Caramel Cake

This time, I am deeply smitten with the vacation bug, and I still haven't recovered from it yet. A trip to The Capital was the main highlight of this year's vacation and we especially my kids thoroughly enjoyed it. It was their many firsts--first looong trip in the train (48 hrs), first trip to the North, first long trip with their grandparents and so on.....So you could imagine their excitement!!

Meanwhile, many special days like the Mother's day and Father's Day have come and gone, but I was never in a mood to at least make an effort to bake something for those special days.....Anyways, let me hope this Caramel Cake would compensate for all those lazy bygone days.....

Once again, when I have to make a come back, I normally depend on the Fondbites, Bake Along Recipes and this time too, didn't alter that routine!! No more blabbing, off to the recipe for the Caramel Cake (Fondbites, Bake Along # 18).

Ingredients:

For the Cake
Unsalted butter - 150 gm @ room temperature
Sugar - 1 1/4 cups
Salt - 1 tsp
Caramel syrup - 1/3 cup
Eggs - 2 @ room temperature
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Ground cardamom - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1 cup @ room temperature

For the Caramel Syrup
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 1/2 cup
Cold water to stop crystallization - 1 cup

Method:

• Prepare the caramel syrup in the usual way and keep aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 160 C and line a cake pan with paper and butter it.
• Sift together the flour, cardamom powder, salt and baking powder and set aside.
• Add butter into a bowl and whip it with a beater until fluffy. 
• Add sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes until the mixture is light and creamy.
• Add eggs one by one and beat well after each addition.
• Add vanilla essence and beat again until well incorporated.
• Next, add the cooled caramel syrup and beat well.
• Add the sifted flour mixture and milk alternating both and beating until just incorporated after each addition. Do not overbeat.
• Pour into the cake pan and tap to release the air.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

I would suggest you to wait patiently for 24 hrs before digging into it, so that the flavours would mature and you could finish it off in single day......