Caramel Cake

Earlier this month, I was told about this great recipe for caramel cake. It required a flour sifter, which I didn't obtain until recently (one of the many thoughtful Christmas gifts from B). Of course, I should have read the recipe more thoroughly since it also utilized an electric mixer (which I still don't have). Since I already had all of the ingredients measured out, I figured that I might as well try it using a more manual approach and hope that it would work.

Fortunately, it did! At least, the end result came out brilliantly. So either I'm just that good or you really don't need an electric mixer to do the job. It would have been much easier to create the batter, but not a requirement. Make your own with the recipe below.

Caramel Cake
Recipe from Gourmet, via Lotte & Doof

Cake:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Caramel Glaze:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp light corn syrup (or 1 tbsp of honey)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract



Directions

Make cake

1, Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8-inch square (or round) cake pan and line bottom with a square of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Or if you don't have an electric mixer, just whisk really (really) fast. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

4. Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, flip cake so it is right-side up and then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make glaze

5. Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup (or honey), and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 210 to 212°F on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.

6. Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.