The Perfect Caramel Cake (with sea salt

• Vegetarian

• Refrigerated

  • 2 Egg yolks, large
  • 3 Eggs, large

• Condiments

  • 3 tbsp Corn syrup, light

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp Baking soda *(see note
  • 1 1/2 cups Brown sugar, packed light
  • 2 1/4 cups Cake flour
  • 1 3/4 cups Granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 Sea salt flakes or coarse salt
  • 2 1/4 tbsp Vanilla

• Snacks

  • 1 Caramel popcorn or 1/2 recipe no-bake salted caramel popcorn, Store-bought

• Dairy

  • 1 cup Butter, unsalted
  • 3 cups Heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • 1/2 cup Sour cream, light or regular

Found on cleobuttera.com

Description

Ingredients

• For the Best Yellow Cake:
• 2¼ cups cake flour, lightly measured (9 oz, 255 g) *(see note for substitution)
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda *(see note)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup milk (1% or above),at room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream (light or regular), at room temperature
• 1 cup unsalted butter, (8oz, 250g) softened to room temperature
• 1¾ cups granulated sugar (13 oz, 368 g)
• 1½ tablespoons vanilla
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• For the Caramel Icing:
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1½ cups packed light brown sugar (10½ oz, 300g)
• 3 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Sea salt flakes or coarse salt (for sprinkling), optional
• Store-bought caramel popcorn or ½ recipe No-Bake Salted Caramel Popcorn(for topping the cake), optional

Directions

• Adjust the oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350F/180C.
• Prepare 3 (8 inch) cake pans by spraying the bottom with non-stick cooking spray, then line with parchment rounds. Spray the parchment and sides of the pans. (Alternatively, you could grease the pans and parchment with butter and dust with flour)
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt through a fine-mesh strainer, the whisk together to evenly combine; set aside. (Do not be tempted to skip the sifting step in order to achieve maximum lightness and fluffiness in the final cake).
• In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand-mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), whip the butter on medium speed until pale in color and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes).
• Add the granulated sugar and beat until lightened in both texture and color, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.. Add in the vanilla.
• On lowest speed, add in ⅓ of the flour mixture and blend until almost combined. Add in half of the milk/sour cream mixture and mix in until mostly combined. Gently mix in another ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by the last half of the milk/sour cream mixture; beat until almost combined. End with the final ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. (Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed). Give the batter one good, final stir to make sure that everything is well incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans, smoothing the surface out with a spatula.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly golden around the edges, the center springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few cooked moist crumbs attached. Do NOT over bake so the cake doesnt dry out. Resist the urge to open and close the oven to check on the cake mid baking as this can cause the center of the cake to fall and never recover.
• Let the cakes rest in the pans for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, peel off parchment paper, and allow to cool completely before filling and icing.
• When the cakes have almost cooled, start making the caramel icing.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine together the cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. (Be sure to use a saucepan a lot bigger than you think youll need, because the mixture expands dramatically as it boils).
• Place the saucepan over a stovetop adjusted to medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula until the sugar has dissolved and everything is well incorporated. The mixture will look very pale and watery at first, so dont be alarmed.
• If the mixture is not boiling well over medium heat, increase to medium-high. Continue boiling the mixture, stirring constantly until the icing thickens and darkens into a dark amber caramel color, and registers 230 to 234°F (110C to) on a thermometer, about 12 to 14 minutes. This is known as the soft ball stage. Stir in the vanilla, if using. Stop stirring once the caramel has reached the right temperature. The less you handle the icing after its been cooked the better, otherwise it risks getting a greasy film over it.
• If you dont have a food thermometer, keep a cup with ice cold water nearby. As soon the icing starts showing signs that its ready, like looking thick and caramel-colored, drop a teaspoonful of the icing in the cold water. Allow it to cool for a few seconds, then feel it. The icing should easily form a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed. The caramel should be soft but it shouldnt be fluid; kind of like a slightly molten piece of mozzarella cheese. If this this is not the case, then let the mixture boil for a few more minutes, then test again.
• Allow the icing to cool slightly, about 5 minutes before using it to fill and glaze the cake. It is important that the icing remains very warm, so its still pourable, but not very hot that it spreads all over and creates a big mess.
• Place one cake layer on the serving platter or cake stand, give the icing one final stir to reincorporate (if needed), then pour about ¾ cup of icing on top of it. You should just pour enough to cover the surface of the cake. Use an offset spatula to help spread the icing to the sides.
• Top with another cake layer and pour on another ¾ cup of icing, spreading it all over the surface.
• End with the last cake layer, then pour the remaining icing over the top of the cake, letting excess icing drip over the sides.
• My recommendation is to leave the icing to drip and set on it own WITHOUT touching it, leaving part of the sides naked and natural-looking, instead of trying to cover the sides up using a spatula. The surface will still be super smooth. Ive found that moving the icing around with a spatula, can cause it to break and separate, creating a greasing film. If you attempt to completely cover the sides and swirl the top, as Ive done in some of the pictures, you must be warned that it could be a very frustrating process, because the setting caramel is very hard to control.
• Sprinkle the surface of the cake (or just around the rim) with sea salt flakes.
• Top with salted caramel popcorn, if you like.