Hi! Welcome to A&B Homemaker! This is a space to explore ideas, recipes, thoughts and so on. 

Today we are going to be making a Caramel Cake. The  My grandmother had a stellar scratch caramel cake recipe that my entire family loves to talk about. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away when I was 6 years old and no one saved the recipe. So a few years ago I was really excited to try and find the perfect caramel recipe. 

Caramel Cake.png

After some trial and error I have a recipe that was a hit with my family. I mainly adapted my version from this recipe. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with all of you. 

Working on this recipe was important because I wanted to find that part of my family's history that was lost. The older I get the more I evaluate and value family, legacy, and tradition. So be sure to check out the video where I share and explore the idea of legacy. The video will also give you a step by step guide through the entire process. This may come in particularly handy when making the caramels. 

Check out the video and enjoy!

Caramel Cake Ingredients 

  • 1 3/4 cups sugar 

  • 1/3 cup hot water 

  • 3 cups cake flour 

  • 3 tsp baking powder 

  • 1/2 tsp salt 

  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks) 

  • 1/2 cup olive oil 

  • 3 eggs 

  • 1 tbsp of vanilla 

  • 2/3 cup of milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the caramel syrup: 

  1. Place 1/2 cup of the sugar in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar melts.

  2. When the sugar becomes a dark amber color (about 5 minutes- watch it closely), remove from heat and whisk in the hot water VERY slowly until dissolved. You’ll be left with a syrup about the consistency of simple syrup.

  3. Let it cool completely. *The first time I tried this I added my hot water too fast and ended up with a rock-hard lump of caramel, so be sure to add the water VERY slowly while whisking!

Make the Cake:

  1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.

  2. In a separate large bowl or a standing mixer cream the butter and the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  4. Add vanilla, oil, and the cooled caramel syrup; blend.

  5. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately, beating until smooth.

  6. Pour into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans (well greased)  

  7. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Caramel Filling

  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 

  • 1 tbsp butter 

  • 2 tbsp corn starch 

  • 1 cup half and half

  • 2 tsp of vanilla 

  1. Cook the sugar, butter, cornstarch and half and half together in a double boiler until thick (mine never got too thick and I cooked it for at least 15 minutes).

  2. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. Let cool for about 5 minutes then pour over the warm cakes still in their pans (I poked holes all over my cakes with a toothpick so it would soak up the liquid better).

  3. Let the cakes sit out at room temperature in their pans until completely cooled.


Caramel Icing 

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened

  • 2 cups powdered sugar 

Caramel 

  1. Over medium-high heat add granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

  2. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes. It will bubble and I normally gently move the pan to mix the bubbling mixture to ensure it cooks evenly. 

  3. Remove from heat and very slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth (be careful, as the mixture will definitely bubble up and possibly splatter a bit as you add in the cream). Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Icing

  1. Beat the butter in the bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

  2. Reduce speed to low, gradually add powdered sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.

  3. Turn off the mixer, and then add caramel. Beat frosting on low to combine, and then increase to medium-high and beat until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes.

  4. Refrigerate if not using immediately (or to harden the frosting a bit).


I hope you all enjoy the video and try out the caramel cake. Of course, let me know your thoughts and remixes in the comments below. 

Enjoy!

AB




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