Baking Classics
The Technique
Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake
Special people deserve a special cake & Old Fashioned Caramel Cake certainly fits the bill. This traditional beauty takes many on a trip back to their grandmother’s where a small slice of heaven was waiting for you on a piece of her heirloom china. These cake layers in particular feature a tender, delicate crumb but are sturdy enough to hold the thick, sweet frosting. When baking the layers press the tops with your fingers, if they give slightly yet test clean with a wooden pick go ahead & pull them out of the oven. The residual heat will finish setting the layers. Follow my additional detailed pointers & learn how to properly prepare a caramel cake from scratch.
Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake
makes 12 servings
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs plus 2 yolks
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cups soft wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
1 cup whole buttermilk
Caramel Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Cream the butter & the sugar until light & fluffy. Stop the mixer occasionally & scrape down the bowl sides with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs & the yolks & blend just until combined. Blend in the vanilla extract & the lemon juice. Whisk together the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda & the salt. Add to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake 30 to 32 minutes or until a wooden pick tests clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes & remove them from the pans. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Caramel Frosting
makes enough to frost 1 {8-inch} layer cake
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Combine 2 1/2 cups sugar, the cream & the butter in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over Medium-High heat. Simultaneously, cook the remaining 1 cup of sugar in a dry 2-quart saucepan over Medium-High heat & stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it turns a golden amber color, about 8 minutes. The sugar will clump as it’s melting keep moving it around the pot with the spoon it will eventually melt & become smooth. When the caramel syrup is ready, the first mixture with the butter & the cream will be coming to a boil.
Carefully stir the caramel syrup into the butter mixture. Keep stirring until the butter mixture is well incorporated & once it is, stop stirring. Do not add the spoon back to the pot. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Cook the mixture until it reaches between 238 to 241 degrees, soft ball stage, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat & allow it to stand for 7 minutes.
Add the vanilla & the salt to the butter mixture. It may bubble & release steam. Beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer starting on Low speed. Gradually increase the mixer to High speed. Continue beating 5 minutes or until the Caramel Frosting is spreading consistency. Working very quickly, ice the cake layers with the frosting.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{testing notes}
How To Make Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake
Homemade Caramel Frosting crowns this sweet southern icon. There’s a bit of jockeying on the front end while preparing it but you can certainly pull it off. Cream adds indulgent flavor & quality to the frosting & holds up well during the cooking process. It may take a few times before you get the hang of it but it’s well worth giving it a try. The more you practice, the technique will be perfected in no time.
The Technique
From properly preparing cake pans for baking to blending the batter, making a layer cake from scratch is not difficult but there are several points to consider when taking on the task. Start by being certain you have several pieces of key equipment, a few valuable tools & the best ingredients available in order to ensure success throughout the process. Here’s what you should know.
No. 1
The Cake Pan Preparation
Preparing cake pans for batter is ultimately one of the most crucial steps when baking a cake. You can take great care in mixing & blending the batter but it will not be worth your time & effort if the baked cake layers do not release from the pans properly. There are a few methods that I use in order to achieve success when baking that are applied for different flavor profiles.
Begin by coating a generous portion of shortening on the bottom & around the sides of each cake pan. Add a little flour to each pan & pick them up. Turn the pan, tapping lightly while the flour begins to coat & stick to the surface. When it has been coated, remove any excess flour that does not stick. Set the pans aside & prepare the cake batter.
No. 2
The Cake Batter Procedure
The Butter
Softened butter is called for often in recipe applications. The key is to begin the mixing process whether for cakes or other baked items with butter that is the proper consistency. It shouldn’t be too firm nor too soft. You should be able to create a rudimentary butter curl with a spoon indicating that it is indeed ready to use.
Begin the mixing procedure by creaming the butter & the sugar together in the work bowl of an electric stand mixer. The creaming process is a standard cake blending procedure in which the butter & the sugar are beaten using a flat beater attachment thus aerating the mixture so that the additional ingredients will blend in well. It will take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes.
The Egg Preparations
Eggs provide structure to cakes & when additional egg yolks are added to recipes, they add an extra richness. For additional information on the subject, look to How To Separate Eggs.
The Vanilla & The Lemon Juice
Once the eggs have been blended into the batter according to the instructions provided, add the vanilla & the lemon juice. Blend the mixture once again on Low speed. Be certain to stop the mixer occasionally during the blending process & scrape down the bowl sides for the best results.
The Dry Ingredients & The Buttermilk
Measure the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda & the salt. Place the ingredients in a bowl & be certain to whisk them together in order to disperse the leavening to ensure a level rise when the batter bakes. Buttermilk provides delicious flavor & moist texture to cakes.
2a
The dry ingredients & the buttermilk will need to be added to the butter mixture in stages. Always begin & end the process with the dry ingredients. Blend them in on Low speed just until incorporated.
The Cake Batter
Once the blending process is complete, the batter will be smooth & hold soft peaks throughout the mixture. Use a rubber spatula to lift the batter from the bottom of the bowl to be certain everything is combined.
No. 3
The Buttermilk Cake Batter & The Portioning
Portion the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans. Spread it to the edges using a small offset spatula. Lift each cake pan about an inch from the countertop & drop it onto the surface a few times. This will settle the batter into the pans to ensure the cake layers rise & bake evenly in the oven. Bubbles will pop over the surface of the batter. The procedure will prevent the need to trim the cake before icing the layers.
No. 4
The Baking & The Cooling
Position the oven racks in the center of the oven & always preheat it while preparing cake batter so that it is the proper temperature when the cake pans are added. Place the filled pans on the same center rack & start the timer. When they are ready to be removed from the oven, the cakes will pull away from the pan edges & a toothpick inserted into the center will test clean. Do not over bake them.
Cool the cake layers in the pans on a wire rack 10 minutes then invert them to remove the layers from the pans. Flip the cakes over & allow them to cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
No. 5
The Caramel Frosting
The only tool you’ll need to ice the cake layers with the Caramel Frosting is a butter knife or a small icing spatula. Two sugar mixtures will need to cook simultaneously but the technique is straightforward.
5a
Begin the process of preparing the icing by placing 2 1/2 cups sugar, the cream & the butter in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan. Gently stir the mixture over Medium-High heat while the butter melts then remove the spoon & do not use it again. Allow the ingredients to come up to a boil.
5b
Simultaneously, cook the remaining 1 cup of sugar in a dry 2-quart saucepan over Medium-High heat & stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it turns a golden amber color, about 6 to 8 minutes. The sugar will clump as it’s melting keep moving it around the pot with the spoon it will eventually melt, become smooth & turn an amber color.
5c
When the caramel syrup is ready, the first mixture with the butter & the cream will be coming to a boil. Carefully stir the caramel syrup into the butter mixture. Keep stirring until the butter mixture is well incorporated & once it is, stop stirring. This will take at least 1 minute. Do not add the spoon back to the pot. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan.
5d
Cook the mixture until it reaches between 238 to 241 degrees, soft ball stage, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat & allow it to stand 7 minutes.
5e
Add the vanilla & the salt to the caramel mixture. It may bubble & release steam. Beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer starting on Low speed. Gradually increase the mixer to High speed. Continue beating 5 minutes or until the Caramel Frosting is spreading consistency. Working very quickly, ice the cake layers with the frosting.
No. 6
The Cake Assembly
Layer cake frosting techniques vary greatly & the type of frosting used to ice the cake layers can determine the style of the finished cake. Caramel Frosting utilizes an old-fashioned technique of cooking the ingredients on the stovetop which means that once it’s time to ice the cake layers, you must work quickly before the frosting sets.
Place one of the cooled cake layers with the top side facing up on the plate or cake stand you would like to use for your presentation. Pour about a 1/2 cup or so of the Caramel Frosting in the center of the cake layer. Use the butter knife to spread it all the way to the edges being a little generous. Place the second cake layer over the frosting with the bottom side facing up. Push it over the frosting so it adheres. Working quickly, spread a generous portion of frosting over the top & around the sides of the cake, pushing it between the two layers in the center. Ring the cake with fresh frosting to smooth the sides.
The Troubleshooting
Once you begin icing the cake layers you may find the Caramel Frosting becoming stiff & it can set before the entire cake has been iced. Pour a smidgen of cream into the warm, beaten frosting & blend again with the hand held mixer until smooth & more fluid. Resume icing the layers. This can be done two or three times during the cake assembly process.
No. 7
The Caramel Cake
Wipe the plate edges clean with a damp paper towel after icing the cake & allow the Caramel Frosting to set. Store the cake at room temperature until ready to slice.
The Tune
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” Ray Charles
social butterfly
instagram: buttermilklipstick
facebook: Buttermilk Lipstick
twitter: Buttermilk Lipstick@ButtermilkLips
{college football} Rebecca Gordon@TidefanFare
pinterest: Buttermilk Lipstick
Rebecca Gordon
Be sweet.
No comments yet.