This one has been calling my name for awhile. I have actually already pinned it twice.
It is a salted caramel cream cheese frosting and it comes to us from Blooming on Bainbridge, who actually got it from Kimberly Taylor Images/Life on Blackberry Farm.
It is really deliciously decadent and I imagine it would be most delicious on any kind of cake. I am still a bit of a novice with caramel, often allowing hot spots to burn the sugar, or cooking the entire batch too long. In the following recipe I have included some things I do to avoid these mistakes.
Here is my adapted recipe:
Salted Caramel
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea
WARNING: Cooking with hot sugar is dangerous. Use care to avoid burns and do not leave cooking sugar, even for a minute!
1. Combine the sugar, water, and the corn syrup in a large saucepan. Stir gently to combine, avoid splashing sides of pan, and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to allow sugars to become uniformly wet. In the meantime you may prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Heat 1/2 cup cream in small saucepan until just simmering, turn off heat and cover pan. The cream must be warm when it is added later to the hot caramel.
3. Once ready to cook sugar, attach a candy thermometer to pan, making sure tip of thermometer does not touch bottom of pan. 4. Stir gently with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, again avoid splashing sides of pan.
5. Once sugar has dissolved, stop stirring, dip small heat-proof brush into water and carefully brush any sugar crystals that have formed on the pan. 6. Watch cooking sugar carefully and as color begins to change, occasionally swirl pan so caramel does not burn. If necessary, carefully brush down sides of pan with water.
7. Watch thermometer carefully. When temperature reaches 370 degrees, remove pan from heat and let stand approximately 30 second.
8. *** Be careful here *** Pour the warm heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up significantly and is very hot.
9. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
10. Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
Salted Caramel Frosting
2 sticks butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 cup salted caramel (recipe above)1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
3. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, beat to combine.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is the sweetness and consistency you desire.
Notes:
When I first tasted the caramel before adding it to the frosting it tasted too strong and salty. Once mixed into the frosting it was perfect.
I used all of the caramel and the full 4 cups of powdered sugar in the final frosting.
This is a good one. I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.
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