Chocolate Caramel Layer Cake

At church we had a chili & dessert cook off for Halloween.  I wanted to try something new so I searched out recipes and found this one at www.marthastewart.com .  The picture above is actually the picture from her site.  I had to use it because I FORGOT TO TAKE A FINAL PICTURE!!  I was so mad at myself.  It was such a rush to get everything together for the contest that I forgot the final one. ugh.  But, I have to say that my  picture would have looked very similar.  I thought it would be difficult to get the edges to look so nice and smooth but the cake cut very cleanly and so did the frosting.  Very easy to make this look clean and elegant. (by the way, I won the dessert prize)  Don't think that because it has a Halloween type decoration on it that this dessert is only for that holiday.  You can make any kind of design with the sugar you want, or omit that all together.  This is a great special occasion dessert. 

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for sheet
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder  ( I did not use this)
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet, and line with parchment paper. Butter lining. Dust bottom and sides with flour; tap out excess
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together chocolate, coffee, and boiling water in a separate bowl; set aside.
3. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add sour cream; beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture.
4. Whisk chocolate mixture again; add to batter. Beat until smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared sheet. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in sheet on a wire rack.
6. Invert cake onto a rimless baking sheet; peel off parchment. Halve widthwise. Spread half of buttercream on top of one layer. Top frosted layer with second cake layer; coat cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into 12 squares; garnish each serving with a caramelized cobweb.
7. This is what it looks like when you frost it and put it in the fridge.  See how the edges are a bit rough....well, after it has chilled, take a long serrated knife and trim the edges and it comes out perfect.  Plus, you get to eat all the edge pieces!  YUM!  

Caramel Butter cream

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 6 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make caramel: Pour 1/4 cup water into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush two or three times to prevent crystals from forming. Let syrup boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is dark amber.

1. Immediately remove from heat; carefully pour in cream (caramel will bubble vigorously). Stir caramel until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; let cool.

1. Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, the egg whites, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

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2. Return bowl to mixer; fit mixer with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff. Reduce speed to medium low; add butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking until smooth.

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2. Switch to paddle attachment. Add caramel and vanilla; beat on lowest speed until combined, 3 to 5 minutes.

Caramelized Cobwebs

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for parchment paper
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick (6 inches) black licorice, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly butter two large sheets of parchment paper; set aside. Prepare a large ice water bath; set aside.
2. Pour 3 tablespoons water into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan. Add sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush two or three times to prevent crystals from forming. Let syrup boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is medium amber.
3. Immediately remove from heat; set pan into ice-water bath to stop the cooking.
4. Working quickly, drizzle caramel with a spoon onto buttered parchment paper, forming cobwebs. If the syrup is thin and runs too quickly, let it cool a bit longer. Alternatively, if the syrup is thick and slow to drizzle, reheat it gently. Garnish with small licorice spiders if desired.
5. To make the licorice spiders, cut licorice into twelve 1/2-inch pieces; split horizontally. On each end, cut out two triangles, forming an M. On each side, cut out one triangle from middle. Use caramel to stick to webs. Let stand until hardened and cooled.