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 buttermilkCaramel 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 extractPreheat 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.
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This looks so good! Glad it was a happy birthday.
I am another non-sifter. It just seems like such a pain. There are very few recipes that I’ll actually bust out the sifter for, otherwise I just do a quick whisk (great, lazy minds!).
Happiest birthday!!
I’m so glad you ended up celebrating with cake after all! And what a doozy this is. Give me anythign with caramel on it and I’m quite content.
I love the photos: an old-fashioned cake with some very cool, vintage props. A belated Happy Birthday to you.
oh that looks seriously good!
now i know what’s gonna happen…i’m gonna continously think about how it tastes over and over again…so i guess i should just make it tonight instead!
good plan!
That cake looks delicious! And I could totally see myself having a slice for breakfast… 🙂
Anyway, I’m just stopping by to say that I’ve nominated you for the ‘One Lovely Blog’ Award! Your blog is so engaging and all of your recipes look so appealing. I just discovered it recently, but I’ve found that I keep coming back, and want to try making everything! So, thank you.
(For more information about the award, and how to pass it on, please stop by spontaneous tomato.)
Would have loved to have a piece!!!
Rachel, hooray for great lazy minds!
Thanks Meister, it was a good one 🙂
Joanne, it’s a nice simple cake and the caramel is the real star! Yum.
Donna, props? Ha. I could never own anything that was considered a prop – I have no space. Everything is something I use and have owned for at least a decade. I’m a huge vintage collector 🙂 But thanks for the nice words.
Good plan, definitely, Alana! Enjoy.
Thanks Allison for the nice words and the award – so flattered!! Thank you!!!
Miss K, I don’t blame you. C’mon over, I’ll bake up another 😉
Hurray! Glad to see you had success! The cake looks luscious and I really want a slice of it right now. Speaking of candy thermometers, I just purchased one for my chocolate confections class and the instructor/chef told us that a good quality thermometer can make all the difference when melting sugars, chocolates, etc. I got one of those digital ones with a probe. Seems all the students were using them last week.
I don’t like to sift either and avoid it whenever I can — for a cake I might sift though. I can’t imagine why half and half would ruin caramel — I’ve used it many times.
Definitely a cake to celebrate your birthday with. Atleast when you bake your own cake there’s no doing any mistake with the choice of flavours:)
Bijoux, I know, phew!!!! Huge relief with the caramel. No more panicing – before checking carefully my ingredients! Good call on getting a proper candy thermometer – I’ll invest in a good one since my cheapie one sucks big time.
Sharyn, hmmmm, maybe it was that my half and half came cold from the fridge? I don’t know, but when I used heavy cream it set up perfectly!
Thanks Ishitablogged! I’m all about making my own cake 🙂
WOW, that is a gorgeous-looking cake. The caramel …! Happy birthday!
There’s just something about birthdays and cake and you picked a good one! It looks insane! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Happy belated birthday! I can relate to your half-and-half instead of cream mistake…recently I was making a tart and couldn’t figure out why the dough wouldn’t roll out the way I wanted it to. I looked at the box (from the frozen dough), looked at my recipe, looked at the dough, and FINALLY it dawned on me…I bought phyllo dough, not puff pastry. D’oh!
I just pinned this recipe on Pinterest with a note that said “Everybody Likes Sandwiches never steers me wrong” and I thought, you know, wouldn’t it be nice if I actually told you that? So after a long time loving your recipes and singing your praises to my friends, I finally got the nerve up to comment, just to say thank and that you rock! 🙂
(Oh, and happy birthday!)
Thanks so much, Nicole!
I think so too, NicoleD! It was definitely a well-liked cake 🙂
Ugh, those mistakes are so frustrating, Gretchen! Glad I’m not alone in the kitchen goofs!
Aw, thanks so much Jennifer for the kind words and thank you for stopping by and saying hi for the first time! See, commenting, not so hard 🙂
i could use a piece of that today!
i had a piece of this exact cake today at coco et olive on main street. apparently it is in regular rotation on their front counter which is usually full of home made goodies – they sometimes add caramel apples to the batter! yummy.
Hi! I came across this blog post because I’m looking for a caramel glaze recipe that sets, not just runs. This one looks set, but I just want to make sure. If you can let me know that would be wonderful. Thanks!
Abby, yes, this caramel sets – you can see it’s quite thick. Enjoy!
Yay! Thanks 😀