Saturday, November 29, 2008

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMEL FROSTING

Once again, it is that very special time of the month when we, The Daring Bakers, proudly blog about our latest baking challenge and it's outcome. It is always a very exciting moment as we all get to see the marvelous creations of the other members and also, because the nature of the next challenge will soon be revealed...

To tell you the truth, when I first had a glimpse at the November recipe, I thought that it was not going to be my most unforgettable and memorable cake ever baked as a DB. I stupidly believed it would just be a good cake, nothing more... Well, I'm glad to inform you that fortunately, I was awfully wrong (only idiots don't change their mind)!

The apparent simplicity of the recipe can be quite misleading even if there is one major difficulty
(not for me, though) residing in the making of the "Caramel Sauce". This cake is far from being uninteresting; it is unique and terribly good...

Shuna Fish Lydon's (see her site) "Caramel Cake With Caramel Frosting" is heavenly! Although, it is made only with humble ingredients (flour, butter, milk, sugar, vanilla), it's taste is, on the contrary, very subtle, complex and refined.

Just like spice cake, the "Caramel Cake" is somewhat dense, yet moist and smooth as well as slightly "rubbery" (in a very pleasant way) and has a wonderful caramelly fragrance. The "Caramelized Butter Frosting" is just drop-dead gorgeous. The nutty flavor of the caramelized butter adds much spiffiness and scrumptiousness to the whole and that little pinch of salt gives the frosting even more character/body (it also cuts the sweetness). As if it was already not decadent enough, the leftover "Caramel Syrup" can be drizzled over the cake, thus making it ever more irresistible.

I really want to thank Dolores at "Culinary Curiosity" (USA), Alex at "The Blondie And The Brownie" (USA) and Jenny at "Foray into Food" (USA) for having chosen that fantastic recipe!

~ Caramel Cake With Caramel Frosting ~
Recipe courtesy of
Shuna Fish Lydon.

Ingredients for the cake:
10 Tbs (150g) Unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 (262.5g) Cups Granulated sugar
1/2 Tsp Kosher salt
1/3 Cup (~110g/ml) Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 Eggs (~63g), at room temperature
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract or paste
2 Cups (255g) All-purpose flour
1/2 Tsp Baking powder
1 Cup (240ml) Milk, at room temperature
Ingredients for the "Caramel Syrup":
2 Cups (420g) Granulated sugar
1/2 Cup (120ml) Water
1 Cup (240ml) ater (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

Ingredients for the "Caramelized Butter Frosting":
12 Tbs (180g) Unsalted butter
1 Pound (500g) Confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 Tbs heavy cream
2 Tsps Pure vanilla extract
2-4 Tsps Caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt (I used Himalaya salt), to taste

Method for the "Caramel Cake":
1. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F).
2. Butter one tall (5-6.5cm/2–2.5 inch deep) 23cm (9-inch) cake pan.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Sift flour and baking powder.

6. 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.).
7. 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.
8. 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.

Method for the "Caramel Syrup":
9. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water a
nd 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.).
10. 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.).

Method for the "Caramelized Butter Frosting":
11. Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed metallic sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
12. Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.
13. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time.
14. 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 co
nfectioner's sugar has been incorporated.
15. Add salt to taste.


Assembling the "Cake":
16. Divide the cake into 2 equal parts.
17. Using a pastry brush, moisten the bottom part/layer with 6-7 Tbs of "Caramel Syrup".

18. Spread the bottom layer with a 1/4-inch/6mm thickness "Caramel Frosting".
19. Close the cake.
20. With a metal spatula in hand, spread the remaining "Caramel Frosting", making sure to cover both the top and sides of the cake.

Remarks:
Cake:
It will keep for
three days outside of the refrigerator.
Caramelized butter frosting:
It will keep in fridge for up to a month.

To smooth out from cold, leave at room temperature until "warm", then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.
Caramel Sauce:
For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.
Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 107° C (225°F) or, for a sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 108° C (228°F). Pour it into a sauceboat to serve or into a heatproof jar for storage. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and reheated gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing before use. You can stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream. Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer.

Serving suggestions:
Drizzle some "Caramel Syrup" over a slice of the cake and serve.
Depending on your audience you can serve it for any occasion with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Etant donné la longueur du texte original, je n'ai malheureusement pas pu faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!

C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur les blogs mentionnés ci-dessous. Vous y trouverez cette recette en version française.

Chez Vibi de "La Casserole Carée" (Canada)
Chez Marion de "Il En faut Peu Pour..." (France)

140 comments:

  1. Your cake looks beautiful, I love caramel!

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  2. It's indeed such a nice cake! Your caramel cake looks rather yummy - love the caramel on top. :)

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  3. That looks amazing! We have a similar toffee/caramel decoration on top :) I love how perfect you have the icing. I dream of having icing that perfect.

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  4. déjà ????? tu postes au plus tôt ;)
    ton glaçage a l'air parfait Rosa.
    J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé ce challenge "simple" mais si savoureux !

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  5. Un tres beau gateau Rosa :-)
    Bises

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  6. Je viens de finir de manger, alors j'en prendrais bein une petite pointe pour calmer ma rage de sucre:)
    Super beau ton gâteau, avec ce caramel dégoulinant, c'est très cochon!!

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  7. Your cake looks wonderful Rosa!

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  8. Rosa, the cake looks gorgeous!

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  9. I don't think there's anything stupid in that assumption. :)
    Anyway, who cares with a cake that looks so good as yours does, Rosa?

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  10. ton glaçage est parfait ( le mien ne l'est pas autant ! lol ! )
    beau travail rosa :)

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  11. Les photos sont vraiment superbes...avec le caramel qui coule allègrement...il est très réussi!
    Pour moi c'est un gâteau un peu trop sucré à mon goût mais j,ai bien aimé ce défi surtout de découvrir les secrets de fabrications du caramel:)
    Bonne soirée!

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  12. Rosa,
    Your cake looks awesome. I also thought ths challenge was great!
    Can't wait for next month!

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  13. Great job! It looks delicious!

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  14. What a delicious-looking cake! I wish I had some right now, except it would compete with all the pies sitting in my refrigerator.

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  15. Oh, Rosa! That is gorgeous ... I love how the syrup is just dripping off of it!

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  16. This looks to die for, Rosa! Beautiful job!

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  17. Rosa... you devilish temptress... it's absolutely gorgeous ;-P

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  18. Beautiful result, Rosa!! Glad it worked out in the end... :)

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  19. Beautiful cake. The dripping caramel looks very beautiful....and though I am hearing this song for the first time(what language is it) it sounds uplifting at this time - its morning here now:)

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  20. Your cake is beautiful. Another masterpiece!! The caramel on top makes me want another slice of this delicious cake. I loved this recipe

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  21. Wow! Your cake came out fabulous! I did not fair so well. But, even messed up, the cake was awesome! Your caramel looks divine...:)

    Off to write up my post...

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  22. That caramel syrup looks so enticing drizzled over the top like that- Lovely cake!

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  23. Rosa, this takes the cake (pun intended)...not over the tip yet superior...nice!

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  24. même si je ne comprends pas grand chose, les photos parle d'elles mêmes : un délice !

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  25. Ce glaçage au caramel et au sel me tente particulièrement. Le tendre gâteau en dessous aussi... Bravo, et bon WE

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  26. Your layer cake is just wonderful. Nicely done!

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  27. Rosa, ton gâteau a tout simplement l'air parfait !

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  28. Well done! For me the cake was terribly sweet. ;-)

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  29. il est sublime ton gâteau ! je vais vite me rendre à la version française pour le tester.
    bises et bon week end

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  30. Huummmm je t'en prendrai bien une petite part de cette merveille !!! Bravo Rosa !

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  31. il est magnifique ! absolument magnifique !
    bravo

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  32. Rosa, your cake is beautifully decorated.

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  33. il est superbe!! j'ai un anniversaire ce WE je te pique la recette je suis sûr qu'ils seront ravis!!merci

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  34. Ohhh no, no! As we have all found out with utter joy and delight; not easily forgettable this one cake is!

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  35. Il est magnifique!
    Bises et bon week-end

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  36. Great looking cake, Rosa. I made the cupcake version of these. They were so good! :D

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  37. very nice! :) this recipe sure is a keeper!

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  38. very nice! :) this recipe sure is a keeper!

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  39. Rosa! I think this is the prettiest caramel cake I've seen so far. Drop-dead gorgeous!

    I love how smooth you've managed to get the frosting. I'm almost tempted to go make it again, seeing yours.

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  40. it looks great rosa with all that caramel dripping on the side!

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  41. pourquoi ne pense-je pas au caramel plus souvent, j'aime beaucoup cela pourtant...spiffiness and scrumptiousness c'est tentant non?

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  42. ..il est superbe!!..tes photos sont hallucinantes ma chère Rosa..bravo;)

    .p.s..je pratique ma lecture en anglais avec toi,c'est cool lol!!

    ~nancy

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  43. A beautiful cake! I love the lighting and the pretty props too.

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  44. Simple yet delightful recipe. Makes me drool.

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  45. uau...à fondre de plaisir, quel tentatrice tu est...

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  46. wouaaahhh : magnifique !
    et ce cramel qui dégouline du glaçage , ce n'est humain de nous photographier ça !
    bises et bon we

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  47. Quelle perfection! Tes parts sont parfaites, tout comme ton gâteau et son magnifique tourbillon de sirop sur le dessus. Félicitations!

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  48. As always, your work is perfection. The simplicity of the decoration makes it even more appealing.

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  49. Wonderful job Rosa - your cake looks terrific!

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  50. Wonderful Rosa! looks surreal!

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  51. Love the round version! And, I totally agree about adding a layer - you did a wonderful job making this cake look like a million bucks!

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  52. pas besoin de la recette merci, j'en prendrai juste un petite tranche :) !!!
    Corinne

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  53. Your caramel cake really look very decadent. The layer look so perfect, and caramel drizzled on the cake look absolutely tempting. As always, you done a very superb work with daring baker's challenge.
    Cheers,
    Elra

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  54. oh là là, allez plein de bises au caramel pour l'occasion !! et bon week-end !

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  55. Ohhhh, au caramel...hummm. Superbe gâteau, je le savoure rien qu'en regardant les photos......

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  56. What a gorgeous presentation of this cake. You make it look totally unforgettable.

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  57. Rosa, very pretty. Your cake is asking for me to taste it!

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  58. I like the way you drizzled the caramel on top. very nice!!

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  59. Superbe Rosa!
    Faudra un jour m'expliquer comment tu t'y prends pour tout faire aussi parfaitement!

    ...ça doit certainement être quelque chose dans l'eau de la Suisse! LOL

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  60. The caramel cake looks fantastic!

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  61. Your cake looks beautiful... and your caramel is the perfect color!

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  62. Love the deep tan-brownish color on the cake and frosting.

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  63. ouh lala ce gateau est magnifique et ce coulis de caramel!!! a nous faire saliver sur nos claviers!

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  64. Cake looks amazing..Love the cake

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  65. I love the caramel dripping down the side of the cake! Beautifully done!

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  66. Your cakes beautiful! The caramel syrup was my favorite part! :)

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  67. Je suis incapable de lire une recette en anglais mais tes photos sont tellement tentantes que je vais suivre les liens.

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  68. What an elegant way of presenting the cake! It's so smooth on the sides, great job!

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  69. Your cake looks stunning Rosa.

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  70. Your cake looks so lovely, with the frosting so smooth and the caramel syrup drizzled on top. A lovely job!

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  71. Wow, your frosting looks so smooth! Wonderful job!

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  72. Oh I love the color of your cake! Mine was paler than that. Perhaps I didn't quite cook my sugar to it's fullest. Great job!

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  73. Your cake looks amazing! So pretty.

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  74. This looks wonderful Rosa. I am with you - this cake on paper doesn't sound anything special, but the taste is amazing - it's almost like a caramel mud cake without its heaviness.

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  75. That cake looks so good with all of the caramel in it! Nicely cut slice!

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  76. I love the caramel use! I think it's brilliant and your cake is beautiful.

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  77. Your cake looks so beautiful and the caramel on top is gorgeous

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  78. Your cake looks absolutely wonderful Rosa! I was not able to drizzle the carmel sauce over mine as it became too hard.

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  79. Looks great!!! Nice shots ... yummy :-)!

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  80. It's funny how different people see things differently. I had the opposite thought. I believed the cake would be super great, and after tasting it, I really didn't like it. Perhaps if I tasted your lovely cake I would have changed my mind.

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  81. So beautifully done! The fillings look lovely. Yum...

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  82. I love the caramel drizzling on your cake! Looks delicious!

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  83. Fabulous cake. Can never have too much caramel!

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  84. Lovely golden cake!

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  85. I love the different thicknesses for the layers and your great comments about the cake. Yes it is a very complex and I have to day one of the better cakes I have made. It was light and super moist and even better the next day. Thanks for your comments on my blog. Happy holidays to you and your kin.

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  86. Gorgeous cake, Rosa! It looks perfect! Excellent work!

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  87. Truly amazing !!! I'm voiceless ! :D

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  88. Rosa, I love the simplicicity of your cake..what a perfect slice :-)

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  89. rhooo...comment resister à cette petite tuerie....un vrai régal...

    bisous

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  90. beautiful caramel cake... passed an award to you... :)

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  91. So beautiful Rosa, lovely presentation as always!

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  92. Tres beau et en plus ( tres bon) :-)
    Bises

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  93. Oh mais j'adore le caramel ....une petitepart s'il teplait ...gros bisous

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  94. Ton gâteau est terrible !!! Les photos sont magnifiques !!! Je vais me rendre sur un lien français pour en avoir la recette.
    Bisous et bon dimanche, Doria

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  95. simply gorgeous Rosa! i really liked this challenge!

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  96. C'est magnifique!
    You did a fantastic job. That's the best version of that caramel cake i've seen so far. Yum! :-)

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  97. Gorgeous cake, Rosa! I also loved the subtleties of this cake.

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  98. Oulala, t'as fait fort là. Absolument irrésistible....

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  99. beautiful cake rosa!

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  100. never had a caramel cake
    its the swirl and drip of the caramel that made me lick the screen and made my saliva dribble.

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  101. Your caramel cake looks absolutely delicious!!

    And the presentation is beuatiful!!

    Loved it!

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  102. Beautiful cake! I love the swirled caramel on the top.

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  103. Littéralement décadent pour ne pas dire cochon yum hihi;)

    ~Lexibule~ xxx

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  104. Beautiful cake, well done! Your caramel looks so delicious!

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  105. Spectacular photos Rosa! Guess the addition of extra salt to the frosting is essential for it to not be too sweet. You obviously followed the cake recipe to a 'T', too...perfect are gorgeous cake!!

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  106. sublime!!vraiment appétissant

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  107. Holy cow, that looks amazing!

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  108. your cake is amazing! i love the caramel syrup on top. it looks like a spider web.

    i just joined the daring bakers!! i am so excited to participate in december's challenge.

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  109. Rosa, I am late to the party but had to stop by and tell you that your Caramel cake is absolutely stunning! You did a splendid job, and I am sure it was delicous!

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  110. Wow :O amazing job, your frosting is so smooth, you must be a master. Love how youve drizzled the caramel over it too! Yummy!

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  111. Tout simplement magnifique ! de l'intérieur comme de l'xtérieur !

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  112. Your cake looks amazing Rosa I adore the caramel on the top! Well done on a great D.B.Challenge :)

    Rosie x

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  113. Je crois que le nombre de commentaires atteste ce qeu je pense de ce merveilleux et très alléchant gâteau. OUAHHHHHHHH!

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  114. Bravo Rosa, c'est un gâteau très réussi avec des photos très appétissantes. Quelle surprise de le découvrir de l'intérieur!! Je cours prendre la recette en français. Bises.

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  115. Oh my goodness, Rosa, your caramel cake looks beyond amazing! Its like a pretty confection in a fancy pastry shop window! You did a picture perfect job with this challenge...wow, posts like these really make me miss being a Daring Baker!

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  116. Oh, I love the drizzled caramel on top! Beautifully done!

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  117. Fantastico Rosa sei stata bravissima é un dolce da vetrina natalizia.La ricetta non deve mancare nella mia agenda vado....
    bises

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  118. J'adore le caramel donc je ne peux etre que sous le charme de ton magnifique dessert.bises

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  119. Beautiful cake, Rosa. I wish I would have thought to do a drizzle of the caramel sauce. Well done.

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  120. Your cake looks so perfectly iced! I thought the cake had a great, unique flavour too, but could have done with less sugr overall.

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  121. Bonjour Rosa,
    Comment va ? :-)

    Je te remercie vivement pour ta visite et ton très gentil commentaire de Bienvenue : Merci !

    Ton "frosting" est impeccable, il tient tout seul et tes photos plus qu'alléchantes.
    Hâte pour le défi de Décembre ...

    A Bientôt. Bizzz !

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  122. Zowie and Shazam. what a beautiful cake. You did a fantastic job.

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  123. Il a l'air délicieux ce gâteau ! A essayer ! Merci.

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  124. Rosa, that's the sexiest cake I've ever seen. What a tease for these taste buds.

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  125. Oh Rosa, I'm so glad we surprised you a bit with the November challenge and that the caramel cake worked so well for you. Thanks for baking with us!

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  126. Oh! My God!Oh! My God!Oh! My God!Oh! My God! I love this desert is so pretty and delicious...well done thx for sharing

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  127. so funny. i found shuna's site sometime last year and bookmarked this as a recipe to try. i did sometime in the fall and it was excellent. i admit making the caramel sauce made me a bit nervous though! ;) your's looks spectacular.
    hugs

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