Caramel Cake

Caramel Cake

Caramel Cake

Ingredients

Flour 1 ¾ cups
Brown sugar 1 cup
Butter, softened ½ cup
Eggs 2
Milk ½ cup
Salt ½ tsp
Baking powder 1 ¾ tsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Ingredients for Icing

Brown sugar 2 cups
Cream 1 cup
Butter 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Walnuts, to garnish ¼ cup

Method

Mix sifted flour with 1 cup of the packed brown sugar. Add in the butter, eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat. Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 175 degrees C for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Once cake is cooled completely frost with Caramel Icing.

To Make Caramel Icing: 

In a saucepan over medium heat stir the 2 remaining cups of brown sugar, and the cream until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook without stirring till a candy thermometer reads 115 degrees C. Stir in the remaining butter with a wooden spoon. Remove the icing from the heat and let cool to 55 degrees C. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat the icing until it is thick and creamy. If it becomes heavy, thin it out with cream until the right consistency appears. Spread over the top of the cooled cake and top with chopped walnuts.

Coffee-Caramel Tres Leches Cake

Coffee-Caramel Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients

2 tablespoons instant coffee

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 12-ounce store-bought pound cake, halved lengthwise

2 large eggs plus 4 egg yolks

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

1 cup chilled heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dissolve the instant coffee in a bowl with 1/3 cup warm water. Cook the sugar in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to melt. Continue cooking, swirling the pan but not stirring, until the sugar turns amber, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat (don't worry if a few lumps of sugar remain). Carefully stir in the coffee mixture until smooth. Pour the caramel into an 8-inch-square baking pan; tilt the pan to coat the bottom and halfway up the sides. Let cool until the caramel is no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.

Lay the cake halves, cut-side down, next to each other on top of the caramel in the prepared pan. Poke the cake all over with a fork.

Whisk the eggs and yolks in a bowl until foamy. Slowly whisk in the condensed milk and evaporated milk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the cake, gently pressing on the cake so it soaks up the liquid. Cover the pan with foil and bake until set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to a rack, remove the foil and let cool 30 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert it onto a plate and unmold, letting the caramel drip onto the plate. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (The cake can be refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.)

Beat the cream with a mixer until soft peaks form. Slice the cake; top with the whipped cream.

Photograph by Kang Kim

Recipe source by http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Dulce de Leche Cake with Caramel Buttercream

Dulce de Leche Cake with Caramel Buttercream

Dulce de Leche Cake with Caramel Buttercream

ingredients

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans 
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon table salt 
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
Caramel Frosting
Dulce De Leche (storebought or homemade)

METHOD:

Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour. 

Pour milk, egg whites, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended. 
Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining. 

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer. 

Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. 

Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
Layer cakes with dulce de leche, frost with caramel buttercream and decorate as you wish! 

RECIPE SOURCES BY http://www.sporkorfoon.com/

(Cake recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated (I also made a 3-layer cake, but this recipe is for a 2-layer cake.  To add the 3rd layer, increase ingredients by 1/2)