I couldn't decide what to make for dinner on Friday, and no restaurants called our name. So I forgot my usual preoccupations with nutrition and "real food," and went for this Best-Ever Caramel Cake from Food & Wine magazine.
The multi-step process (plus time for photos) was a lengthy ordeal that left me thoroughly sick of caramel, so the cake sat untouched in the fridge until Saturday night. Probably for the best: according to the magazine, this caramel cake is better the second day.
Since neither Brian or I have ever had a caramel cake, we can't confirm whether this is actually the best-ever. But the super-sweet caramel icing spread thin enough to not overwhelm the vanilla cake, which was rich and dense (not at all "fluffy" as described in the recipe). If I was throwing a birthday party for a caramel-lover, this would be my cake of choice.
Yay for baking! I am currenty christening our oven with a peach pie. This is my first pie ever, so fingers crossed that it is edible...
ReplyDeleteOh, peach pie sounds delicious! I hope it turned out!
ReplyDeleteOMG!! i saw this in my copy of F&W last night and was planning on making it! it sounds hard, though--and i'm not a great baker... =)
ReplyDeleteTry it!! And let me know how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteIt took a *long* time and I messed up a few spots (or cut corners), but nothing was too hard. Mine may not have turned out exactly as intended, but it was still great.
People always talk about baking being so precise, but that is not so much my style. :) I substituted AP flour for cake flour (found an equivalent online), and used half+half and skim milk for cream and whole milk (meaning I also couldn't whip the cream to mix into the cake batter, probably why my cake was dense). If I was planning in advance, I'd get the cake flour and cream, but overall I think the cake is not as finicky as the detailed recipe implies.
If you don't have a candy thermometer, you probably need one to make sure the caramel reached 235° prescicely (I tried to stop at 230ish° and it was still runny).
lol--i so don't have a candy thermometer if that tells you what kind of baker i am. i mostly use my kitchenaid for whipping cream because anything not-from-a-box usually turns out iffy. but i am totally trying this cake! i'll let you know how it goes!
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