Last week, I spent some time poking around in an antique shop. I found several things, and I was able to use two of my favorite purchases this week —the fluted tin and the antique whisk. Both are beautiful and still work well. For the tin, I sprayed it, sprinkled it with flour, and lined it with parchment paper. The cake slid out easily.
Caramel
This week, we got another chance to practice making caramel. Joe from Joe Pastry recently did a whole article on making your own caramel with pictures. Just remember to let the caramel cool a bit before pouring it onto this cake. Mine sunk shortly after since I was too impatient.
Here's a video showing how to make caramel. David Lebovitz also has a great post with tips for making caramel.
My tips: Use a heavy, stainless steel pot. I never stir the pot or use a pastry brush to brush down the sides. I just let the sugar do its magic. Test it using a white plate or ramekin to see the color. Watch it carefully at the end.
Recipe
You can find the recipe for Caramel Peanut Topped Brownie Cake in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Tammy from Wee Treats by Tammy who chose the recipe for this week..jpg)
Tasting NotesEveryone liked this dessert at our house (although some removed the peanuts to enjoy it even more). One of my daughter's asked to have this as her birthday cake in April before she'd even tasted it! The cake was tender and chocolaty and the glaze of caramel and crunch of peanuts took a simple brownie-like cake over the top. This is another winning recipe from Dorie!
Recipe for Next Week (October 14)
Lenox Almond Biscotti on pages 141-143 chosen by Gretchen of Canela & Comino.
Love the antique baking purchases you found! That whisk is so awesome. Beautiful pictures as always. Great job!
ReplyDeleteClara @ iheartfood4thought
what a beautiful tin! i love the shape of your cake, and the caramel is oozy in all the right ways!
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures, as usual! The new finds from the antique store are too cool. I sure wish I watched a picture tutorial on caramel-making BEFORE diving in and scorching it. I'm glad that this was a hit with your family!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had those caramel making instructions BEFORE I attempted it! I will try try again. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteI love love love antique baking things, so both of those sound fabulous. I love how the cake turned out, and it sounds like it was a winner in your house.
ReplyDeleteOh I love your whisk! It makes me want to venture back into antique stores. I was scared away last them when the owner guy talked my ear off for an hour and I couldn't get out of the conversation and leave. Your brownie cake looks fab!
ReplyDeleteI love the fluted pan. I think I need to venture out to more antique store. Nice cake!
ReplyDeleteSeriously in love with that fluted tin! Awesome. And what a fun birthday cake this would be.
ReplyDeleteI love the first photo, and the rest of them too! The cake looks so delicious!
ReplyDeleteOoh that looks stunning. Love the fluted tin and the whisk too - what a find!
ReplyDeleteOoh. Very neat cake pan! Nice tips and links for caramel, too!
ReplyDeleteOh that tin makes this cake look even a notch better. I love that one of your daughters wanted it for her birthday before even trying it. This cake has that effect on people.
ReplyDeleteI love antiques! They always seem sturdier than the cheap stuff nowadays. Sometimes I get a little worried if the stainless steel is really stainless steel. As always, beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love your new antique finds! Also love the fun photo shots with them. I would say that I love the photos of the chocolate bits, but you would know I was lying since I don't like chocolate...however, if I did like it, I would think that yours looked particularly good. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! Thanks for all the tips on making caramel. I will definitely check them out since I struggled with my caramel.
ReplyDeletewhat a gorgeous tin! thanks for making my pick!
ReplyDeletecool tin--great find! your cake looks great--hopefully your daughter loved it!
ReplyDeleteWhen I click on those beautiful photos to make them fill up the screen I can almost smell the cake. Yum!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so you gave your maximum last week, and were out of inspiration for this one... s*&/ happens you know! LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm only kidding, I hope you know that!!!
It is always a great feeling to open the door to this blog, as I know I will always find the best!
As usual... Bravissimo!
Your cake looks delicious! I love your new antique whisk!
ReplyDeleteoh my! this is food porn in it's addicting form! looks gorgeous! i need to visit the next flea market to find such lovely items too!
ReplyDeleteLove the fluted cake. Looks gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteyour new purchases are beautiful, and so is the cake!! :) love your pics. thanks for the caramel tips :)
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are always so lovely. The cake looks absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeletei love your fluted cake! i agree, i don't even bother wiping down the sides of the pan w/the wet pastry brush...
ReplyDeleteThat looks totally ovrthe top and totally indulgant!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see some success this week! I'm so glad it turnd out nicely for you. It looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely check out the caramel pointers you linked to. I came much closer to success this week, but still not quite there.
Gorgeous job with this cake - as always!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great presentation! I love how the caramel just fills the plate underneath the cake.
ReplyDeleteIt looks wonderful from the fluted pan. I tried my hand at the caramel again this afternoon and I think I did a darned good job. :o)
ReplyDeleteLove the pan you baked this in. Quite nice. Looks yummy!!!
ReplyDeleteWow -- that's gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteShari, I always enjoy your "thinking outside of the box". Wonderful post and thanks for teaching once again. Experience is one of the best teachers.
ReplyDeletePS Great Pan. Don't you love that someone else shared the food love before you? I do.
AmyRuth
I love you blog! Your photos are gorgeous and I enjoy your style. Thanks for visiting my blog as well and I will be back visiting soon. How fun to go through an antique store and finding such treasures!
ReplyDeletethe fluted edges on your cake are beautiful! I would have been afraid to try and get the cake out of that tin :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog - I love the feedback!
Sounds like it was a hit! The shape of your cake is gorgeous and the photos are beautiful!
ReplyDeletewow....your pictures are soooooooo gorgeous! the caramel is soooooo gooey and stickly delicious i just want to lick the computer screen hahahahaha
ReplyDeleteLove the pan and the look of the cake!
ReplyDeleteI love the shape of your cake. It came out beautiful. Glad your family liked it!
ReplyDeleteYum! I love how yours looks with the fluted tin!!
ReplyDeleteWhat great treasures you picked up!
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks beautiful with the lines from the fluted tin, glad everyone loved it.
Hi Shari,
ReplyDeleteYour site makes me hungry. Thanks for the caramel link. I will watch that video and try my luck. Great photos of the food foto contest.
I'll be back for more food tips.
Your cake looks wonderful... I love the pan you used!
ReplyDeleteCherie
*Weekly Giveaways on my blog!
http://www.craftyjuicebroker.wordpress.com
*Sale in my Etsy Store!
http://www.craftyjuicebroker.etsy.com
That cake pan was a great antique find. I love the way the cake looks!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great looking slice of rich textured cake! The caramel information and links are so helpful - thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteOh wow your cake is beautiful--love the fluted tin!
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks amazing! Love that pan. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteI have a few antique tins, molds, and implements and they are so sturdy - a real pleasure to use. Your cake is beautiful, and I'm glad it was such a hit! I never would have thought of lining a fluted tin with parchment.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, that looks intensely delicious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visitng my blog! I absolutely love your blog!definitely gonna try to make the brownie cake again...but next time I'll make the caramel and peanut sauce to put on top!I'm tottally excited about this weeks lenox almond biscotti's!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, as usual. The found treasures add so much to your styling. The cake looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, if you're celebrating in Canada!
~Shari
Aw, your daughter is too cute! I can totally understand her impulse-- that cake is just the most decadent thing ever!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the first photo. It's truly making my mouth water. Very wicked!
ReplyDelete