Chocolate Orange Cake With Salted Caramel Recipes

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL AND WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat a convection oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the vinegar into the milk in a medium bowl and set it aside to curdle for 5 minutes.
• Add the granulated sugar, oil and vanilla to the milk mixture and beat by hand with a whisk until foamy.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 batches, beating with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until no lumps.
• Grease three 6-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter among them and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes
• Let cool slightly, then remove the cakes from the pans. Cool the cakes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Soak the cake rounds with Coffee Simple Syrup by brushing about 1/3 cup onto each layer as you build the cake. To build: Spread the White Chocolate Buttercream on one soaked cake round, then add a heavy drizzle of Caramel Sauce. Add a second layer and repeat. Add the last layer and frost the whole cake with White Chocolate Buttercream.
• Add the sugar to a small saucepan fitted with a lid. Pour in the coffee and stir. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar completely dissolves. Turn off the heat. Cover immediately and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Put the white chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Bring the granulated sugar and 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat. Mix the cornstarch with 1 cup of water in a small bowl to combine. Stir it into the sugar mixture. Bring to a boil. Pour the sugar mixture over the white chocolate. Stir by hand with a whisk to combine. As mixture cools, stir 2 more times over the next 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
• Combine the light brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened.

SALTED CARAMEL-ORANGE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Make the caramel: Combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water and the kosher salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally but not stirring, until amber, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush any sugar crystals off the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the butter (the mixture will bubble). Pour into a 9-inch-round cake pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom; set aside.
• Slice off the top and bottom of the oranges. Place the oranges cut-side down and cut off the peel and white pith with a chef's knife, following the curve of the fruit. Cut along both sides of each membrane to remove the segments. Set the segments aside, discarding any seeds.
• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt and whisk to combine.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the orange zest. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Arrange the orange segments in the cake pan in concentric circles. Add the batter and smooth the top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. (Tent with foil if the top gets too dark.) Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly, then run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a platter. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with sea salt.

SALTED CARAMEL MILK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Put your chocolates in a big bowl. Put the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and bring up to a boil. As soon that happens, stop stirring and let it boil until it turns an amber color, 8 to 10 minutes or so. (If you think that it needs another stir, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush, and stir the entire mixture, picking up the pot itself by the handle, being careful not to touch the caramel or else it could crystallize.) Once the mixture reaches that dark amber color, turn the heat down. Stand back from the pot and add the cream very slowly, stirring with a heatproof spatula. (If you are nervous about the steam, wear a kitchen glove to protect your hand.) Continue to stir until all is incorporated. Once the mixture is smooth, stir in the fine salt. Take off the heat and pour the caramel over the bowl of chocolate. Whisk to combine, making sure all the chocolate melts. Pop in the fridge for about 1 hour until completely chilled.
• Take the frosting out of the fridge and beat it with a hand mixer just until it becomes spreadable. Add the butter in pieces and mix until it's all combined. Pop back into the refrigerator for another hour.
• Place 1 cake layer on a cake platter, flat-side up. (You want the cake flat-side up so when you get into it you'll have nice and even layers.) Evenly spread 2 cups of the frosting over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, then put the other cake layer on top, flat-side up. Spread the rest of the frosting over the top and on the sides of the cake. Sprinkle the top with more salt flakes.
• Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (9 by 2-inch) nonstick round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with a round of parchment paper, and then butter the paper.
• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together onto parchment paper. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 4 or 5 minutes. Add your eggs, 1 at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding each additional egg. Mix in the chocolate and vanilla, making sure to combine really well. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, in 3 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Make sure to let it mix thoroughly.
• Pour half the batter in each pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or butter knife. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 25 minutes. Remove the pans to racks and allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes or so. Loosen the edges of the cake from the pan with a knife, then turn them onto the racks. Remove the paper and let the cakes completely cool.

CHOCOLATE-SALTED CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Chop 3 oz. chocolate finely. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 28 to 32 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool completely.
• Microwave caramels, water and 1/8 tsp. salt in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec.; stir. Microwave 30 sec. more; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring in 10-sec. increments until caramels are completely melted and sauce is well blended. Cool 10 min.
• Beat cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add caramel sauce; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP; spread onto cake.
• Melt remaining chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with remaining salt.