Food Wine Caramel Layer Cake

CARAMEL LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• To Prepare the Cake:.
• Coat two (9-inch/23cm) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper. Coat paper with cooking spray; dust with the 1 tablespoon flour.
• Beat granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon 2 1/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with 1 1/4 cups milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla.
• Pour batter into prepared pans, and sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 C) for 30 minutes* (see note), or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Carefully peel off wax paper or parchment paper; cool completely on wire rack.
• *Note: If using non-stick or dark colored cake pans, bake at 325 degrees F (160 C), and bake for 25-27 minutes.
• To Prepare the Caramel Frosting:.
• Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (brown sugar through salt) in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until thick (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add confectioners' sugar and 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth and slightly warm. Cool 2 to 3 minutes (frosting will be thin but thickens as it cools).
• Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spoon 1/2 cup frosting on to cake layer spreading to cover. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake, and garnish top of cake with pecan halves (optional). Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

DELICIOUS CARAMEL LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line bottoms with parchment paper. Coat paper with cooking spray and dust with flour.
• Beat sugar and 1/2 cup butter at medium speed until well-blended (about 5 minutes).
• Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a seperate bowl and mix.
• Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with 1 1/4 cups milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla.
• Pour batter into prepared pans, and sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack and remove from pans. Carefully peel off parchment paper and cool completely on wire rack.
• Frosting:.
• Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (brown sugar through salt) in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat, and simmer until thick (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Add confectioners' sugar and 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and slightly warm. Cool 2 to 3 minutes (frosting will be thin but thickens as it cools.
• Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spoon 1/2 cup frosting on to cake layer spreading to cover. Top with remaining cake layer, frost top and sides.

LAYER CAKE WITH CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• For cake, cream together shortening and softened butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
• Add eggs and beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt, and add dry ingredients alternately with milk (3 additions of dry, 2 of milk).
• Beat only until well blended but do not overbeat.
• Fold in vanilla extract.
• Pour into two well greased and floured 10 inch layer pans (or 3 9 inch pans) and bake in a preheated 350 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven, turn cake pans upside down on counter on waxed paper.
• In a few minutes, remove pans from cake layers and let them cool completely before making the frosting.
• When cake layers have cooled, make frosting. Melt butter in a heavy pan over medium heat.
• Add brown sugar and continue cooking until it melts, stirring and watching carefully.
• After sugar is melted, add 1/3 cup milk and stir in well.
• Turn burner to medium high, and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Boil for at least one minute, but not more than two minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour over powdered sugar in a metal or heat proof bowl.
• Beat well for about 10 minutes, adding more milk as needed if mixture is too thick (it will set up and get thicker as it cools).
• Mix in vanilla extract.
• Fill and frost layers immediately before frosting sets and becomes very hard to spread.

UTTERLY NUTTERLY CARAMEL LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed Victoria sandwich cake tins with baking parchment, then grease one of the tins over the top of the parchment (this will help to prevent the caramel-nut topping from sticking when you turn it out). Tip the nuts into a frying pan and toast over a medium heat until golden. Add 50g of the butter, 50g sugar, the golden syrup and a good pinch of salt. Stir until the butter has melted, then bubble for 2 mins until the buttery sauce is golden brown - don't let it bubble for too long or the topping will set hard once cooled. Tip into the cake tin with the greased parchment and smooth over. Leave to cool while you make the cake.
• Tip the remaining butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the flour, almonds, baking powder, 1⁄2 tsp salt, almond extract and milk, and mix again until just combined. Divide the cake mixture between the tins and smooth over the surface. Bake for 25 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then flip out onto a wire rack and remove the parchment. Allow to cool completely.
• Whisk the cream and 2 tbsp of the caramel until softly whipped and just holding its shape. To assemble the cake, place the plain cake on a plate or stand. Top with the whipped cream, swirling it out towards the edges. Drizzle over the remaining caramel (give it a good mix first to loosen it), letting it dribble down the sides. Top with the remaining sponge, nutty-side up. Serve within 1 day, or store in fridge for 3 days, removing it from the fridge 10 mins before serving.

APPLE-SPICE LAYER CAKE WITH CARAMEL SWIRL ICING

Steps:

• Place one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and a second rack in the top third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans with butter or cooking spray, then line each with a parchment paper round and grease the rounds. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the molasses. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices to blend. Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternately to the batter. (Start and end with the flour mixture, adding the flour mixture in 3 increments and the sour cream in 2 increments.) After each addition, mix on low speed just to combine the ingredients. Stir in the shredded apples, vanilla, and ginger.
• Spoon the batter (it will be thick) evenly into the prepared pans. Place two cake pans side by side on one rack and the third on the other. Stagger the cake layers on the oven racks so that no layer is directly over another. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until firm to the touch. Monitor the layers carefully for doneness; each one may be done at a different time. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pans and unmold the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes, before frosting. The cakes can be kept frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 weeks. Defrost them at room temperature before unwrapping. Frost immediately.
• To make the icing: In a medium stainless-steel bowl, combine the unwrapped caramels, 2 tablespoons of the cream, and the 2 tablespoons butter. Place over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water. Stir the caramel mixture until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat. Let cool, stirring the mixture every few minutes until cool to the touch, about 20 minutes. (If the mixture is too warm, it will melt the buttercream frosting when it is stirred in later.)
• While the caramel is cooling, make the butter cream: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 1/2 cups butter on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, until pale in color. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cream and the vanilla and powdered sugar, and beat for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the mascarpone and beat on medium-low speed until incorporated. Do not overbeat the mascarpone, or it may separate. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooled caramel mixture to drizzle over the cake once it is frosted. Stir the remainder of the caramel into the frosting, using large strokes to create caramel swirls throughout. Don't stir it too much or the ribbons of caramel will disappear.
• Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread a thick blanket of frosting on top. Add the second layer and spread thickly with frosting. Add the third layer and cover the top and sides of the cake with an even layer of frosting. Use a small spoon to drizzle the reserved 1/4 cup of caramel over the top of the cake. Pat on the toasted pecan pieces to cover the sides of the cake. Tip: Using the proper tools for cutting frosted layer cakes ensures that individual servings look as good as they taste. I use a large serrated knife dipped in hot water for cutting. I wipe the knife off with a clean dishcloth after each piece, which ensures that every cut is as clean as the first.

CARAMEL LAYER CAKE WITH APPLE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two (9-by-2-inch) round cake pans; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a second large bowl, beat sugar and oil together with an electric mixer until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add applesauce, dulce de leche and vanilla, beat for 30 seconds, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk, and continuing to beat until well combined.
• Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Set aside to let cool for 10 minutes, then gently loosen cakes and turn out onto a cooking rack; set aside to let cool completely.
• For the frosting, put sugar, butter, cider, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Arrange one cake on a large plate and spread about 2/3 cup of the frosting evenly over the top. Arrange second cake on top then frost top and sides of entire cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with dried apple slices, if you like, then set aside at room temperature or in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow frosting to set before serving.