posted by Pat T 06-30-98 8:05 AM
Burnt Sugar Syrup - Cake and Frosting
San Francisco Chronicle, 10/2/91
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Boiling water
Burnt Sugar Cake:
3 cups Sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Unsalted butter -- room
-temperature
1 1/4 cups Sugar
3 Eggs -- room temperature
1/4 cup Burnt sugar syrup
Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Burnt Sugar Frosting (see -recipe)
Pecan halves for decoration
Burnt Sugar Frosting:
1/4 cup Unsalted butter
1 pound Powdered sugar -- sifted
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Melt sugar in a skillet over low heat, stirring ccasionally, until it turns into an amber-colored liquid. Turn off heat, and carefully add boiling water (mixture will bubble madly). Return the caramel to low heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sugar and water are thoroughly mixed and no lumps of sugar remain. Set aside to cool to room
temperature.
Burnt Sugar Cake:
Adjust rack to lower third of oven; preheat at oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper rounds.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition until well blended. To the 1/2 cup of burnt sugar syrup add enough water to make 1 cup; stir in the vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture
alternately with the burnt sugar syrup mixture,
beginning and ending with dry ingredients, until well
blended and smooth. Divide the batter between the 2
cake pans.
Bake about 25 minutes, or until the surface springs
back slightly when lightly touched in the center, and
the cakes con- tract from the pans.
Cool 10 minutes on wire racks, then invert on racks, carefully peel off paper liners, turn baked side up, and cool completely before frosting. Fill and frost with Burnt Sugar Frosting. Decorate with whole pecan halves.
Burnt Sugar Frosting:
Cream 1/4 cup unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 pound (1 box) powdered sugar, sifted with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla until creamy smooth and spreadable. If mixture is stiff, add water, a teaspoon at a time.