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    Home » Cakes

    Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting, and a Tribute to the Queen of All Daring Bakers, Lis

    Nov 15, 2013 · Modified: Dec 1, 2020 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 28 Comments

    Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting- Andrea Meyers

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    Back in 2007, we were moving and getting settled into our new home. The boys were 5, 3, and 6 months old, and I was a tired mama. I had been writing this blog for just over a year, and was excited about the new kitchen and the neat things I saw happening on other people’s blogs. I can’t remember precisely whose Daring Bakers post I saw first, I just remember this:

    “A month or so ago a graphic began to appear on some of the websites that I regularly visit, an image showing ninja warriors hacking away at what appeared to be a meringue while mixers and rolling pins were flying above. The title on the graphic intrigued me: ‘Daring Bakers.’”

    “I mused about who The Daring Bakers might be. Was it some freemason-like secret baking society with their own rituals, passwords, and initiation rites? Did they have their own secret formula for pain au levain? What did one have to do to become a Daring Baker? Would I be able to recognize one if I bumped into her on the street?”

    I wrote those words in June of 2007 after getting notice that my request to join had been accepted. I loved all the blogs that were participating, and it looked like they were having a great time tackling the baking challenges. I wanted to be as daring as they all were! And one blogger that absolutely tickled me with her stream-of-conscious writing and lack of inner monologue was Lis of La Mia Cucina, who co-founded the Daring Bakers with Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice.

    If you want to get a good understanding of how Lis’s mind worked, read her story about making Martha Stewart’s crepe cake, which she titled: To My Dearest The Martha…I Laugh in the Face of Your Saggy Ass Crepes. You’ll have a whole new vocabulary by the time you are done. I still laugh until tears run down my face as I read it, and I’ve needed those laughs this week, because Lis unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday morning.

    I’ve found myself smiling and crying at different times this week as I think about Lis and all the Daring Bakers and what the people in that group have meant to me. I have true friendships with a number of the DBs, relationships that would have never happened otherwise.

    I joined the DBs because I wanted to bake better, and the idea of a group of people helping each other and proudly sharing successes and challenges seemed like exactly what I needed. Every month we got the new challenge and worked on it for several weeks, sharing tips and asking questions of each other as we went, all while keeping it a secret until the day we all posted our photos and stories. Then we would race around the Internet to read each other’s stories and give props. When I joined, there were about 60 of us, so visiting everyone’s blog was fairly easy. Now the group known as The Daring Kitchen has membership in the thousands; thousands of people who challenge themselves to try new things each month and support others in the group while doing it.

    All that from just two friends who met online and wanted to make pretzels together. That’s quite a legacy.

    I’m an educator at heart, and I’m part of the team that launched K12.com in 2001, so you could say that using the Internet as an educational tool comes naturally to me. Watching the Daring Bakers grow absolutely fascinated me for many reasons: it was organic, no one in charge had an education or technical background, and it was self-sustaining. My inner education and tech geek was so enthralled with the idea that I cajoled Lis and Ivonne into letting me write an education article about the DBs, which I published on my instructional design website back in the day. Many of the original members answered the survey I sent out and gave plenty of data to work with.

    The concept worked, and it still works today, all because of the people who started it and those who continue it. Those of us who are now Daring Bakers alumni look back on the early days very fondly, remembering all the crazy, fun times and how we laughed at ourselves amid kitchen disasters. Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups spoke for us all when she wrote, “In a virtual world there are wonderful and very real people. A number of them are in this group.”

    And Lis was always right in the middle of it, making us laugh harder and always, always, encouraging each and every one of us.

    So this week as many of us mourn her passing, we also want to celebrate her life and what she helped create by doing another Daring Bakers challenge. Kellypea got us organized, and we’ve all chosen our own way to express our love for Lis and each other.

    I chose to bake a cake, a cake that was the DB challenge in November 2008. It was a two-part challenge: Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting from Shuna Fish Lydon, and Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Alice Medrich. I managed to make the caramels, but not the cake, so this is my chance to make up that challenge.

    It’s a Daring Bakers challenge, so of course there is butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.

    I made a caramel syrup from just sugar and water.

    And browned lots of butter.

    And made a mess in the kitchen.

    And the whole time I thought about how much fun it all was back then, tackling monster jobs and laughing the whole way. I started blogging because it was fun, and Lis and Ivonne and the rest of the DBs made it even more fun.

    Lis, you left us far too soon, and we miss you in more ways than you can possibly know. I hope you are having fun baking wherever you are. And I want you to know that every time I screw up something in the kitchen, or anywhere else for that matter, I’ll always remember how daring you were. And I’ll probably say, “FAKK IT.”

    Bless your cotton socks.

    #tributetolis #daringbakers

    Recipe Notes

    There are three parts to this recipe: the caramel syrup, caramelized butter frosting, and the caramel cake. It sounds like a lot, but the great thing—besides the fabulous flavor—is that the parts can be made ahead. The syrup will keep for a couple weeks in the refrigerator, and you can make the frosting a day or two before you need it, just keep it chilled. I made the cake the night before so it had time to cool completely before frosting.

    The caramel syrup recipe makes lots of syrup, leaving plenty for more caramel cakes. It also has other uses; think coffee drinks! Mmmmm. And that frosting would go well on other cakes, too. If you love caramel, you will just die over that frosting, and possibly never buy fake caramel frosting again.

    The cake was the hardest part for me, trying to make sure I got the texture just right, which was close but not as light as I wanted. That will take a little more practice.

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    CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

    Daring Bakers logoAdapted from Shuna Fish Lydon.

    Makes 1 (9-inch) cake.

    Equipment

    small stainless steel saucepan with tall sides
    pastry brush
    fine mesh sieve
    stand mixer with paddle attachment
    medium mixing bowl
    9-inch cake pan, buttered and lined with parchment paper
    baking sheet

    Ingredients

    CARAMEL SYRUP
    2 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
    1 + ½ cups (360 ml) water, divided

    CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
    12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter
    16 ounces (454 g) confectioners sugar, sifted
    4 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream
    2 tablespoons vanilla extract
    2 to 4 tablespoons caramel syrup
    dash sea salt

    CARAMEL CAKE
    10 tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    1-¼ cups (219 g) granulated sugar
    ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    ⅓ cup (80 ml) caramel syrup
    2 large eggs, room temperature
    splash vanilla extract
    2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
    ½ teaspoon baking powder
    1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temperature

    Preparation

    1. CARAMEL SYRUP – In the saucepan, mix together the sugar and ½ cup water until it feels like wet sand in your fingers. Brush down any stray sugar crystals from the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush. Turn the heat up to high. Cook the mixture until the color is dark amber (like dark maple syrup) and just starts to smoke, about 15 minutes (plus or minus). Watch the mixture closely so it doesn’t burn. Put oven mitts on your hands, and very carefully and slowly, drizzle the remaining 1 cup water into the middle of the hot sugar mixture. It will sputter and splatter, so stay back and be careful! [Note: For safety reasons, you should have a bowl of ice water handy in case the hot sugar splatters onto your skin.] Reduce heat to medium and whisk the mixture until the volume reduces slightly. Dip a spoon into the mixture and allow it to cool for a few seconds. It should feel sticky to the touch. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The caramel syrup will keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.

    2. CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING – In the saucepan, brown the butter, and strain it through the fine mesh sieve into the bowl of the stand mixer. Allow to cool. Add the sifted confectioners sugar a little at a time, mixing on low speed. Add the vanilla. When it starts to look chunky, drizzle in some heavy cream and caramel syrup, a little at a time, adding more sugar as you go. Continue until all the confectioners sugar has been incorporated and it has a smooth texture. Depending on the humidity, you may need to adjust the amount of heavy cream. Mix in the sea salt. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use, then allow it to come to room temperature or microwave for about 10 seconds or so. If it’s too stiff, run it through the mixer again to soften it.

    Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting- Andrea Meyers

    3. CARAMEL CAKE – Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C. The oven should be hot for 30 minutes before baking the cake.

    4. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream the butter on high speed until smooth and light. Add the sugar and salt, and cream at high speed until the mixture looks a very pale yellow. At low speed, slowly drizzle in the caramel syrup, a little at a time, mixing between additions. Scrape down the bowl and increase speed to medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl again, mixing at high speed until the mixture is light and uniform.

    5. In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and add ⅓ of the flour. Drizzle in half of the milk slow while mixing. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Repeat with another ⅓ of the flour, then the milk, then the last of the flour. Increase speed and scrape down the bowl as necessary. Fold the batter by hand a few times to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

    6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Rotate the cake, then bake until the middle is set and the sides start to pull away from the pan, about 15-20 more minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

    7. Spread a thin crumb layer (see below) of the softened caramelized butter frosting on the cake and allow it to set, then add the final layer of frosting. Ready to serve!

    Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting- Andrea Meyers

    More Daring Bakers Adventures

    The Daring Bakers Make Opera Cake - Andrea Meyers The Daring Bakers Make Strawberry Mirror Cake - Andrea Meyers The Daring Bakers Make Buche de Noel (Yule Log Cake) - Andrea Meyers

    More Daring Baker Tributes to Lis From Other Blogs

    • Sass & Veracity
    • Kitchen Musings
    • Confessions of a Cardamom Addict
    • Use Real Butter
    • Cream Puffs in Venice
    • Coco Cooks
    • Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
    • Dessert First
    • At the Baker's Bench
    • The Leftover Queen
    • Kalyn's Kitchen
    • A Cooking Dad
    • Parsley, Sage & Sweet
    • Passionate About Baking
    • Mele Cotte
    • The Crafts of Mommyhood
    • Korena in the Kitchen
    • Phemomenon
    • No Fear Entertaining
    • Feeding My Enthusiasms
    • My Diverse Kitchen
    • More Than Burnt Toast
    • The Feast Within
    • Audax Artifex
    • My Kitchen Trials
    • Cuisine a 4 Mains
    • My Big Thirty
    • Sensory Dispensary
    • Ria's Collection
    • Manu's Menu
    • What's on the List
    • My Baking Heart
    • The Gingered Whisk
    • Shazam in the Kitchen
    • Cheap Ethnic Eatz
    • SleepingBear in the Kitchen
    • C Mom Cook
    • Anula's Kitchen
    • Eat the Love
    • Pizzarossa

    [More to come! Adding as I find them.]

    « Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread
    Waldorf Brussels Sprout Salad »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. kellypea says

      November 15, 2013 at 9:09 pm

      Bawling again. And smiling. Remembering that cake and the challenge. I think I made some fancy pears and it ended up on a Thanksgiving table somewhere. The pears drooped. It was epic. Thanks for being my friend, Andrea. And thanks to the incomparable Lis. The sociogram we could construct with Lis at its center would be fakkin' awesome, wouldn't it?

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 15, 2013 at 9:23 pm

        Kellypea, your fancy pears rocked the challenge. Your caramel cake was gorgeous! It was fakkin' awesome! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Peabody says

      November 15, 2013 at 9:14 pm

      Oh how she loved a caramel cake. The caramel cake I have on my blog way back was because of Lis. She was looking for a recipe for it. So I made her one instead. She would have loved this.

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 15, 2013 at 9:24 pm

        Caramel is like crack to me. I like chocolate, but I love caramel. I must try yours sometime!

        Reply
    3. Lisa says

      November 15, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      What a beautiful tribute, Andrea. A new batch of fresh tears every time I read one - it just won't stop. That said, this caramel cake challenge was certainly a challenge because I made it in a wheelchair after knee surgery in the kitchen of the rehab facility I was staying at for physical therapy for my knee (making the caramel was scary since I had to keep tipping the pot over to see it from my chair, to check the color). Lis was floored, couldn't believe I pulled it off lol I know she's watching down on us and loving these tributes to her. 🙂

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 15, 2013 at 9:51 pm

        I remember that! Oh my gosh, you had a time of it. But you were daring! Awesome.

        Reply
    4. Aparna says

      November 15, 2013 at 10:22 pm

      That's such a lovely tribute and you've captured the essence of the Lis that many of us knew from being Daring Bakers. I'm sure she's seeing all this wherever she is, with a huge smile on her face.

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 16, 2013 at 1:48 pm

        Thanks Aparna. I hope she feels the love!

        Reply
    5. Deeba Rajpal (@vindee) says

      November 15, 2013 at 11:13 pm

      Brought back a flood of good memories and tears too. Evocative and beautifully written Andrea. I loved Shuna Lydons cake. The talk of the old times makes me smile wide!!

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 16, 2013 at 1:54 pm

        Thanks so much, Deeba. Love Shuna's cake!

        Reply
    6. Gabi Marshall says

      November 16, 2013 at 1:28 am

      You crack me up, even when I'm feeling blue. Your musings about the secret society of DBs brings back my own curiosity. Love your post! Thanks - Lis would be proud!
      xoxox

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 16, 2013 at 1:55 pm

        I can't help it, I still love the old logo with the flying ninjas. 🙂

        Reply
    7. bellini says

      November 16, 2013 at 9:24 am

      The blogging community has lost a very special lady. We all learned so much with a sense of style, humility and humour, always laughter and fun. We may no longer be Daring Bakers but we are still those fledgling bloggers in spirit who rose to every challenge. Thank you Lis.

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 16, 2013 at 1:55 pm

        I love how we all came together because of Lis and Ivonne. Great memories.

        Reply
    8. Elle says

      November 16, 2013 at 10:56 am

      It's not always easy to evoke time gone by, but you have done that. You've also captured the essence of Lis, with her huge heart and wacky writing that always brought laughter. I remember that so many of these cakes were successes, even though we celebrated the effort as much as the success. Sad beyond belief that Lis is gone, but sad too that the Daring Bakers grew so large that many of the first bloggers in it left. They were good times. Could you add my tribute to the list? It's on the website.

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 16, 2013 at 1:56 pm

        Thanks Elle, she was one of a kind. And thanks for sharing your tribute, I added it to the list.

        Reply
    9. Audax Artifex says

      November 17, 2013 at 4:49 am

      Thank you so much for the moving tribute. Lis will be missed so much

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 17, 2013 at 11:46 am

        Thanks for all the work you've done for The Daring Kitchen, and for helping to keep the lights on. And thanks for sharing your tribute; I added it to the list.

        Reply
    10. Dina says

      November 17, 2013 at 4:26 pm

      it looks yummy!

      Reply
    11. pizzarossa says

      November 17, 2013 at 7:05 pm

      Hi Andrea, could add my post to the list? Thanks.
      http://pizzarossa.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/tribute-to-the-queen-of-all-daring-bakers-lis/

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 17, 2013 at 9:04 pm

        Thanks for sharing, I added your tribute.

        Reply
    12. Joanne T Ferguson says

      November 17, 2013 at 8:40 pm

      G'day! With a tear in my eye, we all celebrate a wonderful lady who united us all together through food and our passion for a sense of community!
      What a lovely tribute Andrea...If there is anything I can do to help, please someone contact me...
      Cheers! Joanne
      P.S. GREAT cake...wish I could try right now too...enjoyed you blog post and of course the tribute...

      Reply
      • Andrea says

        November 17, 2013 at 9:23 pm

        Thanks for visiting, Joanne, and for sharing your tribute, too. You should try the cake, it's delicious!

        Reply
    13. Mary says

      November 17, 2013 at 9:52 pm

      What a terrific remembrance of Lis! I felt the same way about the Daring Bakers. And oh how I remember that caramel cake!

      Reply
    14. Evelyne@cheapethniceatz says

      November 18, 2013 at 10:55 am

      What a wonderful tribute to Lis, we can all share so many identical feeling about her through each of our unique stories. Really enjoyed your tribute and the cake sounds fab! Great link round up too!

      Reply
    15. Wolf says

      November 19, 2013 at 11:42 am

      I am a caramel fiend. Heh. I'll definitely be making this in the near future. It was a Challenge from before I joined in early 2009, but it's a definite must make.

      And yes, LIs' blog as well as Ivonne;'s was the reason I joined the Daring Bakers/Daring Cooks as well.}:)

      Reply
    16. Kalyn says

      November 29, 2013 at 7:31 am

      What a lovely post. xoxo

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Whatcha Wearing Wednesday - Hints of Caramel - The Mummy Chronicles says:
      November 27, 2013 at 5:46 am

      […] Caramel cake infused with caramel syrup, topped with caramel buttercream frosting.  I’ve been dreaming of this cake and waiting for the right time to make it.  I’ve been given the task of making dessert the night before Thanksgiving when a lot of the family is already together.  Meaning it is finally caramel cake time! […]

      Reply

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