caramel layer cake- O....M.....G ! ! !

Once upon a time there was an absolutely fabulous cake. A caramel cake. A caramel cake with 3 layers of caramel-y goodness!! Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness ( channeling my best Annie character) Did I mention there's caramel? Lots of caramel? Mmm-mmm- good!

Cake

1 cup whole milk
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened & cut into pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream

Frosting

3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream


Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter (or spray) three 8-inch cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and flour the pans, tapping out the excess.
2.In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the egg whites and vanilla extract. In a
standing mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.
Add the butter and the remaining 3/4 cup of milk. Beat at low speed until blended, then beat at
medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg white mixture in 3 batches.

3.In another bowl, using an electric mixer (or, if you only have a mixer like me, transfer the batter to a large bowl, clean and use again for the next step) beat the cream until soft peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the batter, then fold in the rest. Divide the batter between all 3 pans & smooth the tops. You can use a small offset spatula, I find it works best for this.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Unmold the cakes and peel off the paper.
Invert the cakes and let cool completely.

4. In a saucepan, stir 2 1/2 cups of the sugar with the corn syrup and milk. Cook over moderate heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Keep warm.
5. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in a deep, heavy saucepan. Cook the sugar over moderate heat, swirling occasionally, until an amber caramel forms. Carefully pour the warm milk mixture over the caramel.
Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the caramel dissolves.
Stop stirring and cook until the caramel registers 235° on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the butter, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream. Strain the caramel into the bowl of a standing mixer.
Let cool for 15 minutes.
6. Beat the caramel at medium speed, gradually adding the remaining 1/4 cup of cream, until creamy, about 15 minutes. MAKE SURE ITS COOL BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE CAKE, IT WILL DRIP TO BEGIN WITH, BUT YOU WILL LOSE A LOT IF ITS STILL WARM.
7. Set 1 cake layer on a plate. Pour enough icing over the layer to cover the top. Top with a second cake layer
and cover it with icing. Add the final cake layer and pour the rest of the icing over the top of the cake,
letting it run down the sides. Working quickly, use an offset spatula to spread the icing gently around the cake.
Let the cake stand for 2 hours to set the icing before serving.

This cake is actually better the next day. I had a hard enough time waiting 2 hours, so im just letting you know!!

Thanks so much for stopping by, please let me know if you have any questions, i'm always happy to help.

Gotta get your veggies in!! (even in cake)

I wasnt going to post this recipe because I 'lost' the pics of the actual cake and final plating. Talk about a blonde moment! ( please do not send angry emails , I am a natural blonde, so I can say that!) But it was just so much fun to make and so yummy, I figured it was better than nothing.

As usual....I've been wanting to make this recipe for quite sometime. I found it in a Pastry & Baking magazine January 2009. Its from Johnny Iuzzini, the Executive Pastry Chef at Jean Georges in NYC and, as you might now know, currently one of the judges on Top Chef:Just Desserts.

I also have his book Dessert Foreplay, which I picked up at the bookstore for 2 reasons: 1- the name of the book, & 2- his hair. Yes, I said his hair. Anyone over 30 who still refers to himself as Johnny AND rocks a pompador, is either crazy or confident. Or......crazy confident!

Ok, let's begin.....
A pic of 2 beautifully roasted beets above.

Rough chop the beets once they're cool, before you puree them.

Such a pretty color!!

Make sure you strain it.

Put it in a bowl on the side with the rest of the mise en place.

After slicing the rest of the beets to about 1/8 of an inch, add them to simple syrup and boil.

After they've cooled and you've patted them dry, dip them in sugar.

Once thats done, place them on a silpat and put in a cool dry place overnight.

Candied Beets

2 bunches baby beets
2 cups (400g) simple syrup
Sugar
Peel the beets and slice them about 1/8
inch thick.
Bring the simple syrup to a boil in a
saucepan over medium heat. Add the
beets and bring to a simmer. Reduce the
heat and simmer the beets gently until
they’re translucent, about 1 hour. Keep
the heat low, so the beets don’t curl as
you cook them. Let cool completely in
the syrup.
Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or
parchment.
Drain the beets gently, so they don’t
break, and dredge them in sugar. Arrange
on the baking sheet and place in a cold
oven overnight to dry.
Store in an airtight container for up to
a week.

Cake

3 large beets
Coarse salt
1 ounce (28g) unsweetened chocolate –
chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (80g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking soda
11/2 cups plus 1 tbsp (160g) †sugar
1 large egg
6 tablespoons (80g) grapeseed oil ( i used vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon (2g) vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 425ºF or 400ºF on
convection.
Trim the tops from the beets, leaving
about 1 inch of the stems. Tear off a large
piece of aluminum foil and make a bed
of coarse salt in the center. Set the beets
on the salt, wrap the foil to make a tight
package, and roast the beets until very
tender, about 1 hour.
Let the beets cool. Peel them and cut
them into chunks. Put them in a food
processor and process to a very fine
puree. Strain and measure out 1/2 cup.
Reserve the rest for the sauce.

Heat the oven to 350ºF or 325ºF on
convection. Butter and sugar a 9-inch
square baking pan.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave, in
30-second bursts, stirring after each
burst.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and 1/8 tsp
salt together in a bowl.
Put the sugar, egg, and oil in the bowl
of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk.
Whisk for 2 minutes at medium-high
speed, until pale and light. Beat in the
vanilla extract, then the dry ingredients,
then the chocolate, then the beet puree,
mixing well after each addition.
Scrape the batter into the pan and rap
it on the counter to remove air bubbles.
Bake until a knife comes out clean, 18
to 20 minutes, rotating the pan after 10
minutes. Let cool completely before
removing the cake from the pan
Serve
Cut the cake into cubes.
Dip one cube in the beet sauce,
coating it completely. Pair it with a plain
piece of cake on a dessert plate and
garnish with a few candied beets,
crumbling some of the beets if you want,
and a spoonful of sauce.

It makes a beautiful presentation, especially on a white plate, it really makes the colors POP!.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed making it.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Jess