Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

I think I must subconsciously want to kill myself. Because every recipe that I look at and think ' I WANT/NEED/MUST cook that!' is a a sugar-butter-caramel (slash chocolate, peanut butter or cheesecake) minefield. I literally had to add a folder to my bookmarks dedicated to-

'things I want to cook- SWEET TOOTH'

So when this old Daring Bakers Challenge recipe kept re-appearing on basically every blog I was looking at, I took it as an omen. I would make, and eat practically the entire cake.

I have to admit I made this cake in an absolute rush, so I didn't have the time to take much care. And on top of that, my kitchen here in my host family is a little bit limited in the way of cake tins, decorating tools, ect.

But if I had had the time and the tools, this cake would have been MAGNIFICENT. It tasted that way regardless.

Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

Ingredients-

Cake-

125 grams of unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/3 cup of caramel syrup (see recipe below if you'd like to home-make it)

2 eggs, at room temperature

Splash of vanilla extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 cup of milk, at room temperature

Caramel Sauce-

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of water

1 cup of water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)

Caramelized Butter Frosting-

150 grams of unsalted butter

450 grams of icing sugar, sifted

4-6 tablespoons of heavy cream

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup

Kosher salt to taste

Method-

Cake-

This cake can be presented many ways, I chose to

(attempt) to layer it,

which didn't work too well because I didn't have the

appropriate cake tins.

So depending on how you'd like to present it,

butter the appropriate tins (note that it makes enough

mixture for one 20 cm Cake tin.

Preheat oven to 180 °C

In a large bowl cream butter (with a beater or by hand

if you're made of tougher stuff)

until smooth, then add the sugar, salt and cream

and continue to beat until light

and fluffy.

Keep the beating and slowly incorporate

the caramel syrup.

Increase the speed and add the vanilla essence, then the

eggs, one at a time, making

sure that you beat well after each addition.

Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 1 or 2

minutes to insure all of the

mixture is uniform and fluffy.

Turning the mixer onto the slowest speed, sift in 1/3 of the

flour and baking powder,

then add 1/3 of the milk and combine well.

Repeat with the remaining quantities.

Pour the mixture into prepared tin/s and bake for

around 30 minutes

or until the sides of the cake have pulled

away from the tin.

Cool cake completely before trying to

transfer them

onto a plate, because it tears easily.

Caramel Sauce-

I didn't make my caramel sauce, I used a bought one, which worked fine.

If you choose to do this instead,

look for a very thick, real caramel,

a can dulce de leche would work really well too,

because mine lacked that good, dense texture

In a small stainless steel saucepan, mix together the sugar and the first quantity of water.

With a wet pastry brush down any sugar crystals that may have formed,

then turn the heat on to the highest.

Do not stir from now on!

Continue to let cook on highest heat until it is lightly smoking and

a dark caramally/amber colour is acheived.

Very (and I repeat very!) carefully pour the second quantity of water into the mixture.

WATCH OUT! ITS HOT AND WILL SPIT AT YOU.

Turn the heat to medium and then whisk until the texture is,

well... Caramelly.. You shouldn't need a description for that :)

Caramelized Butter Frosting-

In a small saucepan, cook butter until brown (be careful not to burn it).

Remove from heat and pour through a seive into a large bowl. Leave to cool.

When cooled, add the icing sugar a little at a time and beat.

When the mix starts to look too chunky, add a little of the cream or caramel syrup.

Repeat these steps until all of the sugar had been incorporated

and the mix is smooth. Add salt to taste.

Before icing cake ensure that it is completely 100% cooled,

because I never EVER can be that patient and my cakes suffer because of it...