

Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes

Scrumptious mini cakes from the amazing Brooklyn pastry chef, Joy Cho.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Asian-American

Keyword joy cho, Sour Cream Gem Cakes, sweet rice flour

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray such as PAM for baking (for pan)
• 1/2 scant cup (60 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1/3 heaping cup (60 g) glutinous sweet rice flour (such as Koda Farms Blue Star Mochiko)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 scant cup (130 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
• 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• Milk Tea Glaze, Matcha Glaze, or Strawberry Jam Glaze (for serving) or your choice
• Flaky sea salt toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, lemon zest, or sesame seeds (for

Instructions

• Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°. Lightly coat 20 molds of 2 brownie Bundt pans or the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan or 2 standard 6-cup muffin pans with nonstick spray; lightly dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and all-purpose flour in a medium bowl to combine. Get yourself a scale, so much easier!
• Beat butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed just until smooth. Add granulated sugar and beat until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. With motor running, add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate and scraping down sides of bowl a&er each addition. Add vanilla and beat just to combine. (Mixture may look slightly curdled at this point, but don’t worry, it will come together in the end.)
• Sift in half of dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until a few dry patches remain. Scrape down sides of bowl and add sour cream and milk; beat just until incorporated. Sift in remaining dry ingredients and beat until combined. Finish by hand to avoid overmixing.
• Divide batter among prepared pans (about 2 Tbsp. per mold for Bundt pans or about 3 Tbsp. per cup for muffin pan). Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 14–16 minutes for Bundts, 17–20 minutes for muffins. Let cakes cool in pan 10 minutes, then gently loosen cakes with a small offset spatula and turn out onto wire racks; let cool completely.
• Dip tops of cakes in glaze of choice; set back on racks, letting excess glaze drip down sides. Double-glaze cakes if you like.
• Sprinkle cakes with toppings as desired (e.g., a pinch of flaked salt-like Maldon on Milk Tea Glaze, coconut or sesame seeds on Matcha Glaze, and lemon or orange zest on Strawberry Jam Glaze).
• Do ahead: Like doughnuts, gem cakes are best enjoyed the day they are baked but can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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5 from 2 votes

Glaze for Gem Cakes

The perfect finish for Joy Cho's Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes

Course Dessert

Cuisine Asian-American

Keyword Icing for Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Base for Glaze

• 1⅓ cups 160 g powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp. whole milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• Kosher salt

Jam Glaze

• 3 Tbsp. strawberry or OTHER FAVORITE JAM preferably seedless (push through a sieve before measuring if jam has large pieces of fruit)

Black Sesame Glaze

• 1 tbsp Black Sesame Powder or grind roasted black sesame seeds to a powder.
• 1 tsp milk If the glaze seems a little too thick

Freeze Dried Fruits

• 15 gms freeze-dried fruit Start with about half-cup of freeze-dried fruit, crush and strain for seeds. Approximately 1 tbsp of fruit
• 1 tsp milk If the glaze seems a little too thick

Instructions

• While the cakes cool, whisk powdered sugar, milk, jam, or powder and a few pinches salt in a medium bowl until smooth. The consistency should be viscous but not overly thick; adjust with more powdered sugar or milk as needed.