CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

This is my first daring bakers challenge, and i really enjoyed being in one.

I first attempted on making the candies because they sounded so yum!

Altough This months challenge is a signature Caramel Cake courtesy Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater. Our hosts this month are Dolores @ Culinary Cusiosity, Alex, ie Brownie of the duo @ Blondie & Brownie , & Jenny of Foray into Food.

There was a lot happening with my life lately and thought i would actually miss this challenge but somehow dint want to. Managed to do it in nick of time but did not manage to get right pictures cause the weather was so dull that hardly got daylight for proper pictures.

My cake was a veg version and so was dense. I used silken tofu to substitute eggs. Otherwise the recipe was the same. I don't have much of a sweet tooth , and this cake is immensely sweet , so honestly i don't know if i would bake this cake again.

Well here is my version of:

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
Recipe Source: Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater, as published on Bay Area Bites

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 Cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

1/2 Cup silken tofu pureed

splash vanilla extract

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add your pureed tofu and vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.Sift flour and baking powder.Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

For the CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelizing process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted

4-6 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons caramel syrupKosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS-

I absolutely love these buttery heavens, I added a little coffee powder to it and i belive it made it more intense.

also instead of cutting them into pieces i poured them in silicon moulds :)

I know for sure that i m going to make these buttery toffees soon with many other variations :)

makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -

Ingredients

1 cup golden syrup

2 cups sugar

3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

1/2teaspoon of instant coffee powder

Equipment:

A 9-inch square baking pan( i used silicon moulds)

Candy thermometer

Procedure:

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar,coffee powder, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot. When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm. Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Pita Bread

I am in love with lebanese food, Pita is the first bread i ever baked and trust me it is just so easy. I could eat this fresh bread raw from the oven without any accompniment. And ya, if u bake this ur house would smell like some amazing bakery :)

PITA BREAD

1 pkt of yeast or 2 tsp yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water along with sugar and stir until dissolved. Let it sit until yeast gets frothy.Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a well and pour in the yeast mix along with olive oil. Add little water and knead the dough till firm. Let the dough rest for about 3 hours or more covered with a wet cloth in a warm dark place, it will double in size.. Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and cut them in equal parts. This quantity of flour will give you about 10 breads. Place balls on floured surface and roll them . Bake them in the oven until puffed up or put them in your gas griller. Cook evenly on both the sides.

Peppery Basil Spaghetti

I love the flavour of paprika. The colour and the flavour both add a zing to the dish. This spaghetti is one of the most quickest and delicious recipes, Its spicy and creamy at the same time. the sweetness of basil brings out the flavour of the dish.I don't think i have ever cooked any dish without this particular ingredient. :) Paprika !!
So this ones for MIMI



Enjoy!!


Peppery Basil Spaghetti
For the sauce:
7 to 8 leaves of fresh basil
1/4Th cup of almonds
1/2 cup fresh cream
Crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to ur taste)
Olive oil
3-4 tbs of Chopped garlic

Grind Almonds, basil, fresh cream in a blender, add some olive oil to it.Boil Spaghetti mean while.In another pan add garlic and saute well, add the blended basil paste. and saute for about a minute. Then add crushed chili flakes and boiled spaghetti.Saute well till the paste blends well with spaghetti. Sever hot!

"not so fiery Chilies"

One more for Sensational Sides!! Monthly Mingle ends on 13th oct~
This one is a sure Hit for me. Goes well with any Indian meal, May it be a simple Dal
rice combination , Paratha's or a nice heavy meal like paneer or so.

This is " not so fiery Chilies!"
The blend of mixed spices that merge with the flavour of chili itself is amazing!I always tend to make more of it for a reason cause its snappy and i always love to
have it in my fridge.I eat this with absolutely anything!!
Enjoy!

8-10 Long green chillies (not the spicy ones)
4 tbs of coriander pwd
2 tbs of mango pwd
1 tbs of red chili pwd
a pinch of garam masala.
1/2 tsp of gram flour
salt (adjust to ur taste)
Oil
Cumin seeds
asafoetida

Firstly blend all ur spices in a dry bowl, except cumin and asafoetida.Mix well, Make a long slit in the chilies and fill in this spice mix generously in each one of them.
In a pan heat some oil and add your cumin seeds, as they begin to crackle put in a
pinch of asafoetida.Put ur stuffed chilies and turn the heat to low. Add gram flour and stir occasionally. Cook until chilies are tender. And ur "not so Fiery Chilies" are ready to eat in a snap!!

Grilled Cheesy Shitake

This one is for Meeta & Ruth :) for the monthly mingle.
Ive been wanting to always participate in one of "What's for lunch Honey?"'s Monthly Mingles and well at last ....
So it is Sensational Sides this time.... i love side dishes... continental, Indian,.... all of them are just so well relished!
I made Grilled Shitake :)
I love the rustic flavour of shitake, Wild mushrooms are in abundance in japan, Diff
kinds have very typically different flavours. I used shitake cause it has a nice chewy flavour. Also for vegetarians it gives u a nice meaty taste.
I love it when the meaty taste mingles with cheese and mint!



6 sitake mushrooms
Half a onion
1 small clove of garlic
2 tbs of chopped mint
Black pepper
1/4th cup of cheese of your choice.
Salt
Olive oil

First De-stem the shitake and chop the stems very finely.In a pan heat olive oil and add finely chopped onions and garlic, saute well and then
add the chopped stems, saute until tender and add rest of the ingredients. Turn of the heat and let it settle for about 5 min.
In the mean while rub some olive oil on the shitake caps, and then stuff them with
the above mix. Grill on low heat for about 10 min or cheese melts :)



Trust me its a tastes like n looks like a luxurious side dish!

Italian Tofu Frittata

I have seen a lot of recipes on TV of Spanish frittata;s which look absolutely yum with those potatoes, cheese, zucchini and loads of egg;s..... wait a min!! eggs!!!
Well that's what it is made of.
Its a Spanish omelet using lots of veggies cooked on the stove and then baked in the oven to finish it.
I have substitute tofu to eggs and the end result pretty amazing :)!
To give it a little more special "Me" effect,,i tried to add more of Italian ingredients to it like fresh basil, tomatoes, etc...
So here is my version of Frittata!:)
This one is for Madhuram 's event!

1 pack silk tofu (about 200 gms)
1/4th cup flour
1/4th cup cheese (u can avoide cheese, i did)
Chopped jalapenos
Chopped olives
Chopped tomatoes
Half onion finely chopped
2-3 fresh basil leaves finely chopped
Few stems of spinach finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
Salt
Olive oil

In a pan heat some olive oil and add garlic and onions saute for about a min and then add rest of the ingredients to it. Add little salt and turn off the heat.
In a mixi add the flour and tofu, blend well.
Add this paste to ur veggies and cook for about a min stirring continuously.
Grease a pie pan or a cake tin and fill this mix of tofu and veggies in it.
Bake it for about 40 min at 180 deg C or till a stick comes out clean.
OR
U could mix all the ingredients and cook it on a nonstick which will make it more crispy :) and that crisp part tastes like cheese even if u dontt add cheese to it.

Also i would recommend to eat this with mustard sauce and a spicy chili sauce :)
Trust me ud love it!!


The end result is pretty soft, i guess adding some boiled potatoes would give it a more cake like texture. I did not want to add potatoes cuz i wanted it to be low calorie.

Vermecilli Upma

I simply love this simple and healthy dish :)
Its sooo quick to make that ud b shocked trust me!
I like it spicy so i made it vvv spicy :) n that made it more appetizing :)
U can vary the content of veggies in it to make it wholesome.
I used minimum cuz i enjoy the taste of vermicelli a lot.:)
A must try!!

1cup Vermicelli Roasted (if u don't have roasted then first dry roast the vermicelli until brown)
1 tsp Chana dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 medium Onion thinly sliced
Green chillies
Ginger
1/4 cup Peas
1/4 cup Beans
1 Carrots chopped finely
2+ cups Water
Ghee
Curry Leaves
Salt to taste

Heat ghee and add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and curry leaves. When they start to crackle , add peanuts sand saute for a min.
Then add chillies, ginger & onions, saute until onion is translucent.
Add carrots, peas and beans. Cook until tender.
Add salt and vermicelli, saute well and add water, keep adding water until vermicelli is cooked.
Mix well and Cover with a lid, cook on low flame for about 5 min.
Serve hot with chutney :)