Daring Bakers: Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

This is my first Daring Baker's Challenge and I am very excited!  The recipe for this months challenge is Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon, as published on Bay Area Bites.  Our wonderful hosts this month are: Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo), and Jenny of Foray into Food.  For alternative bakers, we’ve once again turned to Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go to assist us.  I did not have time to make the optional caramels, but I am hoping to make them sometime in the next couple weeks.  I was a little intimidated by this cake after learning about all the trouble other Daring Bakers were having with the caramel syrup, but mine turned out perfectly the first time!  I did make only a half batch of the caramel syrup and that was just the right amount to do the cake and the frosting.  

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
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 temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Butter and flour one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.
• 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.
• Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
• Sift flour and baking powder.
• Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. 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.)
• 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)

• 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. 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.
• 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

• Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.
• 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. 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.

     I really enjoyed baking this cake.  I have had very little experience with baking cakes from scratch, so I'm thrilled it turned out so well.  I highly recommend following the recipe exactly, as it makes all the difference.  When you are ready to make the caramel syrup, set up everything you need right there, and watch closely so that when the sugar mixture starts to caramelize, you are ready to pour in the water.  If you don't have everything ready at that moment, it will probably burn before you have the chance to pour in the water!  My cake got rave reviews at Thanksgiving dinner, everyone particularly liked the frosting and said they had never had anything quite like it.  I thought it was delicious.  I added a good amount of salt to the frosting, I'm not sure how much, but it really helped balance the sweetness.  The cake itself is a little more dense than other cakes I've tried, but very moist and perfect with the frosting.  I wish I had taken the time to get better pictures, but there were some hungry people milling about the kitchen, so I had to settle for some quick snapshots.

Cranberry-Ginger Relish and Thanksgiving Menu

I'm starting to feel the pressure...all the planning and cooking and baking, not to mention the cleaning.  This is the first time I'll be the sole person responsible for planning and executing Thanksgiving dinner for more than just two people.  I'm actually kind of excited because I think its going to be really good!  I've planned the timing of all the cooking out carefully since it will just be me doing most of it.  I'll have some help on Thanksgiving Day, but not much time, so I'm going to make it as stress free as possible by preparing what I can in advance.  Today I made this Cranberry-Ginger Relish recipe I saw on a Martha Stewart show last year around this time.  This is the first time I've made it, but I think it's going to be yummy!  The picture is from marthastewart.com since I didn't have time to take one myself.  I promise mine looks exactly the same!  

Cranberry-Ginger Relish from Martha Stewart

1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

• In a large saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, ginger, and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped, 10-15 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.
• Remove relish from heat.  Let cool to room temperature and serve (or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days).

Here is my menu plan for Thanksgiving, inspired by great recipes from all over the blogosphere.

FriChik (veggie meat substitute in a can)

Gravy (made from the FriChik juice)

Slow Cooked Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes (From Coconut & Lime)
Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze (From Cooking Light Magazine, see my post)

Spicy Roasted Brussel Sprouts (another Martha Stewart recipe)

Skillet Cornbread Dressing (from Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Entertaining)

Buttermilk Cluster Rolls (found at The Fresh Loaf)

Cranberry-Ginger Relish (see above)

Cranberry Spice Pinwheel Cookies (from Eating Well, see my post)

Impossible Pumpkin Pie (from FatFree Vegan Kitchen)

So that is what I'll be working on over the next few days.  Some of these things I've made before and already posted, others I'll be posting about later.  I wanted to make my own seitan roast, but I'll have to save that one for Christmas, because I'm just not going to have the time this week.  There is one more thing not listed here, but that's a surprise, so you'll have to wait to find out what it is!

Book Review: The Secrets of Skinny Chicks

     This book actually came out in 2006, but I just noticed it at the book store last week.  I was immediately drawn to it because the author, Karen Bridson, profiles real women who work hard to look good and be healthy.  I began my own weight loss journey more than three years ago, on my 25th birthday.  I have since lost 50 pounds to reach my goal.  I have often heard people say things (about other women) like "Oh, she's so lucky to be so thin."  Even worse is "She must be able to eat whatever she wants."  Luck has absolutely nothing to do with it!  Losing that weight and keeping it off has been one of the most challenging things I've ever done, and one of the most rewarding.  It didn't get much easier when I got to the goal either, but I am learning to adjust my expectations.  I used to think there were people out there who could eat almost anything and not gain an ounce, but now I'm pretty sure if they do exist, there might be two people on the whole planet like that.  Everyone who sets a high standard for nutrition and exercise has to work at it, and if they tell you they don't, then they're probably lying.  I think when people say they can eat whatever they want it means that their appetites are probably in line with their needs.  They have perfectly reasonable expectations for the amount and type of food they need to eat, and how much exercise they need to do to look a certain way.

     What I really like about this book is the realistic view of what you have to do to look like the women (models, actresses, athletes) you've always envied.  Even if you don't want to take it to that extreme, this book is full of tips everyone can use to inspire them along their fitness journey.  Almost everything in this book is stuff I already knew, but we all need reminding of what we can do to be successful.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is "This is not about dieting, this is about changing the way you look at food and your perception of how much you need."(page 137)  This was one of the hardest things for me; changing my perception and expectations of how much food I could eat, particularly once I reached my goal.  It's really important to make the kinds of changes you can live with for the rest of your life, rather than going on a diet so extreme you'll never be able to stick with it.

     The author of The Secrets of Skinny Chicks is realistic and encouraging about what women need to do to reach their goals.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is just starting a diet and exercise program, and anyone who's been at it for a while and needs inspiration.  It is easy to read and something I will definitely refer to again for inspiration and when I need reminding of what I should be doing!  The book covers all the good habits of women who stay thin and healthy all the time.  Don't sell yourself short!  If you are willing to do the work, you can look and feel fabulous!

Puppy Cakes - Lick them before they lick you!

Pin ItTonight's project was decorating miniature cupcakes with my sister-in-law H for our niece B's birthday party.  B turned 3 on Thursday, and she is so cute!  Anyway, these little cakes were H's idea (the creative genius).  She baked them in a miniature cupcake pan, mixed up some basic buttercream icing, and brought them over to my house for the fun part.  I got to help decorate them.  Neither one of us has ever taken a cake decorating class (which I would still like to do), but I am very proud of how these turned out.  One mini cupcake is the base, while half a mini cupcake is attached with a toothpick or icing for the head.  We mixed up the different colors of icing and used sandwich bags with the corners snipped off to make the "fur".  We used cut up pieces of chocolate chips and raisins for eyes and noses and finished them off with little pink icing tongues.  They almost look like they could give you wet puppy kisses.  I think the kids will lick them first though!  They were a lot of fun to make.  Now I just need an excuse to come up with another cake decorating project.  

Matter Paneer Made Vegan

My husband really likes Indian food.  When we started dating, he took me out to an Indian restaurant for my first taste of it.  I love that there are so many vegetarian options and it's all so good!  It's loaded with calories though, so we don't go out for it very often.  I was thrilled when I found this recipe for Matter Paneer in the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.  It can be made either vegan or vegetarian, depending on your preference.  The first time I made it, I was able to find some paneer at a local Indian grocery store, and it was delicious but full of calories and saturated fat.  After that, I used the suggestion from VT to make it with tofu and I think it is really good that way.

Serves 4-6

1 large onion, quartered

1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. whole brown mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. garam masala

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas, thawed (1 generous cup)

3 Tbs. reduced-fat or fat free sour cream (or soy yogurt, or leave out completely)

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 8-oz. pkg. tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes (or paneer if you choose)

• Purée onion in food processor.
• Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin and bay leaf. Cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in tomato sauce, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, salt and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add up to 1/2 cup water if sauce is too thick. I don't usually have to add any water.  
• Stir in peas, tofu, sour cream (or soy yogurt or nothing) and sugar. Simmer 15-20 minutes more.  Remove bay leaf and serve hot with basmati rice or naan bread.   
• If making with paneer, add the paneer 5 minutes after adding the peas and cook for only about three more minutes.
  

My tofu of choice is Mori Nu Lite Firm Tofu.  I like it because it has the fewest calories of any light tofu I have found, and it doesn't have to be refrigerated until opening.  I buy it in bulk so I always have some on hand.  This tofu comes in 12.3 ounce packages, so you may use only half the package for this recipe.  I usually double the recipe so I can use up a whole package.  It is good leftover and it never lasts long!  Your amounts of tofu and peas don't have to be exact for this recipe, but I generally add 2 1/3 cups frozen peas if I double the recipe.  I also like to serve this as a main dish meal, so if I make it as written, I divide it in half to make just two servings (1 1/2 cups per serving, makes 3 cups total or 6 if doubled).  I serve 1 1/2 cups of the matter paneer over 1 cup of basmati rice which makes a nice meal for about 475 calories (275 for the matter paneer, 200 for the rice).

When I started making this, I had trouble finding garam masala.  Here is a recipe to make your own, also from Vegetarian Times (I don't remember what issue).

Garam Masala
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS ground coriander
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Mix together well and store in an airtight container away from light.

If you want to make fragrant basmati rice, like you get in Indian restaurants, here is how.

8 whole green cardamom pods
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vegetable oil (optional, I leave it out)
1 cinnamon stick
Add to basmati rice and cook according to package directions.  Remove cardamom and cinnamon before serving.  Note: I wasn't able to find whole green cardamom pods, so I used a couple pinches of dried whole cardamom.  It worked well, and you don't have to worry about removing them at the end - they're a little crunchy but not hard or unpleasant.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins

The recipe for these muffins came from a November 2006 issue of Cooking Light Magazine.  They are quite different from the Pumpkin Oat Muffins I posted previously.  I have to say, I think I like these better, but I didn't really give the other ones a fair chance with all the substitutions I made.  I'm hoping these will freeze well so we can enjoy them from now through Thanksgiving Day.  The recipe says they can be made up to two days ahead.  Tip:  to make your own pumpkin pie spice, follow this link.  I used recipe #4. 

Makes 18 muffins

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (about 10 ounces)

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup golden raisins (I used dark raisins, since that's what I had)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare enough muffin tins for 18 muffins by coating with cooking spray.  
• Spoon flour into dry measuring cups, leveling with a knife.  Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.  Stir in raisins and make a well in center of mixture.
• Combine brown sugar, canned pumpkin, buttermilk, canola oil, molasses, vanilla, and eggs, stirring well with a whisk.  Add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Spoon batter into 18 prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.  

These muffins turned out perfectly when baked for exactly 15 minutes in my oven.  I forgot to spinkle the granulated sugar on top, but I didn't miss it.  They were delicious!  They are 200 calories per muffin.

Cranberry-Honey Spice Pinwheel Cookies

I found this recipe in an issue of Eating Well Magazine (November/December 2005).  These are great because they make a large batch ( about 90 cookies), and you can make them ahead of time, freeze the logs, and then only slice and bake as many as you want at a time.  You can also do the dough and the filling at different times (make the filling up to 2 days before you want to make the dough and assemble the logs).  They take about 1 1/2 hours of hands on time to make, and a total of 6 hours from start to finish, including freezing and cooling times.  They have a wonderfully spicy aroma and smell just like Thanksgiving and Christmas to me!  I am enjoying the smell of the first batch baking as I write this....mmmmmm.

Filling

1 1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or allspice

Dough

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or allspice

1/3 cup canola oil

3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup honey

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons lowfat milk, plus more as needed

2 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• For the filling:  Combine all filling ingredients in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat.  Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook, stirring, until the fresh cranberries burst and soften, about 4-5 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and puree.  If the mixture seems dry, stir in up to 2 teaspoons of water.  Transfer mixture to a nonreactive container and refrigerate while preparing the dough.  Personal note:  When I first combined all these ingredients in the saucepan, I thought the mixture seemed very dry and I wondered how it would come to a boil, but have faith, as the honey warms and the fresh cranberries start to burst, the mixture will become very moist.  I did not have to add any water when I pureed it.
• For the dough:  Whisk all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom (or allspice) in a large bowl.  In another large bowl, combine oil, butter, sugar, honey, eggs, milk, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts.  Beat wet ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed, then on medium speed until well combined.  Add half the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Stir in the remaining dry ingredients until evenly incorporated, adding up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the dough is too dry to hold together  (I did not have this problem, my dough was just right without the extra milk).  Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30-45 minutes to reduce its stickiness.  I would recommend even refrigerating it for an 1-1 1/2 hours.  It was not overly sticky after 30 minutes, but I think it would be easier to handle and roll out if chilled well.
• Turn dough out into a work surface and divide in half.  Shape each half into a 6-inch long log.  Working with one log at a time, center it on a 16-inch-long sheet of baking parchment or wax paper.  Cover with a second sheet and roll into a 12x15-inch rectangle of even thickness, inverting the dough to roll out any wrinkles and patching it if necessary to make the sides as even as possible.  Transfer the dough, in the paper, to a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining log.  Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the dough is slightly firm, about 15 minutes.  Personal note:  I would freeze the sheets of dough for 20 to 30 minutes.  Take only one at a time out of the freezer, and work quickly.  As the dough warmed, I had problems with it coming apart a little when spreading the cranberry mixture and sticking to the wax paper when I tried to roll it up.  I also recommend oiling your hands a little bit and using the side of an oiled spatula to loosen the dough from the paper as you roll it, if sticking is a problem.
• To prepare pinwheel rolls:  Place one sheet of dough on the work surface.  Peel off the top sheet of paper.  Spread half the reserved filling evenly over the dough (it will be a very thin layer).  Working from a 15-inch long side, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll style, leaving the bottom sheet of paper behind.  Wrap the roll in a clean sheet of wax paper, twisting the ends to prevent unrolling.  Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the second piece of dough.  Put both rolls into the freezer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, at least 3-4 hours.  Note: to get a uniformly round cookie, enclose the rolls in the cardboard tubes from paper towels or foil before freezing.  Slit each tube lengthwise and insert the wrapped pinwheel log.  Secure the tube around the log using rubber bands or tape.
• To bake the cookies:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Working with one pinwheel roll at a time, trim the uneven ends.  Cut the roll crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices using a serrated knife.  Periodically turn the roll to maintain a relatively round cookie shape.  Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart.  Bake until puffed and barely golden brown, 12-16 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.  Personal note:  I recommend putting the roll you are slicing back into the freezer while waiting for cookies to bake.  Even though I did that, it started to get a little soft towards the end, making it more difficult to slice.  Don't worry if the cookies aren't perfectly round, they will look better after baking.  They were done after 14 minutes in my oven.

These little cookies are delicious, and so pretty!  They smell wonderful and I think they will be a great addition to my Thanksgiving dinner.  I sliced and baked only one of the rolls for now and I'm saving the other one for next week.  These cookies will be good stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or you can freeze them after baking for up to one month.  The tightly wrapped dough rolls can be frozen for up to 2 months (do not defrost before slicing and baking).  They are 54 calories and 1g fat per cookie.