Hello lovelies, thank you so much for stopping by. And I have a real treat for you today, in the form of my Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake.
So, there is a reason for this particular cake’s title. Because I was absolutely CRAZY for attempting to make this cake last Sunday.
The Sunday Bake Club:
If you follow me on Twitter, you may well have heard of @SBC Takeover. It stands for Sunday Bake Club. Anyway, I was joining in a Tweet chat with them a few weeks ago and they asked me to join. Me?!!!
Each week they have a different theme as to what you should bake. And last Sunday it was vegetables. Yay I thought. Since carrot cake is my favourite cake in the entire universe, easy peasy. You’d think?!!!
Since I figured, if I were going to take part, I was going to push myself. Yeah that always seems like a fun idea when you think about it – then you have to do it!!
I had a recipe-ish in mind for the cake I wanted to bake – but, it needed some adjustment. Also, this time I was going to use a Bundt tin, because, erm, it seemed like a good idea at the time. So I fiddled with the recipe, hoping I’d got the right quantities to bake my Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake in my chosen Bundt tin.
As I was making the cake, carefully photographing each stage, just in case it did work and I could share it with you lovely people, I had a thought. Always, always a dangerous activity for me.
Since there are Pecan nuts in the cake, it occurred to me that they’d also look nice if I used them to decorate the cake (assuming the cake turned out – literally, from its intricately designed Bundt tin). So all is good, but what was I going to ice/frost the cake with? Because I wasn’t feeling the cream cheese frosting that ALWAYS goes beautifully with carrot cake, I wanted Caramel.
Why Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake?
Confession time. I. Don’t. Like. Caramel.
Really I don’t, so I would be CRAZY to put something I don’t like, on my favourite cake, of all time, ever.
Yet, somehow, deep inside, I knew I could get it to work for me. While I know caramel and salted caramel have been done to death over the last few years, although I’d never jumped on that band wagon. Why would I? Because I don’t like caramel.
Or should I say I didn’t like caramel, until I’d made my own. I instinctively shy away from super sweet food, especially icings and frostings. Whereas, my own, homemade caramel sauce, is a gazillion miles away from the tooth aching, molten sugar of my previous caramel tastings.
Drizzled over this beautiful Bundt and adorned with toasted Pecan nuts this Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake is the perfect twist on a classic.
Bundt pan dimensions are 23.5cm (9″) wide x 11cm (4.5″) deep. The pan holds 3 litres (5.3 UK pints). Alternatively you could also use a 8in (20cm) greased and lined springform cake pan, although the baking time may need adjusting.
Recipe : Serves 10 Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake
For the Cake :
200g/7oz Unsalted Butter (plus extra for greasing the tin. Alternatively use Wilton cake release and apply as shown for butter.)
260g/10oz Caster Sugar
3 Large Free Range Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract – I use Nielsen-Massey
1/4tsp Salt
260g/10z Plain White Flour
2.5tsp Baking Powder
2.5tsp Cinnamon
300g/11oz Grated Carrot
50g/2oz Pecan Nuts
For the Caramel Topping :
50g/2oz Butter
175g/6oz Light Brown Sugar
300ml/11fl oz Double Cream
1tsp Vanilla Extract
50g/2oz Pecan Nuts
Method : Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4, 350F.
Making And Baking The Carrot Cake:
First of all, before starting on the cake batter, you need to toast the pecan nuts. Since this brings out their flavour and keeps them crisp and crunchy within the cake.
To make the cake, firstly cream the butter and sugar together, until pale and fluffy.
Sift in one third of the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract and one egg and mix gently.
Repeat this process twice more, adding the egg before the dry mix at the last stage.
Place the cake in the middle of the oven and bake for 1hour.
Making The Caramel Sauce And Decorating The Cake:
While the cake is baking, make the Caramel Sauce.
Remember the caramel is very hot, so no dipping your finger into the saucepan!!
After 1 hour of baking insert a skewer into the deepest part of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is baked and can be removed from the oven. If not, return the cake to the oven and check at 5 minute intervals.
You will only need half of the caramel sauce. The other half can be frozen, for up to 3 months, or kept in the fridge for a week.
Your beautiful Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake is now ready to serve!
The Truth Of The Pudding Is In The Tasting:
You will have to trust me (wink), since this cake is not overly sweet. The resulting cinnamon scented carrot cake, with hidden pecan crunch, is perfectly complimented by the delicious caramel sauce. Don’t believe me??? try this for yourself!!!
I cannot encourage you enough to make this delicious twist on a classic, Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake.
Also this cake is easily baked in an ordinary cake pan. however, if I can encourage you also to obtain a Bundt tin, your baking world will sooo benefit. All that beautiful detail and no extra effort required from the baker. That’s got to be incentive enough.
Have you ever disliked a food or flavour and then been persuaded to change your mind?
If you have enjoyed this recipe for Crazy Caramel Carrot Cake you may also like these:
Summer Mixed Berry Sponge Cake
Stepping, actually taking a great, big, leap outside of my comfort zone really paid off. Resulting in an incredible flavour combination and beautiful cake that can also be served as a pudding, with custard, or more caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. And remember, however you serve this cake, it always tastes better when shared!
So, whatever you are making, baking and creating in your kitchens, have fun preparing and sharing your feast.
Sammie x
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