Caramel Cake

For this recipe, look on Suzanne's blog, under "Burnt Sugar Cake". I posted it there, because the cake sounded similiar, as far as ingredients/procedure – making the brown sugar syrup. If you copy it, be sure to get the frosting..it's a little further down on the page. A post or two later. I forgot to put it with the cake. LOL The cookbook it is out of, is also posted there.

I haven't made this cake before, but I eyed it a few years back, when Maya Angelou's cookbook was profiled on a tv show. Her recipes sounded so good, and old family recipes and the pictures were great, so I bought it..it was not expensive and I love a cookbook with pictures.

I have to say though, I hate false advertising. This cake says to use two 8'' layer pans. In the picture of the cake with a big wedge cut out, you can clearly see it is a THREE layer cake. THICK layers. I used two 9 inch layer pans, because that was all I had. The cake rose to the top of the pans in twenty minutes, but the picture shows the layers with dark brown edges, so I baked them as she said, another 10 minutes. It smelled WONDERFUL – butter sugar smell.

Being as this is my first time to bake it. I didn't have an easy time. One, I am task oriented – not patient. I rush. So, I forgot to put in the caramel syrup, in the stage asked for..having to add it later. I don't think it mattered. It's easy to make, hindsight.

The hardest part for me, was making the caramel syrup…I sat stirring FOREVER and finally turned the heat up…I burned the first batch, having to start over. Burned caramel syrup smells awful. I had a peri-menopausal hot flash…and was wringing wet, neck/hair and all, after that. I think I was going to do as Mireiille Guillliano said, in her book "French Women Don't Get Fat" and leave the baking to bakeries, at this point. But, I decided to plug along. LOL

So, what I thought would be the easiest part, was the hardest for me…but next time, it'll be easier, now that I KNOW. (if there is a next time LOL)

So, the cakes are cooling and the icing should be brainless…unless I burn the butter.

I don't think it will be a STRONG caramel taste, because it only calls for 1/4 cup of the syrup in the cake and there is only syrup drizzled on the icing. She says in her book – it has a wonderful salty/sweet taste. It took her mom 4-5 hours to make this cake…good grief..not for us, these days…of course ALMOST for ME when I burned the syrup and had to start over. Then I burned my finger, getting the pans out of the oven – adding to my burn of yesterday…I think I should stay out of the kitchen until I return to Home Ec refresher courses.

My cake may not be AS salty as hers, because I used unsalted butter. I remember now, on two good cooking shows they said to bake with UNSALTED butter and my shortbread cookies were MUCH better with unsalted butter. (I am a salt lover!!!).

So, I just have to cool them and make the icing..or frosting…whatever…I can't wait to try a piece because I may NEVER make it again. LOL Just kidding.