Brown Sugar & Pecan Caramel Bundt Cake

by giraffescanbake // June 13, 2014 // 61 Comments

Oh my god you guys, Oh. My. God. It’s is Fiesta Friday #20 and I have brought something really special! This brown sugar & pecan caramel pound cake, it is amazing. You NEED to try it. It’s a pound cake but it’s so, so light and moist, and the brown sugar combined with the toffee and caramel is to die for. I will be making this cake again, several times.

Leah’s mum has been asking me to make her this cake for a while now after she saw a photo of one on Facebook and I finally got around to doing it for her. I wish I hadn’t waited so long, so many missed opportunities to enjoy this cake. Luckily for me I made enough batter for two bundt tins so I got to have one too!

There is a lot of sugar in this cake, mostly brown sugar. And it has chopped pecans nestled inside and lots of yummy heath toffee bits! Then it’s topped with a very generous helping of caramel sauce. So much sweet, caramel flavour in this cake it’s like heaven… and definitely not for the health nuts! But everyone deserves a treat every now and then right?

Father’s day is this weekend too, and if this isn’t a perfect father’s day cake I don’t know what is! Who needs hallmark when you have this much caramel to indulge in!

And the best part? It’s so easy to make! You just beat the butter, cream it with the sugar, beat in the eggs and add the dry ingredients and the milk. Stir in your pecans and toffee and bake! Then the caramel sauce is just as easy to make, just heat the condensed milk with sugar, whisk in the butter and vanilla and you’re done. You want to pour on the caramel sauce while it’s still hot as it does harden a little as it cools.

I’m not sure what else I can say about this cake that isn’t just me gushing about how much I love it! So instead I’ll let you guys try it out for yourselves. It is Fiesta Friday after all, this week’s is co-hosted by Fae and Suzanne so make sure you go check them out! And, of course, a big thanks to Angie for bringing us this wonderful party every week!

I recently updated this recipe with new photos and made it gluten free, make sure you check it out here!

[recipe title=”Brown Sugar & Pecan Caramel Pound Cake”]
Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup caster sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 bag heath toffee bits (8oz)
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

For the caramel sauce:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Grease your bundt pan(s) well.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside
Beat the butter until pale and creamy. Beat in sugars until fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time until combined.
Add the flour mixture and milk alternatively, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined.
Stir in the toffee bits and pecans.
Spoon batter into pans and bake for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, until skewer comes out clean. After 50 minutes of baking, lightly cover with foil to stop it browning too much at top. Leave to cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack.
While cake is cooling make the caramel sauce. In a medium saucepan, combined condensed milk and brown sugar and bring to the boil over a medium high heat, whisking often. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Leave to cool for 5 minutes
Pour the caramel sauce over the cooled cake, you want to do this while the sauce is still hot as it hardens slightly as it cools.
Garnish with more pecan halves, serve

Notes:

Make sure you grease your pan well as this is a very moist cake and it can be a bit of a pain to coax out without breaking! I use this home made pan release and it’s great.
This cake is great eaten right after you’ve added the sauce, when it’s all warm and gooey (be careful the sauce isn’t too hot, don’t want any burned tongues!)
This recipe will make one 12 cup bundt pan cake, or almost two 6 cup bundt pan cakes (I had one slightly smaller one)
Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days

[/recipe]

Whipped Vanilla Frosting

by giraffescanbake // May 9, 2014 // 18 Comments

Incredibly light and creamy whipped vanilla frosting, perfect on any cake!

This frosting is so simple but the results are amazing! It’s no secret that I’m a great lover of swiss meringue buttercream, I prefer it to regular buttercream as it’s much less sweet. But oh, this frosting. It’s so sweet but so yummy, I can’t imagine any cake it wouldn’t go well with.

I originally made this frosting to go with a cake I made for the company I work for’s 3rd birthday, which was back in February. I’ve been waiting to post this recipe until I had the perfect white vanilla cake for it to go with, however I’m still working on perfecting that and I can’t wait any longer to share this recipe! This whipped vanilla frosting recipe made even the slightly lacking vanilla giant number 3 cake I made taste like it was made by angels, and made the hours of putting M&Ms on a cake worth it!

The secret to the lightness of this frosting is whipping the butter for several minutes, I whipped it for 10 minutes total. This turns it white and fluffy and makes it the perfect frosting base.

If I didn’t know that was just butter I want to lick it off!

Then the remaining ingredients are whipped in for a few more minutes to create a wonderful creamy frosting that feels so light but tastes so good. Anybody who says vanilla is boring hasn’t been eating the right vanilla goods!

It’s fun to make a post for a recipe I made a few months ago as I can really see how much my photography has progressed in just a few short months! I wish I was able to remake this recipe to take better photos for the blog, but unfortunately my budget doesn’t allow me to make frosting just to take photos of it (especially since a trip to the vet this week put my cat on a very expensive diet!)

This frosting is the perfect accompaniment to any birthday cake or party treat, so it’s only fitting I am bringing this along to my first Fiesta Friday! I can’t wait! Thank you so much to Jhuls for inviting me!

[recipe title=”Whipped Vanilla Frosting”]

Ingredients:

400g unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
500g icing sugar, sifted
50ml milk
1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 8-10 minutes on medium speed until pale and creamy
Add the remaining ingredients and whip on a low speed for a minute, then increase to medium and beat for 5 more minutes until very light and fluffy.

Notes

Best used right away
Makes enough frosting for a 2 layer 8″ round cake

[/recipe]

Cinnamon Honey Butter

by giraffescanbake // April 15, 2014 // 9 Comments

We all remember those special moments in our life, the momentous occasions that helped shape who we are; the first time you fell in love, your first kiss, the day you graduated, the first time you tried this cinnamon honey butter….

Oh yes, it really is that good. I spread it on a nice, warm bagel and I was in heaven. How I stopped myself digging in and just eating it up with a spoon I’ll never know! It’s so sweet and buttery with a real cinnamon kick that keeps you coming back for more. Maybe I’m a little biased because cinnamon is my absolutely favourite flavour in the world and if you add it to something I’m sure to love it! But really, this butter is amazing!

I made this butter to go with the hot cross buns I made for Easter, the recipe for which I’ll be sharing with you this weekend but I just had to share this cinnamon honey butter recipe with you first! This butter will go great with pretty much anything you could dream to put it on; bagels, dinner rolls, biscuits, baked sweet potatoes, waffles, pancakes, banana bread, EVERYTHING! I will be making this butter every chance I get and I’ll slather it on everything I possibly can to the point where I may have to make my next post from a hospital bed after my butter induced heart attack! (I’m kidding of course… hopefully!).

And what makes this butter even more awesome? It’s so simple and quick to make, with only 3 ingredients! You can whip this up in a matter of minutes and you’re on your way to a buttery, cinnamon heaven! It’s also super simple to adjust to suit your personal tastes. What could be more perfect than a recipe that’s super easy to make and will transport you to a state of bliss?

If you can bear to part with it, you could even package this up in cute little jars and give it away as Easter gifts. What better way to start Easter Sunday than with a slice of toast with this smothered all over it, before you break into all the yummy chocolate!

Okay, I will stop teasing you! Here’s the recipe

[recipe title=”Cinnamon Honey Butter”]
Ingredients

200g good quality unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp good quality, clear honey
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Method

Combine the all the ingredients in a bowl using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer with beaters. Beat for 3 minutes.
Serve at room temperature

Notes:

It will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for a few weeks, I doubt it’ll last that long though!
Makes approximately 1/2 cup of butter, you can divide or multiply the quantities to make as much as you need
Adjust the amount of honey to make it more or less sweet, same goes for cinnamon.

[/recipe]

Happy Birthday to Me!

by giraffescanbake // March 29, 2014 // 1 Comment

Yep, today is my birthday. I’m a little upset about creeping closer and closer to the big 3-0, but it’s nothing a little cake can’t fix!

That’s right, I did make my own birthday cupcakes, but that’s okay. Really it’s just an extra treat for me! These are some beautiful fudgy devil’s food cake cupcakes, but the recipe I’ll be sharing with you today is the devilishly sweet frosting on top. It’s called white cloud frosting and it tastes like marshmallow in frosting form! I won’t lie to you, I’m definitely more of a buttercream girl but this is still a yummy one! If you like your sweets teeth achingly sweet, this is definitely the one for you!

The sweetness of the frosting is a great compliment on the deeply chocolatey devil’s food cake too. Don’t worry, I will be posting the cake recipe tomorrow. Two posts in one weekend, I’m going wild I know! But tomorrow is Mother’s Day here in the UK and I will be making my mum a special devil’s food cake with fresh whipped cream for the occasion! So you won’t have to wait long if you want to pair these two beauties together like I did!

This frosting doesn’t contain any butter or icing sugar, it’s sweetened with syrup and of course the meringue like texture comes from whipped egg whites. Most recipes you find online will call for corn syrup, that’s not something we have much of in the UK so I used golden syrup. You could also use maple syrup or liquid glucose. I used liquid glucose in my first batch, which failed miserably because I have a really terrible stand mixer (if anybody wants to donate me a kitchenaid or other decent stand mixer, please feel free!!) I used up all my glucose in the first lot, so the second batch I used golden syrup. I was worried I would lose the bright white colour you want with this frosting, but while it was slightly golden at first it went white once it was finished!

It’s nice and quick to whip up too, especially compared to my fave – swiss meringue buttercream. You beat egg whites until foamy and then slowly add a little caster sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Then you boil the syrup and pour into the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. The heat of the syrup will cook the egg whites enough so you don’t have to worry about raw eggs in your frosting! Then just stir in vanilla and you’re done! This recipe makes enough to frost about 12 cupcakes, it doesn’t keep very well so you want to use it all up! Don’t be shy with that frosting!

Today I don’t think I’ll do much else but eat cake and drink some wine. I think I’ll cook up some black bean and kale burgers too! I’m getting boring in my old age, I know!

[recipe title=”White Cloud Frosting”]
Ingredients

2 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup golden syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Method

In a clean, dry bowl beat the egg whites and salt on a high speed until foamy. You’ll want to use a stand mixer if possible, but I used a hand mixer with my second batch and it works just fine (you just might get a bit of arm ache!)
While the mixer is running, slowly add the sugar. Beat until it forms soft peaks.
Put the syrup in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Once its come to boil, remove from heat. While the mixer is running on high, slowly pour the syrup into the egg mixture (be careful, the last thing you want is boiling syrup on your skin – trust me!). Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form, this will take about 5 minutes.
Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
Use the frosting right away. Add sprinkles asap as a thin layer will form and your sprinkles won’t stick (and what’s a birthday cake without sprinkles?)

[/recipe]
Have a great day, I’ll see you all tomorrow!

Welcome to the World, Thing 1 and Thing 2

by giraffescanbake // January 21, 2014 // 2 Comments

In the early hours of this morning my sister gave birth to twins! So I baked some cupcakes to celebrate (naturally).

And how could I bake anything other than Dr Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes? I had the idea for these a while ago after seeing something similar on the internet and I’ve just been counting down the days until I could do it!

I had a bit of a struggle with these as I either needed red cake or red cases. And since I couldn’t find red cases for love nor money, it had to be red cake, which naturally means red velvet, my fave! The problem here being that I also didn’t have any red food colouring! For those of you experienced with red velvet you’ll know that the original red colour comes from the reaction between the cocoa powder and acidic ingredient (usually white vinegar of some kind), but to get a garishly bright red that most of us are used to when it comes to red velvet, you also need a ton of red food colouring. I somehow managed to get a nice good red colour from just the cocoa and vinegar plus some ruby sugarflair gel colouring (which is a dark pink) and a very tiny amount blue food colouring (thanks to my colour theory expert of a best friend for that tip!). While organising my cake decorating supplies later today I discovered I did have red food colouring after all, I guess that’s what I get for not organising that stuff sooner!

I’m not gonna give you the red velvet recipe today as I was on a bit of an improvisation with this one, I also made my own buttermilk, this was a strictly “only use what I already have in the house” project!. When I finally write up a red velvet recipe (and I will, it’s my favourite cake) I’ll let you know how to make your own buttermilk too, a quick google will help you out there in the meantime though.

But what is red velvet without cream cheese frosting, right? And that’s the recipe I’m going to give you today. I’m a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, it’s my absolute favourite and I pretty much love it however it comes. But sometimes I find it can be a bit heavy with too much sweetness and not enough tangyness (totally a word), which is why I love this recipe. It’s really light and creamy and the small amount of sugar really lets the cream cheese shine through! Plus it’s still stiff enough to pipe.

So, this one’s for you T1 and T2. This is your Aunty Michelle’s way of welcoming you into this crazy world

[recipe title=”Cream Cheese Frosting” servings=”” time=”15 mins”]

Ingredients

230g full fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
60g icing sugar, sifted
160ml cold double cream*

Method

Beat the cream cheese until smooth
Add vanilla and sugar and beat until combined and smooth
Using a whisk attachment, add the cream a little at a time and whip until frosting is thick and ready to pipe
Add more sugar or cream to adjust consistency if necessary

*Note – make sure you use a double cream with at least 35% fat content and one that you know whips well. If you’re not using a good whipping cream then your frosting will not thicken up properly.

[/recipe]