I love cake. LOVE. Cake. I usually default to chocolate cakes simply because I’ve had such a hard time finding white/yellow cakes that really rock my world. Most recipes that I’ve tried are sort of… I dunno… dry? Uninspiring? (BTW – if anyone has a really rockin’ yellow/butter cake recipe, please share!)
So, when Daring Baker time rolled around again and our hosts, Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity … Alex of Brownie and Blondie … Jenny of Foray Into Food … and Natalie of Gluten A Go Go (for a gluten-free perspective) announced this month’s challenge – caramel cake – I was hopeful. Hopeful that I’d be able to up my non-chocolate cake repertoire from one (a love discovered during previous DB challenge, as a matter of fact) to two. Maybe there’s hope after all!
As is often the case with DB challenges, I had to conquer a couple of techniques new to me… caramel syrup and browned butter. After reading about many problems with the caramel syrup, I went into the kitchen scared to death of failure and coming away with a bitter syrup. Leave it to me, then, to err on the side of caution. I think I actually went a little too light. The good news, though, is that the syrup was still really great… even if it looked more like honey than caramel!
The browned butter came off without a hitch and all of the elements melded together so beautifully. The cake was moist with a wonderful crumb, the frosting was lovely, and the added drizzle of syrup was beautiful. I opted to make cupcakes rather than a full cake so that I could take all but a few of them to work for sharing… and I’m happy to report that the co-workers were well pleased!
CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
(by Shuna Fish Lydon – ::blog here:: and ::recipe here::)
CARAMEL CAKE
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
Sift flour and baking powder.
Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}
Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.
Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.
Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.
CARAMEL SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.
When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.
Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}
Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin. OR… cover your pan with aluminum foil that has a small hole in it through which you can pour the water… this worked like a charm for me.
CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner’s sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.
Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.
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P.S. Don’t forget to check out the ever-growing list of DB’ers to see all of the wonderful interpretations of this recipe!
