Monday, March 24, 2008

Caramel Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting




I'm submitting this caramel cake with caramel cream cheese frosting to the Sugar High Friday Sweet Gifts event. The idea behind this month's event is that you post about something you made for someone or want to make for someone.


I made this cake for my sister in law for her birthday a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure what to choose for her. Something really chocolatey? Something with nutella? (I think I'll have to make a nutella one for her next year.) And then I remembered this caramel cake I saw on Bake or Break and thought it would be perfect. She really loved it and said that it had all of her favourite things, which made me really happy. Plus the cake was insanely delicious. And I do mean insanely.


I think my round cake pans must be 8 inch pans though since the cakes really rose into quite the domes that I had to slice off (and nibble away at all day while making the different parts of the cake). I really loved the cake. It was my vision of the perfect dense cake. I don't think the cake itself really tasted like caramel though. But there was caramel in the frosting and as a filling.


I had no idea that this cake was going to involve so many different things and so much time. I was happy to make it but I guess I didn't read the recipe too in depth and just dove in. I've only made caramel a couple of times and think I was only partly successful this time. I was really scared of burning the caramel that was used in the icing and I think I ended up not cooking it long enough (it was quite thin). As for the caramel filling - as you can see, I didn't let it cool enough before spreading it on the cake, so it oozed over the sides and everywhere. My sister in law said this was a good thing though. Anyway, the cake was awesome, my sister in law was happy, and I learned a few things about caramel and praline making.




If this sounds good, you might also like:
Carrot Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese-White Chocolate Icing
Caramel Almond Tiger Cookies
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins


Caramel Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Cottage Living

Makes 1 (9-inch) 2-layer cake

3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups butter, softened and divided
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Garnish: Pecan Praline

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans; line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, put 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, and 1 cup butter; beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and 1 cup milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating at low speed after each addition. Pour into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack. Place 1 layer on a cake plate.

3. Combine 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, evaporated milk, and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook (without stirring) until a candy thermometer registers 238F. Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl, and beat 3 minutes or until thickened and easy to spread. Quickly spread filling over cake layer on plate. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; chill 15 minutes or until set.

4. Spread a thin layer of Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting over filling. Top with second layer. Frost cake. Chill 20 minutes or until frosting sets, then cover and chill 4 hours or overnight. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Garnish with pecan praline.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Cottage Living

1/4 cup light brown sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1. Melt brown sugar and 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat. Whisk in cream; blend well. Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl. Cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2. Place remaining 6 tablespoons butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill slightly for a firmer texture, stirring occasionally.

Pecan Praline
Cottage Living

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small skillet over medium-high heat; cook (without stirring) until golden. Stir in pecans; remove from heat. Quickly spread mixture onto greased foil. Cool completely. Break into small pieces.

36 comments:

grace said...

i only had to see the title of your post to know that i'd be saving this recipe. caramel? check. cream cheese icing? check. i'm loving the thick layer of icing on top of the cake and the swirls of caramel throughout. bravo! :)

Melanie said...

Yum, yum, yum! This looks so tremendously delicious, I am practically drooling at my keyboard! Bookmarking for sure...thanks!

Anonymous said...

phwoar!

gorgeous lookin' cake!!

Deborah said...

This cake sounds amazing!!

Sarah said...

Wow! This looks awesome! Lucky sister-in-law, it looks like it took forever. :) I might wait awhile before attempting this...

Gigi said...

You had me at caramel! The cake looks insanely delicious!(if I may say so) I have been such a slacker with my "blog events". And there were so many good ones this month too!

Anonymous said...

That cake looks so good- especially the frosting!

javagirlkt's cookin' said...

WOW this looks good!! And so does the coconut carrot cake that you recommended.

Cakes are so fun to make. I just invested in my first, plastic cake "dome" thingy lol, so now i have a good excuse to make them often!

Mari said...

Mouthwatering.

Lisa Turner said...

OH MY! Caramel is one of my very favorite things. I'd make this cake right away, but I fear I would have to walk for three hours just to burn off the calories generated from eating just one piece :)

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Your cake is fabulous! All that caramel - yummm! And pecan praline, too? Wow.

test it comm said...

This cake looks so good! Cream cheese, walnuts and caramel...mmm...

LisaRene said...

Caramel filling oozing all over can only be a good thing :) Fabulous cake, it look's huge! Way to go with the icing, nice and thick, yum!

Anonymous said...

I just came over from Tuesdays with Dorie. Didn't find the flan but to be honest: Your Caramel Cake is much better! Great pictures!

Patricia Scarpin said...

I'd be forever grateful if someone baked something so delicious and beautiful for me!

Anonymous said...

Mmm, burnt sugar... Caramel is so simple, yet so good. That cake looks incredible, and very, very sweet!

Cakespy said...

Oh, swoon, swoon, swoon (x100). Not only does it sound awesome, it appears that your photos actually do it justice--I can practically taste it. I wish I could taste it in fact, but all I taste is computer screen.

kickpleat said...

that cake looks amazing (and really sweet!)...perfect for a birthday cake.

Gretchen Noelle said...

This does sound labor intensive, but oh so delicious!!! I have seen this and have been thinking of what I could do substituting the manjar blanco we have, or dulce de leche. MMmmm!!!

winedeb said...

When I saw the title I said to myself, don't look! But I had to look and you are killing me with that cake! It is so yumptious looking! WOW, and look how pretty the inside looks. A work of art!

The Apron Queen said...

This looks delicious! I'm going to pretend it's my birthday this weekend- just for an excuse to bake this cake!

Stop by for a visit. I'll even save a piece of cake for you! :D

Confessions of an Apron Queen: http://anapronaday.blogspot.com

Joy @ Joy Of Desserts said...

It must have been out of this world. Wow and Yum.

Anonymous said...

OMG!! Just look at that cream cheese frosting looks so delicious!

Allen said...

Wow! I saw your post title and had to click it ... caramel frosting. And then I noticed just how thick you layered on that frosting - holy cow! Is your family looking to adopt? My birthday is in June :-)

Great job -- I stumbled it!

Mary said...

this looks so amazing that the fact that i can't stand caramel couldn't keep me from diving right in!!!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Who cares if the caramel oozed! It looks amazing! Oh, how do I want a slice!

toro said...

Perennially, look great today!
See.
Good luck translating text.
Or come to play!

eatme_delicious said...

Thanks everybody for all the very nice comments. :)

Anna said...

Oooh that's to die for. Definitely saving this one. The caramel layer looks like heaven!

eatme_delicious said...

Indigo: Thanks. :)

Brown Sugar said...

You have beautiful pictures of this cake, and even though you said the caramel was a bit runny, I think you did a great job!!!
I don't know of anyone who would turn down that beautiful cake!! :o)

Cindy
http://www.jbkpottery.com

Anonymous said...

I love your blog!! This cake looks so yum! Quick question...if I wanted to make this cake dairy free, what can I use to substitute evaporated milk?

eatme_delicious said...

Anonymous: I'm not sure what would work best. I just google "dairy free evaporated milk" and had a bunch of results so you should try searching google. Good luck! =)

Anonymous said...

Thank you! I am going to try to try it for this weekend!

gingerj said...

ARG! I studied and organized this recipe ever so closely in an attempt to make it "perfectly" for my caramel-loving boyfriend. Unable to easily find the cake flour, I chose to process it myself rather than try a 3rd grocery store. Sadly, I failed to sift it enough times (I had to stop after the 4th flour/corn starch sift)...leaving me with a perfectly shaped, wonderfully caramel-tasting cake with the consistancy of a rock. My cake was doomed before I even started. Remember...the devil's in the details! Oh yea...& practice makes perfect - I'm not defeated yet! =)

eatme_delicious said...

gingerj: Oh no! Sorry to hear about the rock cake. :( I've never tried it but I've read that to replace 1 cup all purpose flour, people use 1 cup minus 2 tbsp all purpose flour. Good luck!