I found another cookbook hiding in my office. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou. A memoir of her life and the accompanying recipes. I decided to try her mothers Caramel Cake.
Caramel Cake
8 tblsp butter
1 1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Caramel Syrup
2 c sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c milk
2 large eggs
Caramel Frosting
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two 8 inch layer cake pans with greased wax paper. – I sprayed mine with Bakers Joy and skipped the wax paper.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter, and add 1 cup sugar gradually until light and fluffy. Beat in syrup.
In medium mixing bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.
In separate medium mixing bowl, beat eggs about 3 minutes, until foamy. Add remaining sugar, and beat until there is a fine spongy foam. Stir into cake batter until blended.
Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove pans from oven. Gently press center of cake with forefinger. Cake should spring back when finger is removed. If it doesn’t, return to oven for 10 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack, and remove wax paper. Let cakes cook to room temperature before frosting.
To assemble: Center one cooled cake layer on cake plate. Cover top and sides with generous helping of frosting. Place second layer evenly on frosted layer. Repeat frosting procedure. Make certain that sides are completely frosted. Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Caramel Syrup
1 c white sugar
1 c boiling water
Heat sugar in a heavy skillet over low heat. Stir constantly until melted to a brown liquid. When it bubbles over entire surface, remove from heat. Slowly add boiling water, stirring constantly. Pour into container to cool.
I’m not sure how long I thought this would take, but just to melt down the sugar was at least a 40 minute process. If you decide to make this cake, I would make the caramel syrup in the morning and the cake in the afternoon.
Caramel Frosting
6 tblsp butter
8 oz package confectioners sugar
4 tblsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Brown butter in heavy pot over medium heat – be vigilant or it will burn. Allow butter to cool. In large mixing bowl, add sugar, cream vanilla and salt to the butter, and beat until smooth. If frosting is too stiff, add tblsp of half and half or cream to thin.
This cake was baked for a special birthday, and we all LOVED it. It’s time consuming, but well worth the effort.
Strawberries and Yogurt 