Well well if it isn't that time of the month again! I swear this month has been cake after cake after cake so going into it I was not too thrilled. So with that, I thought I would make them into cupcakes and then I saw that alot of people had already done so. So I whipped out my mini cake pan and the rest was history.
This months challenge was from Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater with cohosts Chronicles of Culinary Curiosity , Blondie and Brownie, Foray into Food, and Gluten a go go
I was incredibly surprised at how dense the cake itself was. I did decrease the amount of sugar that the recipe called for because everyone had said that the cake was way too sweet. I think the cake was really tasty the day after. It was more moist and less dry. I LOVED the frosting. The taste of the browned butter was delicious! When I read the recipe it seemed so complicated but once I started, it just flowed. I really didn't taste alot of caramel in it, perhaps next time I would use all caramel syrup instead of granulated sugar in the cake recipe. I wonder if that would give it a more caramel taste?
CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
Shuna Fish Lydon's recipe
Shuna Fish Lydon's recipe
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperatures
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature
1 cup milk, at room temperature
1) Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.
2) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth.
Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
3) Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase
speed.
4) Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl
again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
5) Sift flour and baking powder.Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry
ingredients.
6) When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry
ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called
the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high
proportion of liquid in the batter.}
7) Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is
uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan.
Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own
oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle
comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of
the refrigerator.
CARAMEL SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
1) In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture
feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush.
2) Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.When color is
achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is
very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.
3) Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers.
{Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}Note: For safety reasons, have
ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.
CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste
1) Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside
to cool.
2) Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk
attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to
take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth
and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated.
3) Add salt to taste.
Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light
My friend on the other hand got a medal. She did an amazing job. I can't say it enough. She presented a novelty cake of a sushi box. It was the most adorable cake ever. I told her I would eat her cake since I was hungry and sushi always sounds good. ;-)
A close up of the sushi box. The sushi rolls were really amazing. She made the rice out of rice krispies. She really deserved a medal for it.
I marinated the lamb loins in olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple hours. I then seared both sides lightly and finished it off in the oven till medium-rare.
I was sitting in the office typing up my powerpoint presentation for my wine project when all of a sudden a blast of basil aroma shot up my nose. I found Leben in the other room with a stem of basil (the best looking stem of the bunch) haning out the side of his mouth. I was angry but at the same time it was SO funny. Our friend Karl calls Leben the OC dog because he is SO snobby when it comes to lifestyle. He does not like to be outside for more than 10 minutes, he has a $200 bed, he sleeps on the couch, on our bed, he LOVES cottage cheese in his food and he is extremely picky about his dog food. He savors his rib bones when I boil them for him and he definitely knows his cheese. ;-) Almost 1 years old and he is the joy of our lives. I can't imagine life without him greeting us at the dog, nubbin wagging and all. He is the biggest baby that I have ever laid my eyes on yet he protects me so well. We love him with all our hearts and he is the biggest daddys little boy in the world.
It's rolling to that time of the year - fall semester is almost out. 3 more classes left and we are preparing for our salon competition which is basically a competition judged according to the ACF standards. It's exciting but at the same time nerve wrecking. I want to do good but I'm such a novice with cakes, I really cannot guarantee the end product. 
