This cake was born from the idea, anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
There is a lot of caramel in this cake…and I did think we were overdoing it, and that the cake would be very sweet, but Dorie was correct…it just works!
We might have started a new tradition, which seems fun…our “April Birthday” bakers chose this one, so we have to take a minute to thank Kayte, Steph, and Diane for a great choice…and to say Happy Birthday! 🎂
Like most things, this isn’t a hard recipe but it does take a little time.
I started with making the homemade salted caramel so it had time to cool before I needed it. I am always reminded at how simple this is…just sugar, water, corn syrup, butter, cream, vanilla and fluer de sel. This is used swirled in the cake, and also a cup of it mixed with confectioners sugar for the frosting.
The cake is baked in a springform and sliced after baking to get the two layers. The cake batter is thick and airy. You don’t whip the eggs like a meringue, but it does form shiny peaks before adding the dry ingredients. Nothing is too unusual other than buttermilk, but it sure was a moist and flavorful cake. I will have to mention here that this cake had 1/2 t of cinnamon…that is the only spice, and I would say a minimal amount at that…
And yet…
Every person who had this, which was 11 people 😳 , and not all together, said it was the most delicious SPICE cake 😂…me included. There was 3 T of caramel swirled in the cake, but still, I thought that was pretty crazy how unanimous that reaction was. Interesting how much flavor those two things could give to a cake!
The sliced cake is frosted with the sugar/caramel mixture which I thought the texture/consistency interesting to work with…more like a coating or thick glaze. We are told, you can leave it plain, or add chocolate or toffee pieces for decoration. I was leery to add more sugar…I really thought this would already be an overly sweet cake but I went for it anyway adding mini chocolate chips and chopped up almond roca and I am really glad I did! It finished the cake beautifully and everyone loved the added crunch.
Two big takeaways from this bake…it is quite the showstopper and incredibly it is not a sweet cake at all. Dorie tells us caramel is really just burnt sugar and will add a tinge of bitterness which will make it intriguing. She was spot on. We served it with vanilla ice cream when my kids were all over and everyone said that was the perfect compliment.
So, while not the healthiest dessert, it was indeed delicious. Everyone LOVED it and would gladly have this one again. My dad, adding it to his running “top 25” list. ❤️
This one is a keeper!
Is this a keeper? 
Thank you for the birthday wishes…so fun to see your beautiful cake, the top looks so elegant and pretty. We, too, enjoyed the cinnamon in the cake and I was surprised that I could taste it immediately with such a small amount called for…I usually up the cinnamon in everything as I’m afraid I won’t taste it enough but I didn’t this time and it was perfect in this recipe. So fun to see everyone’s cakes!
Interesting, this cake was a bit over the top for me (maybe just in size). I used a different frosting recipe which made more and made for a very sweet cake – I can’t imagine the frosting that was in the recipe with extra sugar added? Glad it was a hit and you found enough people to share with!
Personally, I think the cake recipe is OK. But there is no denying that you turned this cake into a showstopper. Your cake decoration looks so professional and artsy with the well-placed toppings and the smooth caramel frosting. Well done! Enjoy the birthday season!
nice touch with the almond roca on top! I agree this cake is a keeper-loved it!
I love that your dad is keeping a list. Your cake came out beautiful. We liked this one too and that caramel sauce is my favorite.