So I’m spending Friday night in the kitchen (I did also manage to complete my system dynamics homework somehow) and I’m making Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting.  Next thing I know; it’s 10 pm, my apartment smells delicious and I have eaten caramel sauce for dinner (read = not a good idea, maybe my mom was right about that balanced meal thing).

Aside from a minor stomachache, this cake was a great learning experience for me.

1.  Caramel sauce is easier than you would think to make.  I don’t own a candy thermometer, so one of the reasons this cake appealed to me is because it didn’t call for one.  Just make sure to watch the sauce because it does change color quickly.

2.  Cakes can be stubborn.  They don’t always want to get out of bed in the morning and have scheduled all their classes after 1 pm accordingly…I’m still talking about cakes here people.  Every so often you get pieces stuck in the pan…just pull them out and pop them back in.  No one will know after you ice it, unless you tell all in a blog post.

(see..can’t tell which part stuck to the pan)

3.  When something calls for using a fine sieve and you don’t have one, just use two bowls and pour out what you need.  I got some brown butter bits in my frosting, but no one could tell.

4.    Decorating cakes is hard.  I knew this already, but I had never actually “decorated” a cake. Not only did I decorate a cake, but I made it themed for Valentine’s Day.  Totally not my style.  I don’t consider V-Day important because we don’t get off from work/school, so it’s clearly not a real holiday.  My first attempt wasn’t awesome but it was recognizable, and I was pleased.

5.    Without fail, both children and adults will cut into the decorated part of the cake first.  There is something about destroying the design that is so satisfying.

6.    Specific to this cake:
-It’s dense.  A small piece goes a long way.
-I also recommend making the frosting a day ahead of time.  The taste was dramatically better the second day.  It also might be easier to just frost the cake ahead of time because the frosting does get hard in the fridge.  For those of us that don’t have microwaves to warm things up, it’s just plain easier.
-Have plenty of friends to help you finish this because there is no way one person can physically eat this by themselves.

(Recipes from Pinch My Salt)

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 eggs, at room temperature
•    splash vanilla extract
•    2 Cups all-purpose flour
•    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•    1 cup milk, at room temperature

1.    Preheat oven to 350F
2.    Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 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. 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)

1.    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.
2.    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.
3.    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.}

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

1.    Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
2.    Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.
3.    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.

Anyway, back to people with similar interests.  My friend Leah lives out here and in January I had the opportunity to stay with her and her family.  Best. Decision. Ever.  Her mom is a fantastic cook and Leah is quite the baker (their kitchen makes me swoon whenever I think about it).  So of course when I got an invite to Sunday dinner, I jumped at the chance (speaking of which, Leah, please send me your mom’s potato salad recipe!).  There was potato salad (duh), flank steak (yum!), corn on the cob (a summer staple) PLUS berry pie (are you starting to see why I like going to their house?).

Well post-dinner, we were teaching another friend how to make Ina Garten’s Fleur De Sel Caramels.  We had made them six months prior, so it was definitely time to break out the recipe again AND our signature logo.   Yes, we individually wrapped the caramels and put our initials on them too (they do teach us branding in business school). These caramels are delicious and everyone who has encountered them usually can’t stop at just one.

Ina Garten’s Fleur De Sel Caramels

(with some minor modifications)

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp Fleur De Sel + extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan (or loaf pan) with parchment paper, then brush the paper lightly with oil, allowing the paper to drape over 2 sides.

In a deep saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil until the caramel is a warm golden brown color. Swirl the pan to mix.

In the meantime, bring the cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon fleur de sel to a simmer in a small pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, set aside and keep warm.

When the caramelized sugar is the right color, slowly add the cream mixture to the caramel (it boils “violently” and is fun to watch). Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 °F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. Very carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate until firm.

When the caramels are cool, use the parchment paper to pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board.  Another differentiation.  They are too big if you roll them like Ina, so just cut into 1-inch squares, individually wrap in parchment and they are perfect to share with good company, provided they last that long.