I am not completely sure what happened to the month of November. Between post-MoFo blog abandonment, making enough "decontructed pumpkin pie" for 80 people, and preparing for our own Thanksgiving dinner, Daring Bakers kind of crept up on me.
Luckily for me, this month's challenge for Caramel Cake with Caramelized Buttercream frosting (written by Shuna and presented by Dolores and her cohosts Alex and Jenny, with GF help from Natalie) allowed for some freedom and was easily veganizable. The first step to making caramel cake? Well, that would be making the caramel.
I got a stern warning from the main dishwasher in the family NOT to let the caramel burn lest I spend hours scrubbing out the saucepan. It was extremely tempting to remove the pan from the flame before the syrup turned a golden amber color, but I resisted even in the face of the potential consequences.
Knowing that I've done several cakes for Daring Bakers already, I decided to mix it up a bit and make cupcakes. I only slightly modified the recipe for agave nectar cupcakes from VCTOTW, subbing half of the agave nectar with the caramel. And to make for an even sweeter surprise when one bites into the vanilla and caramel-scented cupcake, I filled the center of each with caramel before baking.
See that caramel bubble on the wrapper below? That's the caramel trying to bust out. Just a swirl of fluffy buttercream and a drizzle of caramel completes these simple cupcakes.
And I didn't even have to scrub the pot for hours on end....
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Daring Bakers Challenge: Caramel Cake
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34 comments:
I agree - November DEFINITELY flew by!!
Oh my, such scrumptious cupcakes!! I'm a HUGE caramel fanatic, so I'm loving this month's Daring Bakers Challenge tremendously :-)
You get an A+ from me! I am waiting for my carmel syrup to cool so my cake can get made. I wanted to do cupcakes too! Super job! I don't know where November went either. :o)
I love that you did cuppers, Amanda! Beautiful job, and your caramel looks just too good to be true!
November who?
They look perfect, I want to make me some caramel now!
I was so afraid of ruining the pot I made the caramel syrup in... as I have on several rock candy-making excursions.
I was so paranoid that I dumped the syrup into a silicone loaf pan and immediately clean the pot.
Yay for caramel cupcakes!
Breathtaking cupcakes!
Nice job all around! Filling the cupcakes with caramel was very clever and no doubt, delicious. They look just beautiful. Here's to another DB challenge!
Those look ridiculously awesomely decadent!
I feel totally the same way about November. . . where is the time fleeting to??? Having a cupcake (or four) would help, though, I'm sure :)
Sounds wonderful! I love caramel and don't nearly do as much with it as I should. I've definitely gotta try making caramel cake sometime!
Wow, those really look fantastic!
Hello delicious!
Congratulations on a DB challenge well done! Those cupcakes look lovely. and I bet the hidden caramel was delicious.
oh my! caramel cupcakes! you just made me really hungry at once!
What an elegant cupcake!
I had the same fear of scrubbing the caramel pot afterwards too but it all came off beautifully I couldn't believe my eyes. Hot water and a whisk are your friends with caramel making.
Gorgeous cupcakes! Glad to hear that the pot was easy to clean!
That's a work of art!
November has indeed been a whirlwind! Congratulations on getting through this batch of holiday goods.
The cupcakes look adorable! And delicious. I myself have rarely had much success with caramel, spacey and distracted as I can be...
I like how you can see the carmel in the icing. They look divine. Great job!
I know what you mean about November disappearing...I think the year is disappearing!! Your cupcakes look completely awesome, as I expected they would be :) I like your use of agave nectar - another job awesomely done!
I wish I could make amazing cupcakes like these ones! Yum! They look absolutely delish!
Caramel is easily my favorite flavor of anything. Your cupcake looks heavenly!
I'm the dishwasher in my house, and I had apprehensions too, but I used my calphalon pan and let it soak for a few hours. No problems whatsoever.
The cupcakes look scrumptious!
Jane of VeganBits.com
Ooo, looks delicious. The drizzle of caramel adds a really cool glistening look.
Totally agree about November...I'm not ready for December yet but it's already here!
YUMMM!!! I'd like to wash down a cupcake with that mason jar of caramel!
Wow! those look scrumptious. I would grab one in a heartbeat, without shame ^_^
Absolutely beautiful cupcakes! That big jar of caramel is so tempting, it makes me want to make a whole new batch of the syrup already!
oh my goodness. Your cupcakes always look so amazing!
This morning I said "JEEZ, it's DECEMBER!" and Russell says "every december somebody says that". Hmf!
Just reading about those cupcakes make my teeth hurt, yum-may!
PS Where are the secret, background, knitted goods in this week's post missy?
Ooh, caramel cake! I've been enjoying making caramel myself. I might have to make these!
Woah, I am totally in love with that cupcake!!
November did fly by, and I also suffered from post-MoFo blog abandonment. I went from 20 posts in October to 5 posts in November!
Your cupcakes look ultra FABULOUS!! The drizzled caramel on the buttercream looks so tempting! Must. Not. Lick. Monitor.
THIS is ridiculous.
I'm drooling on my lap.
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