Burnt sugar cake

 Cruising the internet, I came across the intriguingly titled Burnt Sugar Cake. The flavour is reminiscent of butterscotch Angel Delight, for those old enough to remember that curious concoction. Chocolate Crunchie is an alternative reference. Intensely sweet.

It is a big cake, a very big cake. It went down well with friends.

The recipe I used is given in full below.

I may sometime try this alternative recipe, which may be lighter, but only once I've recovered from the extreme sweetness. It may be some time, and I think I’ll try using the syrup to flavour  some whipped cream, to put inside the cake.

Considering this recipe after time to digest, physically and mentally, I think this cake would be brilliant as a teatime bonne bouche, in a seriously reduced form. One mouthful would be an amazing an accompaniment to coffee, or coffee sorbet.

Burnt Sugar Syrup:

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup boiling water

Burnt Sugar Cake

3 cups/360g sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup sweet butter, room temp

1¼ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs, room temp

½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup

water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Burnt Sugar Frosting

¼ cup/60g unsalted butter

1 lb/450g icing sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

RECIPE

Burnt Sugar Syrup

1.    Melt ¾ cup sugar in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it turns into amber (burnt orange), then take it off the heat

2.    Add boiling water very carefully, as the mixture will spatter at first, the return the caramel to a low heat and simmer while stirring, until the sugar and water are thoroughly mixed together

3.    Set to one side to cool – use at room temperature

Burnt Sugar Cake

·         Set the oven to 350/180 (slightly less for fan assisted overns)

·         Grease and flour two 9”/22cm cake tins, and line them with parchment or waxed paper

·         Sift flour, baking powder and salt together

·         Cream the butter, beating until smooth, adding sugar and continuing to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy

·         Add the eggs, one by one, beating to a smooth mixture before adding the next egg.

·         Mix together ½ cup of burnt sugar syrup with enough water to make one cup of liquid and stir in the vanilla

·         Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with the burnt sugar syrup mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients, until the mixture is smooth

·         Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans

·         Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the surface springs back slightly when lightly touched in the centre, and the cakes come away from the sides of the cake tins

·         Let the cakes cool for at least 10 minutes on wire racks before tipping out the cakes

·         Allow cakes to cool completely before starting to ice the cake

·         Split each cake into two, and fill each layer with icing, before covering the top and sides

Burnt Sugar Frosting: 

1.    Cream ¹/₃ cup unsalted butter until light and fluffy

2.    Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar, almost ½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla until creamy, smooth and spreadable

.

Incredibly rich!