The Recipe Room

Caramel is a wonderful flavour. I love it with fruit such as in this Caramel Peach recipe. I am also partial to this caramel cake with butter cream icing. It is a bit tricky to make and takes a bit of time, but the result is absolutely fantastic, so grab your apron and let’s get baking!

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 290g sifted flour
• 2tsp baking powder
• ½tsp salt
• 110g butter, softened
• 300g granulated sugar
• 250ml water
• 3 eggs, yolks separated from whites, whites stiffly beaten

For the caramel syrup:

• 100g granulated sugar
• 125ml boiling water

For the butter cream icing:

• 120g unsalted butter, softened
• 565g icing sugar
• 90ml single cream
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2tbsps caramel syrup (see above)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl.
4. Gradually add the sugar to the butter, then mix with an electric mixer at high speed until it’s light and fluffy.
5. Blend in the egg yolks at medium speed.
6. Beat well.
7. Alternately blend in the sifted dry ingredients and the water, about a quarter at a time, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Make sure you blend very well after each addition.
8. To make the caramel syrup, melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan over low heat until it turns golden brown.
9. Remove from heat and gradually add the boiling water, just a few drops at a time at first, then about a tablespoon at a time.  Stir constantly to dissolve the caramel.
10. Add all but 2 tablespoons of this syrup to the batter and blend well.
11. Fold the egg whites into the batter.
12. Pour the batter into two 20cm non-stick layer-cake pans.
13. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the centre of the cake springs back when lightly touched.
14. Cool the layers on a wire rack.
15. To make the icing, beat the butter until fluffy.
16. Gradually beat the sugar into the butter, alternately with the cream, until the sugar is absorbed.
17. Beat in the vanilla extract.
18. Beat in the 2 tablespoons of caramel syrup you set aside earlier.
19. The icing should be of spreading consistency. If it’s not, add more sugar to thicken or cream to thin.
20. Frost the cooled layers with the icing and stack.
21. Slice and serve.

Prep Time:  60 minutes

Cooking Time:  35 minutes

Serves:  8

Difficulty:  Difficult