Like I mentioned in a previous post, I just wasn’t feeling my birthday this year. But you know, things got a lot better. On the day of my birthday there wasn’t cake, but there was a lovely chocolate whoopie pie from a local bake shop with a candle in it where I was serenaded with the happy birthday song by my very endearing husband and that was pretty wonderful. He took me out to a restaurant that I’ve been dying to try (it was worth every bite) and I got to try creme brule for the very first time ever (it was heaven!). I wanted this goodness to continue, and so when I had some friends over later that weekend, I decided to bake a cake in celebration.

I consulted various cake recipes and when I found that Tim, Dana and Deb all gushed about one particular caramel cake, I was sold. The cake itself is simple to make in fact, I’d argue that it’s probably best as an “everyday cake”. It isn’t fancy in the least, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t special. I used Tim’s version as a guide since he declared it his most favorite cake of all time (you see, this is a cake with excellent pedigree). Tim sifts the flour and then calls it done where as the recipe requires you to sift the flour and then sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I’m not sure you know this about me, but I’m not a sifter. I whisk which isn’t nearly the same thing. So I ditched the extra 2 tablespoons of flour and moved on. Maybe next time, I’ll omit a bit more flour for a lighter crumb. But regardless of my non-sifting manoeuvres, this cake is pretty delicious. It’s got an ever-so-slight tang from the buttermilk (though I’m sure you could easily sub in a spoonful of vinegar into a cupful of milk with equal success), but it’s the caramel glaze that is the real stand out here.

Normally, I have no issues with caramel. I’ve been making caramel things for years and always found it a cinch. Except when I made the glaze this time, everything curdled. There was no creamy sauce, just curdled lumps no matter  how quickly I whisked the thing together. I freaked out on Twitter, got a few great responses on what could have gone wrong and decided that I’d toss the stuff and try again the next day.

Well rested, I was ready to tackle the glaze. But beforehand, my husband poured me my morning coffee and then asked if I’d like milk or half and half in my coffee. Since I only buy milk for my coffee, it suddenly hit me. I had purchased half and half instead of heavy cream! DOH. OOPS. Hanging my head in shame, I was off to the grocery store on Mother’s Day looking for heavy cream like everyone else (seriously, I had to go into 3 shops before I found a carton!) Once back home, the caramel was a dream to make. I should note that I have a candy thermometer but it never works (I probably should just toss the thing). It only gets up to 150F and then stays there for the duration of the caramel-making. Useless! So I’ve learned to improvise and use a timer (set the timer for 14 minutes after the mixture starts boiling) and then keep a glass of ice water nearby. Once the caramel stars looking golden, flick a drop into the ice water until you get to a nice soft-ball stage. Got it? Remove from heat and pour over your cake. Take the caramel off too soon and it will be thin and less flavourful. Keep it on too long and it will turn into rubber or leather or worse. Let it look drippy and lush. At this point, everyone who comes into the kitchen will go ga-ga over the cake. It’s like they can’t help themselves. Caramel on cake. What will they think of next?!

So we ate the cake and it was delicious. Sometimes we ate a slice with a ball of homemade vanilla ice cream over glitter paper because why not? Try a slice with coffee! Or eat a slice on the sly for breakfast. You may need to smear your finger around the plate to catch any drips. It’s okay because it’s your cake. Enjoy it. I did.

elsewhere: I know, so many sweets over here lately. There’ll be some healthy meals coming up, don’t worry about it. In the meantime, head over to Poppytalk where you’ll find a great recipe for Sole Almondine. It sounds fancy. It tastes fancy. And it’s a cinch to make! Win!

caramel cake
(adapted from Lottie + Doof & Gourmet)
2 c + 2 T sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring…or if not sifting, cut out the extra flour addition)
1 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda (oops, I left this out & it worked out fine)
1/2 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
1 c well-shaken buttermilk

Caramel glaze:
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 T light corn syrup (honey or Lyle’s golden syrup, can be substituted)
a pinch of kosher salt
1 t pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F, placing rack at the centre of the oven. Cut a round or square of parchment and place on the bottom of the tin. Butter and flour a 9″ round cake tin or an 8″ square tin – including parchment. Set aside.

Sift (or vigorously whisk) the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix well. Add one egg and let it fully incorporate before adding in the next. At low speed, add in the buttermilk and mix (it will look a bit curdled, this is okay). In 3 additions, add in the flour, mixing well between each addition.

Pour batter into cake pan and smooth out the top. Rap the tin against the counter a few solid times to knock out any air bubbles. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and then invert and cool completely (removing parchment, of course).

To make the caramel, in a medium sized saucepan (don’t use a small pan!), stir the cream (double check that it’s heavy cream and not half and half), sugar, salt and corn syrup together over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Turn on your timer for 14 minutes and if you’re using a candy thermometer bring up to 210-212F. Or use my ice water technique which I describe in the post above. Remove from heat immediately, stir in the vanilla and then pour over cake, starting at the centre so that you get some lovely drip action. Cool for 30 minutes before serving. Keeps for several days, if need be.

Possibly related posts:

• happy birthday cake to me: black magic cake with vanilla bean buttercream
• coconut lime cake: a birthday cake for cornelius

I’ve been wanting to make caramel corn for years, but whenever I asked Cornelius if he wanted any, he always said no. Can you believe that I married someone who couldn’t care less about caramel corn? It just didn’t make much sense to me, so when I prodded him further he told me that he just didn’t like it. Crazy, right? He told me that his grandma made caramel corn and it was sticky and too sweet. I said, do I look like your grandma? Actually, I never said that, but you get the gist.

Me, I grew up with caramel corn….sort of. What I mean is that I grew up with a homemade caramel sauce that was pretty identical to the recipe below. But instead of baking the popcorn for an hour in a slow oven, my mom and I just poured the sauce over some popcorn and we called it done. Popcorn was always a last-minute snack so waiting for an hour didn’t make sense to our impatient bellies. Sweet? Yup. Sticky? Definitely. So I was curious to see what baking the caramel corn would do. Let me tell you that it does all the right things.

The resulting popcorn was light and crunchy – not sticky. It wasn’t too sweet and it had a hint of cayenne and a touch of salt. I leaned to more popcorn (12 cups opposed to 10 cups) and I loved it and surprisingly, Cornelius loved it too. I liked the triumvirate of nuts: pecans, pepitas, almonds. The pepitas especially were particularly rich and buttery and helped to make this popcorn off-the-hook amazing. This caramel corn also would makes a perfect gift in case you feel like sharing it around. Packed in a mason jar and tied with red and white twine it’s almost too cute to eat. Almost.

Don’t let the recipe length fool you. This is simple stuff and it’s worth every word and more. Pass it around or be rightfully greedy and stuff it into your face as soon as you can.

spiced caramel corn with pepitas, almonds & pecans
(adapted from Orangette)
10 – 12 c fresh popcorn, popped by any method
1 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c light corn syrup
6 T salted butter, melted
2 T water
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t – 1/2 t cayenne pepper
2 t vanilla extract
1/3 c pepitas
1/3 c pecans, roughly chopped
1/3 c almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 t flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 250F.

Once you’ve popped your popcorn (I like hot air popped corn – I’m a product of the ’70s!), go through and remove all unpopped kernels. Someone once told me these were called widows which just seems cruel. Dump popcorn into your biggest bowl – if you don’t have a big bowl, try your biggest stock pot.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup together along with 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes, whisking often. If you’ve got a candy thermometer, it should read 250°F. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the baking soda, vanilla and cayenne pepper.

Quickly pour the hot caramel over the popcorn along with the nuts. Use a rubber spatula to distribute the caramel evenly by folding it gently. Transfer the popcorn onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silpat mats. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring often and turning the pans to make sure that the heat is evenly distributed, as the popcorn can burn if not watched closely. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Gently break up popcorn and store in a tightly lidded container. Keeps in a tightly lidded jar for up to 2 weeks (or more), but like that’s going to happen.

Possibly related posts:

• chunks of temptation: salted caramel almond pretzel popcorn
• autumn sweets: salted honey caramel apples

Warning: you are either going to love these or hate these. I mean, just look at that tin of fluffy pastel confectionary! It’s definitely a bit frightening but beautiful, in that retro kitchy way. I wish I could tell you that this recipe has long been in our family recipe box, but that would be a lie. I first came across these on Twitter via The Casual Baker and I was intrigued and a quick google search revealed a bunch of forums and online chatter of Canadian moms reminiscing about these squares from their prairie childhood. So when my in-laws were hosting a large family barbeque where most of the family comes from solid Manitoban stock, I knew these marshmallow treats would feel right at home.

The night before the barbeque as I got all the ingredients on the counter – mini fruity pastel marshmallows, processed peanut butter, butterscotch – I could feel the decades rolling back. The recipe was a cinch to prepare and I felt that Canadian prairie grandmas were along for the ride cheering me on! I even added a couple handfuls of rice krispies to the recipe sensing that the added crunch would be a nice surprise (it was). Sure, I felt a pinch of guilt when the documentary, King Corn, about the evils of corn syrup, was on tv while the squares were cooling, but all that changed when I took my first bite. These were good…really, really good. And I wasn’t simply charmed by their retro good looks or their Canadian prairie pedigree either. When I gave a slice to my husband, he remembered these squares from his childhood as he reached for seconds.

These are so much more than a retro throwback or a low brow guilty pleasure. Or maybe not. Make up a batch and give them a try. Just be sure to slice ‘em small because they are teeth-clatteringly sweet and share them with friends and family.

elsewhere: In the grips of summer? Give Mexican corn a try – lime, chili & salt. And whip up a Panzanella salad with beans – a salad that works as a meal.

butterscotch beauts (aka butterscotch confetti / marshamel / butterscotch delight)
(recipe adapted from Casual Baker + her mom’s Unifarm cookbook)
1 bag butterscotch chips
1/3 c butter
1/2 c peanut butter (not the natural kind) – crunchy is a good option
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/3 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 c rice krispies
2/3 of a package of Jet Puff mini coloured marshmallows

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper & set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the butterscotch chips, butter, peanut butter, and salt over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla, coconut and rice krispies. Carefully stir in the mini marshmallows and pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm and then cut into tiny squares. Store in fridge.

Possibly related posts:

• butterscotch cashew bars
• snackin’ cake: chocolate chip walnut squares

If you were a reasonable person, you would look away right now and not read any further. There’s a warning here and it’s not to be taken lightly. This super delicious concoction of popcorn, roasted almonds, pretzels, marshmallows and salty caramel is insanely addictive. If you have willpower, let this be the test.

I saw these popcorn bites on Tracy’s site and I wanted them immediately. Instead, I waited until I knew I was having a group of friends over who would be more than happy to take these off my hands and help spread the guilt joy. And there was lots of joy to be had!

While I had hoped that these would have been a cinch to make, they were a bit troublesome. Mainly because I just couldn’t get my caramel caramelized. I’ve made caramel scores of time, but this time, I couldn’t get it to turn a lovely golden shade. In fact, I waited so long for the amber colour that the whole mess went and crystalized on me. However, I was able to turn it around by adding a bit more cream (oh the guilt) and a lot of stirring. So instead of a deeply hued toffee colour, it was a light shade of beige. Who said beige is boring? Not here. Also, I wasn’t able to really cut these into bars – it was more like chunks…really, really delicious chunks. I think that was my fault because instead of just 12 cups of popcorn, I probably made 14 cups or so to help cut down the sweetness some. No one cared. Even with my crazy screw ups, these were still crazy delicious.

elsewhere: Looking for something a bit more tame – but still really tasty? Over at Poppytalk I posted a recipe for an easy, delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving morning kind of quick bread: introducing Cranberry Citrus Walnut Loaf. Yummy. It’s all kinds of awesome and it only has 2 teaspoons of fat and uses whole wheat flour. Yup. So good.

salted caramel almond pretzel popcorn
(adapted from Shutterbean)
12 – 14 c plain popped popcorn
3 c coarsely chopped small salted pretzels
1.5 c toasted almonds, roughly chopped
2 c sugar
kosher salt
2/3 c heavy cream
2 c miniature marshmallows

Butter a 9×13″ pan and set aside. In your largest bowl possible, dump in the popcorn, pretzels and almonds and toss so that everything is evenly mixed.

In a large saucepan, melt the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a half cup of water and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture turns into a golden caramel shade – about 8-12 minutes. Remove from heat and pour in the heavy cream – watch out, mixture will splurt! Add marshmallows and stir until melted.

Pour caramel over popcorn and use a wooden spoon to mix everything together. Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and press down on using slightly damp hands (helps to prevent stickiness), so that popcorn mixture is completely pressed into pan. Sprinkle with flakey kosher salt and let cool. Cut into bars or break mixture into delicious clumps. Otherwise, just enjoy the sweet, sweet crumbles and watch yourself turn into drooling, blubbering Homer Simpson. Look away because it isn’t pretty.

Possibly related posts:

• totally nuts: spiced caramel corn with pepitas, almonds & pecans
• autumn sweets: salted honey caramel apples

July is nearly all gone and for me it went way too quickly. I had a nasty cough for most of the month and was bogged down with work. However, I did go to a baseball game, watched a drive-in movie from the back of a pick-up truck and drank beers on a sunny patio. Also, for the first time ever, we watched every single stage in the Tour de France, which was silly, exciting and just plain fun to watch. So what did I end up doing when faced with a screen filled with fit cyclists attacking the Pyrenees mountains by brute force and sheer athletic ability? Well, I ate coffee ice cream topped with this deliciously evil drunken caramel sauce.

This sauce is dangerous. Not only is it boozy and has a good pinch of salt to counter the sweet, but the number one factor that makes it a true killer is that it’s way easy to make. In fact, I’m pretty sure you already have every single ingredient needed to dig into a bowl right now. It’s obviously great over ice cream (especially topped with roasted almonds and cocoa nibs), but I can see this being a brilliant topper over an apple pie or a peach tart. If you’re not into the booze, you can just leave it out and it will still be fantastic. And it’s vegan as long as you choose a good non-dairy margarine. See, I told you this caramel sauce was pure evil.

Don’t worry too much about this little indulgence because my next post will be about turnips.

Elsewhere: I’m using umeboshi vinegar again over at Poppytalk. Check out my recipe for an orzo pasta salad with baby bok choy. Over at ReadyMade I’m sharing the Community Sponsored Agriculture love – what do you make with your haul?

totally evil drunken sauce
(adapted from Salty Sweets by Christie Matheson)
1/2 c unsalted butter (use a non-dairy margarine for a vegan version)
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 – 1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t cinnamon
2 T dark rum (or whiskey or bourbon)
2 t vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cinnamon and salt and mix until the sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the rum and vanilla. Cool slightly and serve. Any leftovers can be reheated in the microwave or by placing the bowl in hot water and giving things a stir until the sauce melts.

Possibly related posts:

• cranberry rosemary apple sauce
• totally nuts: spiced caramel corn with pepitas, almonds & pecans

The crazy thing about this candy is that it uses Matzoh crackers. For reals. The only Matzoh I had on hand was the ground up meal (perfect for making matzoh balls), but not so good for making candy. So I turned to the next best thing in my cupboards: Stoned Wheat Thins. I actually had to run to my cupboards to double check this and yes, they are indeed, labeled “stoned”. The drug-addled theme of this post is not lost on me!

These are easy to make…in fact, too easy to make. No candy thermometer needed. Make a batch, share them with your friends and then pass along the recipe because they will ask for it. They taste like a homemade Skor bar and you’ll find yourself going back for “just one more piece”. Want to make this vegan? Get yourself some vegan crackers, some Earth Balance and your favorite vegan chocolate. Get hooked today!

chocolate-covered caramel crunch
enough crackers to line a baking sheet
1 c unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 c packed light brown sugar
big pinch of fleur du sel (optional)
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1 c toasted coarsely chopped almonds

1. Line baking sheet with foil, making sure you have enough to create a tall rim around the pan. Line pan with crackers, breaking up pieces if you have to, to fill in any cracks. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture begins to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add in vanilla. If you are using unsalted crackers, add in salt. Pour caramel over crackers and spread evenly with a silicone spatula.

3. Put the baking sheet in the oven, reducing heat to 350F. Bake for 15 minutes, watching carefully that the caramel does not burn.

4. Remove from heat and cover with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes until chocolate melts and then spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and fleur du sel or whatever toppings you desire. Let cool completely and then break into pieces, storing in an airtight container.

Possibly related posts:

• totally nuts: spiced caramel corn with pepitas, almonds & pecans
• autumn sweets: salted honey caramel apples

Well, my worries and advance prep were worth their weight in gold. I boiled the candy mixture and managed to get a nice caramel colour after what seemed like forever. When I ever-slowly added in the cream/butter/salt mixture to the sugar/water/syrup mix, there was a lot of bubbling up, but I kept my cool and managed to not let everything boil over. Again, it took a lot of patience to get the temperature high enough and lots of testing the softness/chewiness by adding a drop or two of the hot liquid into the cold water, but I finally reached the point where everything looked like it should. Success! When the mixture cooled off in the pan and I cut it into strips and again into small nuggets of caramel goodness, seeing the end product all wrapped up in waxed paper glory, I felt a definite sense of satisfaction! I conquered the candy making process and it was good!

And how did the caramels actually taste? Well, you’ll have to judge that for yourself. Makes a perfect gift….if you can bear to part with them, that is.

fleur de sel caramels
1 c whipping cream
5 T butter, cut into pieces
2 t fleur de sel (you may want to reduce to 1 1/2 t)
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c corn syrup
1/4 c water

1. Lightly grease some waxed paper or parchment and line the bottom and sides of a square 8×8 baking dish.

2. In a small saucepan, bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil. Set aside.

3. In a larg saucepan, boil together water, corn syrup and white sugar, whisking gently until sugar is dissolved. Boil this mixture and swirl the pan slowly over the stove (don’t stir!) until a rich caramel colour is achieved. My candy thermometer read about 300°F at this stage, but depending on your climate or range it could vary from 240°F to 350°F.

4. Very slowly pour in cream mixture (it will bubble up), stirring frequently over a rapid boil until caramel registers around 250°F on thermometer (or reaches the right consistency for your tastes via the water drop method)*, about 10 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into small pieces and wrap in waxed paper, twisting the ends.

* The higher you boil the candy, the harder it will become. I like a chewy candy that isn’t too soft, so I really liked using the water glass method so that i could actually taste test as I went along.

Possibly related posts:

• food of the gods: dark chocolate & fleur du sel toasts
• hot toddy: hot buttered rum