It has been birthday week in our house – my eldest and youngest are 15 years apart in age, but their birthdays are only 3 days apart – which means lots of baking for me. Now while I make a tasty cake, I am not a fancy decorator, I can’t sculpt figures from marzipan or create intricate patterns with icing. I have bodged my way through a series of character cakes over the years, and am sure I have many still to make for my younger ones, but thankfully my eldest just wanted her cake to look good rather than to look like something. She requested a salted caramel celebration cake, but was happy for me to make it look however I wanted!
The cake was made using a basic victoria sponge style recipe, but with added salted caramel flavouring. It was sandwiched with caramel in the middle, and covered in salted caramel cream cheese icing. To decorate it I swirled some more caramel over the top, sprinkled the top with fudge, caramel pieces and flakes of chocolate, then stacked salted caramel chocolates on the top. And you know what? It looked awesome – the messiness worked in my favour this time creating a salted caramel celebration cake I could be proud of. And most importantly it tasted amazing – she took some to work and her colleagues said it as the best cake they had ever eaten – yay for my baking skills!!
- 200g unsalted butter
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 200g self-raising flour
- 1 and a ½ teaspoons of salted caramel flavouring
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ tin of caramel
- For the icing: Most of the rest of the caramel, reserve a couple of teaspoons for the top
- 150g softened salted butter.
- 250g soft cheese
- 100g icing sugar
- For the topping: 2 teaspoons caramel
- Fudge and caramel pieces
- Flaked chocolate
- Chocolates
- Or choose your own!
- Cream together the butter and sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time
- Add the salted caramel flavouring and stir
- Fold through the flour and baking powder until well combined.
- Transfer to two greased and lined baking tins and cook at 190 degrees for approx 20 mins until risen and springy to the touch.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then turn out to cool completely on a rack.
- Using approx a third of a tin of caramel, sandwich the two cakes together.
- To make the icing, beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the icing sugar.
- Stir through the caramel
- You need a stiffish icing so add more icing sugar at this point if needed.
- Cover the cake with the icing using a knife and a 'swirling motion' to give it an interesting look.
- Swirl some caramel over the top of the cake using a knife to create patterns.
- Sprinkle your chosen toppings over the cake.
- Stack high with chocolates, the ones I used were dusted with bronze which added to the overall look of the cake, if you can't get similar achieve the same look using edible shimmer powders.
Of course this was a birthday cake, so the finishing touches were candles and sparklers. Betsy was really pleased with it and we all enjoyed eating it! My next job?! A cake that looks like ‘a ladybird sitting in the grass’ as per Syd’s instructions – not sure that one will turn out quite so glamorous looking!!
Love Miss Cisco XXX
That looks bloody amazing. I want some. I am so disappointed that you didn’t come and hug me at Cmp Bestival!
Jen Walshaw recently posted…Pete’s Dragon Colouring and Activity Pages
That looks and sounds amazing! Salted caramel is my husband’s favourite flavour, so we ought to give this a go.
(I love how specific your little one is with ‘a ladybird sitting in grass’!)
Sarah MumofThree World recently posted…The dream come true
Happy Birthday to your two – the cake looks and sounds amazing!!
Kara Guppy recently posted…Fireman Sam Electronic Pontypandy Fire Station Review
Truly a cake worthy of a celebration.
Erica Price recently posted…Kitchen Fun With Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons
Oh my goodness this looks so amazing!!! I think I will make it for my oldest’s 20th in October. I know he will just love it x
Sonia recently posted…A Visit to SeaWorld Orlando
yum tum yum yum yum !!!