sweet & salty cake



just when i think nothing else can go wrong...

my camera went kaput. dead - gone - done. the guy at that repair shop said i wore out the shutter. i loved that camera. i loved the way it felt in my hands. i loved what i was able to do with it. i love that i grew with that camera.

now, there is a new love in my life. i will always love the Canon 20D but me and the 7D are getting along really well. there are so many things to learn but i have a feeling that we are going to have a long and happy life together. i can't wait to post photos taken with my new baby here - this recipe was shot with the 20D.

in other news, an e-cookbook i am featured in came out this week...



"The 55 Knives book is a collaborative project from some of the web’s top food bloggers in a simple, easy to download format.  The authors included in the project were picked not only because of their expertise in the kitchen but also because of their ability to write well about food."

nick over at macheesmo put together an amazing collection of recipes from 55 food bloggers . i am honored to be included with such talented & creative bloggers. my chapter is called a vegetarian thanksgiving you can purchase the cookbook here (affiliate link)

on to the cake ...



alex's mom is one of the only people that lets me bake her a cake for her birthday. ( caramel peanut topped brownie cake & chocolate raspberry layer cake with chocolate ganache frosting are two cakes i have made for her before) everyone else always wants some other kind of dessert. i look forward to judy's birthday because i get to come up with a new layer cake to make.

i bought the baked cookbook several months ago and there were two cakes i knew i had to make - the sweet & salty cake and the rootbeer bundt cake. i haven't made the rootbeer cake yet but my gosh the sweet & salty cake is simply amazing.

this cake met every expectation i had and then some. i used a different recipe for the cake because i have one i love and the baked recipe makes a three layer cake which i thought was overkill. i made everything else from the baked recipe. this was not an easy cake for me to make as i seem to be cursed when it comes to caramel but it was worth all the effort. the balance of the sweet & salty flavors is perfection. the cake itself is pure decadence but with fleur de sel and caramel it puts it into a whole other world.

a note about the caramel - i would strongly suggest that you take it off the heat at 340-345 degrees. it seems to keep going rather rapidly after it is off the heat. i had to remake the first batch because i burnt it & my second batch was only so so. it wasn't perfect until the third batch which i took off the heat at 340 degrees. just be careful!

sweet & salty cake
adapted from the baked cookbook & gourmet magazine

for the cake
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee (i used espresso)
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
fleur de sel caramel (recipe below)
whipped caramel ganache icing (recipe below)

Special equipment: two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans (I used two 9 inch - I baked it a few minutes longer)

Preheat oven to 300 F and butter pans. Line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Butter again and dust both pans with cocoa powder. Tap and swirl around the cocoa to lightly coat the pans.


 

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.


 

 

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.


 

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer).


Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

 

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

while the cake is cooling make the fleur de sel caramel (recipe below) & the whipped caramel ganache icing (recipe below). then proceed to assemble the cake.

Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Poke a bunch of holes into the cake with a skewer to allow the caramel to penetrate the cake. Spread the fleur de sel caramel on the cake layer, allowing some of the caramel to soak into the cake. Follow the caramel layer with a layer of the ganache icing.

 

Place the second layer on top. Spread entire cake with a thin layer of the ganache icing (to dirty ice the cake). Put the cake in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Then use the rest of the icing to make a smooth layer all over the cake. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Carefully remove the parchment paper from under the cake before serving.



 

fleur de sel caramel

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 cup sour cream

Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, mix together cream and salt. Bring cream to a boil and cook until salt has dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

 

When the caramel mixture has reached 350 degrees, remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Carefully add the hot cream to the caramel; stir to combine. Whisk in sour cream. Cool, and store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

whipped caramel ganache icing

1 pound dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pound (4 sticks) butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces, softened but still cool

Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

In another small saucepan add cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the caramel mixture has reached 350 degrees, remove from heat and allow to rest for 1 minute. Add the hot cream to the caramel; stir to combine. Let cool 5 minutes. Place chocolate in the bowl of an electric mixer and pour caramel sauce over chocolate. Let sit 1 minute before stirring from the center until chocolate is melted.




Attach bowl to electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Add butter and increase speed to medium-high until mixture is well combined, thickened, and slightly whipped, about 2 minutes.

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