12 Days of Christmas: Day 8

12 Days of Christmas: Day 8

Maya Angelou's Caramel Cake
I made this as a gift for someone at a secret santa exchange.
This was a difficult cake, but it was delicious!


Ingredients for Batter:

Nonstick cooking spray with flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups Sugar

1/4 cup Caramel syrup, plus more for serving

2 cups Sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Milk

2 Large eggs

Ingredients for Caramel Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

Instructions: Melt sugar in heavy skillet pan until boiling. Add 1 cup boiling water and mix until syrupy.

Ingredients for Caramel frosting:
Makes enough for one 8-inch cake
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 package (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind; let cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, salt, and butter. With the mixer on low, slowly add cream; beat until smooth. If frosting seems too thick, stir another tablespoon cream into the mixture.


Preparation for cake:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line each with a parchment paper round, and spray again. Set pan aside.

2. Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue to beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in syrup.

3. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture, alternating with milk, beginning an ending with flour mixture.

4. Beat egg until foamy in another bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir until cake batter until well combine.

5. Divide cake batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until cakes spring back when gently touch in the center, about 25 minutes. If cakes do not spring back, return to oven and continue cooking about ten minutes more.

6. Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire racks and remove parchment paper round. Let cakes cool to room temperature before frosting.