If there’s one thing I feel very little confidence in making, it’s caramel. Quite a shame, actually, because caramel is pretty awesome.
As you can now imagine, I don’t make a lot of traditional caramel cakes. I tried this one a few years ago, and I did okay with it. My caramel wasn’t perfect, but it was still delicious.
But, the thing is that caramel cake is really good. And I always get a craving for it once we get remotely near Thanksgiving and Christmas. That leads us to this cake. We can all make this one.
The cake itself is pretty tasty all on its own. Lots of brown sugar for a caramel-y flavor. And buttermilk to boot. I’ll never understand how something as un-tasty as buttermilk can make cakes so good.
And the caramel sauce? Well, it’s pretty simple. You don’t even need a candy thermometer. Just a heavy saucepan, a big spoon, and about 10 minutes. Now, that’s my kind of caramel.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Begin and end with flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the caramel sauce:
Combine brown sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for 4-5 minutes or until mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla, and stir until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Pour desired amount over cake. Transfer any remaining sauce to a container, and store in refrigerator.
http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2012/11/caramel-bundt-cake/
November 7th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
I always feel funny about making caramel too, but somehow it turns out,,,,your cake looks lovely! I would go bonkers for this!
November 7th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
I have screwed up caramel so many times… it’s just too easy to mess up. I may give it another shot though, you’ve inspired me!
November 7th, 2012 at 6:33 pm
You might have just convinced me to (finally) invest in a bundt tin.
In the UK we don’t have corn syrup, it might be worth suggesting an alternative to that, I’d probably use golden syrup myself.
Keep up the great work.
November 8th, 2012 at 12:55 am
ooooh i think i know what i’m making for our office bake off on friday. Thanks!!!
November 8th, 2012 at 1:53 am
For those without corn syrup, would golden syrup work? The caramel sauce sounds like a must have.
November 8th, 2012 at 9:31 am
I don’t have any experience using golden syrup, but from what I’ve read it should work.
November 8th, 2012 at 5:40 pm
ooh man that is a sexy looking cake! I love caramel
November 10th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
In Australia we buy a can of sweetened condensed milk, place can (unopened) in a saucepan with enough water to totally cover the can, boil (with a lid on) slowly for about an hour for light caramel flavour or up to 2 for a darker, richer flavour (and colour).
November 10th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
I’d just like to emphasis the importance of keeping the water level above the can. The can will explode if the water level drops too far and the caramel is very hot. I have seen some ugly scars from exploding cans of caramel.
November 10th, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Really nice! The cake by itself is subtle with the caramel flavor. The glaze really kicks it up. I think a big scoop of vanilla ice cream would be great with this.