Caramel Crash Cake

We all love a fortuitous phone call. I received such a call last week that ended up being the inspiration for this cake.  Yes, we do all we can to protect our computers and data from nasty viruses that troll the Internet.  We install anti-virus software; keep it updated, run spyware, and then invite the ugly beast right in through the front door! At least some of us do. More to the point that is what I did. Never mind the particulars; it is neither here nor there. The short of it is that my c drive was destroyed in an instant. Now the good news is that I back up routinely. The better news is that just as I was contemplating my options a dear friend called. I had not spoken to him in over a year… he is a computer geek of the dearest kind. When he heard my woes he volunteered to spend Sunday afternoon tending to my sick c drive. What a dearie! Naturally I wanted to cook an extra special meal for my geek friend in appreciation of his sweet service. Dinner was easy. I quickly decided upon an herb roasted pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots, and fresh from the oven dinner rolls. Once the meal was planned I turned my attention to my first love: dessert.

I am usually a committed pie gal but lately I have been intrigued by the history of cakes. I have been actively researching cakes and frostings and how old techniques might be combined with new tools and flavor combinations. My idea for this weekend was to create an extra sturdy, dense yellow cake that could stand up under a heavy, buttery caramel frosting. I began my creation with a basic yellow cake that has been in my recipe file for a long time. The cake itself is nothing out of the ordinary. I changed it around a bit when I decided to mix it by the reverse creaming method. This method cuts the butter into the flour and then calls for the liquid ingredients to be added all at once. With this method less air is beaten into the batter and the crumb is finer and less fluffy.

I made the caramel frosting using an old cheater method that is quite easy. It does not require the use of a candy thermometer and is a little slower on set up than traditional southern caramel frosting. It is a little easier but no less tasty. I love its slightly crystalline crust and silky, smooth interior. Perfect!

Before we get started, be certain to set your eggs out of the refrigerator so they are room temperature when you start baking.  Room temperatures eggs will rise to greater heights than their cold counterparts and will improve the texture of your cake.   So take the eggs out of your refrigerator a couple of hours before baking your cake. The eggier your cake the bigger difference egg temperature will make.

Cake:

½ cup buttermilk

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2¼ cup all-purpose flour

1½ granulated sugar

1½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks butter)

Adjust oven racks to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350º.

Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. Line each pan with a circle of waxed paper and then grease and flour again. Set the prepared pans aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside.

With the electric mixer on low speed, mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Beat in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix only until pea-sized chunks remain. Pour in half of buttermilk mixture and beat at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Slowly add the remaining buttermilk mixture to the bowl and beat just until combined, about 15 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.  Bake cakes in preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes and then turn out ontp wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.

Caramel Frosting:

1½ sticks butter

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

Heat 8 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the perimeter of the pan, 4-8 minutes. Whisk in the cream and cook until a ring of bubbles reappears, about 1 minute. Take pan off the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Pour the hot frosting mixture to a heatproof bowl, and with electric mixer on low speed, gradually add remaining butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

To assemble the cake place 1 cake round on a serving plate. Spread ¾ cup frosting over cake, then top with the second cake round. Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. It will soon set with a very thin crystalline crust.