So it's not a cupcake and it's not so much for Charlotte (having rum and all). But, it's still a dessert and I could totally make this recipe into cupcakes, I just REALLY wanted to try out my new silicone cake pan. That thing is awesome- the cake just cake popped right out- no sticking, no breaking, easy peasy. Let me just first say caramel scares me. Any hot sugar situation scares me, yet I am extremely intrigued by it. Last night, John and I were watching Amazing Cakes (on TLC i think) and I was in such shock and amazement watching these artsist/pastry chefs make sugar flowers, gems, shoes, etc.. It's incredible what can be done with just SUGAR!!! Anyway- it still scares me, because I don't want to burn myself. I took baby steps this morning and instead of making my own caramel from scratch, I opted to melt some caramels with some condensed milk and some vanilla. It came out awesome! I will eventually get a candy thermometer and make it on my own...one day. Here is what I did for this beautiful little confection:
1 1/2 stick butter softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup Captain Morgans Spiced Rum
I added the rum in last and gave a quick mix with my beaters then poured the batter into my cake pan. I baked this at 375 for about 30 minutes. It smelled so amazing when it came out. I bet it'd be even better if I used vanilla beans next time instead of extract. I let the cake cool and then melted in a microwavable bowl- 22 caramels with 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk. I think all in all it was about 2 minutes in the microwave but I kept checking and stirring every 30 seconds so it wouldn't burn. After in was all mixed and melted together I stirred in 1 tsp of vanilla extract- then I poked some holes in my cake with a chopstick and poured and spread the caramel all over the cake. The consistency wasn't too runny which was great b/c it just barely dripped down the side and dried fast enough before it hit my cake stand. Then I made a hard royal icing to decorate the top. 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 3/4 tsp cream of tartar, and 2 egg whites. I beat all of this till it was thick and slightly stiff. I tinted it a light lavender color and piped it messily all over the cake! I added a lil' colored sugar too! So yummy and it so moist and sweet! It would be fabulous with vanilla ice cream. So excuse me while I text my life partner and ask him to pick up some on his way home tonight!!
