Wednesday, April 27, 2011

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.

21 comments:

  1. hi Jean, the cake looks delicious!
    i should try Rose' recipes too, so many excellent feedback :)
    stay strong okie...there's always a rainbow behind dark clouds :)

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  2. I believe at every turn of the road, it leads to something new and exciting. I'm glad you did what you need to do and moved on...you go girl! You know you'll always have us blogger friends with you! Seeing your cake just reminds me I need to read more of that thick cookbook from Rose, heehee. ;)

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  3. Jean, yes stay strong...I'm always here to support you :)
    That's a lovely karmel cake, nice presentation.

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  4. we will learn from every breakup, heartaches, mistakes and i guess this will lead to a better us. Look around, you'll be surprised to see that there's so much love around you! Hugs!

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  5. So sorry to hear about the breakup, but you're right, sometimes it's for the better...!

    This cake of yours looks pretty! I like the elegant presentation :).

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  6. aww here are my :::hugs::: jean. but you're right there's a reason for everything. As you move on, don't forget to carry with you the lessons learned from past relationships, it will help you improve the next one and also yourself.
    Take heart and have another slice of this cake... haha that alone should comfort you.
    Take it easy my friend.
    Malou

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  7. Sorry to hear that and hope you are coping well! This cake looks so moist and fluffy!

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  8. Jean, you did the right thing to move on.. It is definitely better for both of you. Life is too short to always feel depress and stressful. You have chosen a good way to de-stress like baking such a lovely cake. Just looking at it will give you much comfort isn't it?

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  9. stay strong girl! u have us don't you? p.s will macaron brighten you up? hehe.

    lovely cake and i haven got around baking this yet!

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  10. What a moist and fluffy cake, the caramel sure makes it look good.

    I'm sorry to hear about that. Stay strong! I'll leave you with this quote from the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."

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  11. Hugs hugs, stay strong, gal...

    This cake looks interesting, so far have-not tried any of her recipes yet.

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  12. Must have been a hard time for both of u. A big hug for u! Hope u can cheer up very soon! :)

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  13. Hi Jean!

    Just wanna let you know! when a caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.Cheer up:) you're a strong girl. Life is a journal full of up and down to record.

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  14. Hi Jean! Life is like a long journey..we need to say goodbye to some people in our lives.. And I know you will be a stronger girl after this!

    By the way..nice karmel cake..!!Quite a long recipe though!

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  15. I've been eyeing this cake too in her book.

    *HUGS* *HUGS*

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  16. i love cake that keeps...and stays as soft the next days! this sounds yummy and caramely!

    a chapter closes, another one opens right? i can imagine it must be so heartbreaking but time (and cakes? haha jk) heals...you'll be alright :)

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  17. Aw Jean, let me give you a hug! From your post, it sounds like an amicable separation. It's better for both of you. Stay strong dear. I hope you'll find someone whom you can rely on in future. All the best in your relationship!
    The Karamel cake looks good. How come I didn't notice this cake in her book? There must be too many good stuff in there!!

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  18. hey thanks all for the encouragements...some of you actually made my heart feel warmed up when reading ur comments...really, thanks once again

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  19. Jean, finally I can post comments. For the past few days, I couldn't find the comment box on my screen.

    I love your spirit. Though separation is tough but sometime it is for the better and I am sure one fine day, you will be able to find your Prince Charming and live happily ever after.

    Take care.

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  20. Reading what you went through reminds me a lot of the lyrics to Rick Price's "Heaven Knows".

    "My friends keep tellin' me, that if you really love her, you gotta set her free... and if she returns in kind, I'll know she's mine..."

    stay strong, Jean! perhaps its good that both parties cool off a bit and take a breather to rethink the relationship.

    if he's really meant to be, fate would bring you two back again. If not, 旧的不去,新的不来!

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  21. Very nice cake and pretty nice presentation too.
    Be strong & take care!

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