Karmel Cake

Today has been dramatic with all the hoohas for Nomination Day. Pretty excited about what's going to come for the nation.

Today is also the day I decided to move on. Boyfriend and I - our relationship has been rocky for the past few months. It was stressful and depressing hanging onto a relationship like that. It must been so for him as well. The breakup is for the better. Everything happens for a reason. We learn a lot and will emerge stronger and better.

Bookmarked this in my book for a while now. Been procrastinating enough, so there you go. I was half expecting the cake to turn stale the next day, but nope. Rose Beranbaum's cakes never fail to impress. The cake remains soft and fresh the next day, and the caramel developed further to delight our tastebuds.

Karmel Cake (adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Rose's Heavenly Cakes)

Ingredients:

Caramel:
217g light brown sugar, preferably Muscovado
302g milk, divided
28g unsalted butter, room temperature

Cake:
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
200g cake flour or bleached all-purpose flour, sifted into measuring cup
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
85g unsalted butter

Method:

1. Set oven rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 175°C.
2. Butter and flour the inside of a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan. You also could line the bottom with parchment paper that also has been coated with baking spray and flour.
3. To make the caramel, have ready a 2-cup or larger heatproof glass measure, coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium heavy saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the brown sugar, 181g of milk and the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring and boil until an instant-read thermometer registers 114°C, the soft ball stage. Tilt the pan to get enough depth for an accurate reading. It will take about 10 mins or more to reach this stage, and the mixture will look slightly curdled. (To make burnt caramel, continue past this stage, till mixture looks dark brown. When dropped into a glass of cold water, the caramel should become a hard bead). When the sugar reaches temperature, immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a prepared glass measure to stop the cooking. You should have 1 cup. If less, add hot cream or boiling water to equal 1 cup.
4. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and gently whisk in the remaining milk. Don't worry if some of the liquid crystalizes on the bottom, it will dissolve during baking. Place the bowl on a wire rack and allow the mixture to cool until is is no longer warm to the touch. It will take about an hour, but to speed cooling, it's fine to set the glass measure in a bowl of ice water. If desired, stir the mixture a few times while cooling in order to equalize the temperature.
5. To make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla until just lightly combined.
6. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, baking powder and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and cooled caramel. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth surface evenly with a small offset spatula.
8. Bake for 25 to 35 mins or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
9. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10 mins. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so the top side is up. Cool completely.