Thursday, November 26, 2009

November's Cake -- Burnt Sugar Cake


Well, last weekend I got around to making the November cake of the month for the Cake Slice Baker group. It was a Burnt Sugar Cake. Unlike a caramel cake, which is yellow or white with a thick caramel frosting, a burnt sugar cake has caramel on the inside and out.


To make this cake, the first step is to make the burnt sugar syrup --I thought I had literally burned it from how it looked while cooking. But a few minutes later, the liquid turned into a pretty brown syrup like it was supposed to.


This cake was very moist. However, it was EXTREMELY sweet with the burnt sugar frosting on top. Also, my frosting would not get thicker so it kind of ran off the cake onto the plate. I thought this cake was going to look bad compared to others on the group but it actually didn't. I would make the cake again but I would put a different type of frosting on top. Perhaps make into a bundt cake with a glaze or drizzle of a chocolate frosting that isn't too sweet.


This recipe along with the others that we are baking each month comes from the book SOUTHERN CAKES by Nancie McDermott.


here is the recipe:


BURNT SUGAR CAKE


For the Burnt Sugar Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

For the Burnt Sugar Frosting
3¾ cups confectioners sugar
½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (above)
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 – 3 tbsp evaporated milk or normal milk

Method – Burnt Sugar Syrup
Heat the sugar in a cast iron skillet or another heavy bottomed pan with high sides. Heat over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts into a clear brown caramel syrup. It should be the colour of tea. Gradually add the boiling water, pouring it down the sides of the pan so that if the syrup foams and bubbles up, you should be protected.

Continue cooking, stirring often, until the water combines with the syrup and turns a handsome brown syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Store the cooled syrup in a sealed jar if not using straight away.

Method - Cake
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork to mix well. Stir the vanilla into the milk.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer at high speed for 2 – 3 minutes, until they are well combined. Stop now and then to scrape the bowl down. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well each time. Pour in half a cup of the burnt sugar syrup and beat well. Add a third of the flour mixture and about half of the milk, beating at a low speed, until just incorporated. Mix in another third of the flour and the rest of the milk. Finally, add the remaining flour.

Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched gently in the centre and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for15 minutes. Turn out the cakes into the wire rack to cool completely.

Method – Burnt Sugar Frosting
In a large bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, the burnt sugar syrup, butter and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then to bring the ingredients together. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and continue beating until the frosting is thick, soft, smooth and easy to spread. Add a little more sugar if it is thin, and a little more milk if it is too thick.

To Assemble
Place one layer, top side down, on a cake stand or serving plate. Scoop about ¾ cup of the frosting onto the cake. Spread to the edges and place the second cake layer over it, top side down. Frost the sides of the cake, and then the top until it is evenly covered.

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