recipe from Peabody
Orange Caramel Cake
1/3 cup plus 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup boiling water
¾ cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
3 cups sifted cake flour
3 ½ tsp baking powder
zest and juice of one small navel orange
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Orange Mascarpone Mousse (recipe below)
Caramel Frosting (recipe below)
Melt the 1/3 cup sugar in a heavy skillet, stirring constantly until deep-brown syrup is formed – a process called caramelization. Remove from heat and slowly stir in boiling water, being careful that steam does not burn your hand. Set syrup aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, place parchment paper in the bottoms, then grease and flour the bottoms and sides. I used four 4 ½ -inch diameter spring form pans.Cream butter in bowl of electric mixer. Add 1 ¼ cups sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is well-incorporated. Stir in 4 TBSP of the reserved syrup.Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk, juice, zest, and vanilla.Add flour mixture to the batter alternately with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
Divide batter evenly among the two prepared pans and bake 25 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It is about the same cooking time for both the larger and the smaller pans. Just watch if you are using the smaller pans.Remove pans from oven and let stand about 10 minutes, then turn out cakes onto wire rack, peel off paper and cool completely.
To assemble cake:
Cut each round horizontally in half (if using the 9-inch rounds, if using the smaller leave alone). Stack one layer on top a cake round or plate. Spread mousse onto layer (about ¾ cup just depends on how much you like, you will have plenty of mousse to work with). Stack another layer on top of mousse. Again, cover that layer with mousse. Stack with top layer.
Apply caramel icing to top of cake. Allow it to creep down the sides. Keep applying until icing
is used up.You will have an extra layer (if you didn’t mess up like I often do), mousse left over and maybe icing. Just top your layer with mousse and icing and eat it before anyone knows there was extra.
Caramel Icing
3 cups (light) brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup plus 2 TBSP heavy whipping cream
½ stick (4 TBSP) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix sugar and half and half in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring over low heat until syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. If lacking a thermometer, check doneness by dropping a tiny bit of syrup into a cup of cold water.
When the syrup can be gathered up in fingers and will almost hold its shape, it has reached the soft-ball stage.Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter, then let syrup cool.
Add vanilla and beat until icing reaches spreading consistency.
Orange Mascarpone Mousse
2 eggs, separated
4 TB sugar
4 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
5 ounces heavy cream
2 tsp. powdered gelatin + 2 TBS water
zest and juice of one medium navel orange
Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, stir and let sit to bloom.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar, add egg yolks and whisk until well incorporated.
Heat the gelatin for about 10 seconds in the microwave and quickly whisk it in the mascarpone batter. Add the orange juice and zest.
Whip the egg whites until stiff, fold into the mascarpone mixture.Whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks, and fold into the mascarpone.
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