Salted caramel frosting.
Who doesn't love salted caramel? It seems to be everywhere at the moment; in puddings, in sauces, on cakes, in coffee... the list goes on. Last week I took it upon myself to find the perfect caramel frosting recipe to fill and top a special chocolate birthday cake for a good friend.
I use a very basic sponge cake recipe (you'll need two of these)6 oz butter6 oz caster sugar - beat with a hand blender until pale - 3 large eggs1 tbsp vanilla essence- add one egg at a time, using hand blender to combine with butter and sugar -5 oz self raising flour1 oz cocoa powder- sift these into the mixture, folding in with a wooden spoon - - pour into a lined tin and bake for approx 25 minutes at 170c -
For the frostingI hunted high and low for a good salted caramel frosting recipe and after a failed attempt at one, I sort of amalgamated a whole load of recipes to get this. It was perfect. The quantities are rather precise because I was converting several American recipes which use cups rather than grams. 113g salted butter220g dark brown sugar80ml double cream1/4 tsp salt250g icing sugar1 tbsp milkMelt the butter, sugar and double cream on a medium heat in a pan, stirring throughout. When the mixture is all melted and combined and starts to bubble, leave to bubble for a further three minutes ensuring it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. This is making the basic caramel all gooey and rich and lovely. Stir in the salt, remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. You'll need to leave this to cool completely; this took about 30-40 minutes for me. Sift in the icing sugar bit by bit, beating in with a hand blender. You may need to add a tablespoon or so of milk to make the mixture a little easier to work with when icing the cake. And there you have it! Sprinkle over some coarse sea salt for prettiness and extra salted effect; delish!
