There is something that I can't seem to master no matter how hard I try. Cooked caramel icing. Now I'm a southern girl and I grew up watching my grandmother and great aunts make this on top of stove and then pour it over yellow cake layers. It set up quickly, had the most beautiful texture to it and stayed good for days. It was smooth as silk (no grit) and wasn't overly sweet. I'm in my 60s now and make great cakes, but can't get this to work. It makes me crazy! Does anyone have a technique or recipe that works?
I am with you, MamaGeese! I've made caramel icing a million times, always from the same recipe, and while delicious, it always has a little bit of grit to it. It wasn't until I started watching The Great British Baking Show that I realized that my icing was not correct. It is made with brown sugar instead of white and I've wondered if that makes a difference.
The frosting made with brown sugar is actually butterscotch, not caramel. It's a cheat that a lot of people use, but it's not the same frosting. Look in my gallery for a true Southern Caramel cake. The frosting is sweet, but there's not a lot compared to the cake so it does balance out. I usually make extra to make sure I have enough.
The recipe in Southern Living works, but with one important change. Do step 2 first. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and keep it warm while you work on Step 1. Just before Step 1 is complete, quickly bring Step 2 back to a boil. Time it so they both complete at the same time and then move on to step 3. If you don't do it this way, it will crystallize and your frosting will be gritty.
https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/caramel-frosting
They have a basic yellow cake recipe that pairs well with it, too. I recommend adding a little rum extract for more flavor.
https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/old-fashioned-caramel-cake
Southern Living is my favorite source of recipes. I am the proud owner of a set of Southern Living Annual Recipes, starting with1979 through 2018. The recipe you posted, ThatCakeDude42, looks and sounds delicious, but it is nothing like the recipe that I've made. I've never made a fluffy frosting like that. It has always been more like praline, which I also make frequently (but not with brown sugar).
if you are cooking sugar to make this you need to keep the insides of the pot clean from any buildup by either scraping them down or oiling the sides in the first place so nothing sticks because the sugar crystals have memory and if a few are not dissolved by hanging around there or on the spoon, scraper or thermometer then they will domino effect and crystalize some of the ones that dissolved making your finished product gritty --
Quote by @SandraSmiley on 2 hours ago
Southern Living is my favorite source of recipes. I am the proud owner of a set of Southern Living Annual Recipes, starting with1979 through 2018. The recipe you posted, ThatCakeDude42, looks and sounds delicious, but it is nothing like the recipe that I've made. I've never made a fluffy frosting like that. It has always been more like praline, which I also make frequently (but not with brown sugar).
With caramel frosting, you're basically making a caramel sauce, and then heating to candy stage. Just before it sets, you whip some air in to it to lighten the texture (like pulling taffy). It's not really fluffy... just aerated. It sets solid, but soft. Once it's ready, you only have a few seconds (30?) to frost the cake before it sets. I take some out of the mixer just before it is ready to fill the cake. That way the cake is ready to frost when the frosting is.
Quote by @-K8memphis on 27 minutes ago
if you are cooking sugar to make this you need to keep the insides of the pot clean from any buildup by either scraping them down or oiling the sides in the first place so nothing sticks because the sugar crystals have memory and if a few are not dissolved by hanging around there or on the spoon, scraper or thermometer then they will domino effect and crystalize some of the ones that dissolved making your finished product gritty --
That's the problem with the way the Southern Living recipe is written. You have to have both pots hot for the ingredients to combine, otherwise you can't completely whisk them together and particles remain to crystallize. They include the important step of covering the pot for a couple minutes (this lets steam wash the sides of the pot), but that alone doesn't guarantee grit free frosting.
but it’s not an immunity — you still gotta keep things clean and the lid is a good idea but if you keep sticking a gooey thermometer or spoon in there...
It just sounds so hit or miss....wish there was a fool proof way to make it. I'm gonna try the southern living recipe, doing setup 2 first, that makes sense to me. Still not sure about adding corn syrup. I think even the best bakers have problems with this.
you could use a tid tad of any other liquid sweetener like honey, rice syrup, agave, prolly maple syrup too — i’d only use real — doesn’t have to be corn syrup — but the idea is it introduces another chemical that helps the sugar to forget to re-crystallize — y’know so long as you keep the crystallization off the pot and utensils
From what I know of caramel, it is very tricky. It is one of the featured challenges frequently on The Great British Bake Off and, although the contestants are among the best non-professional bakers in the UK, it gives most of them fits.
the easiest way to eliminate the sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan is to put a lid on it. the steam cooking out of the mixture will roll down the sides of the pan & push any crystals away.
It's quicker and easier for me to just use my "water" pastry brush (meaning I've written on the handle that it's for water use only) & dip the brush in a glass of water, place it on the sides of the pan until I see that all the sugar crystals are gone. You can do this more than once if you're concerned about smoothness and not wanting crystallization.
After learning that technique my caramels come out melt-in-your-mouth heavenly.
Thanks for sharing the video, MBaaska. I enjoyed it and was heartened by the last paragraph that said some recipes are intended to be slightly gritty. I know it never bothered me!
https://www.newhampshirebowlandboard.com/blogs/blog/ten-reasons-to-cook-with-a-wooden-spoon
https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/wooden-spoons-a-must-in-every-kitchen/
@MamaGeese most of my wooden spoons have been replaced by rubber utensils or high heat quality silicone utensils. Only because they can be sterilized with steam or boiling water for food safety. For your own home family & friends noshes wooden spoons are fine, & lovely to stir a big pot with.
@SandraSmiley I'm a big fan of a grainy praline candy & don't mind the crunch one tiny bit. Yummy!
@MBalaska, the crock of wooden spoons in the second link (you provided above) looks just like mine. Some of them are 40 years old.
Most of mine came from the grocery store, so I guess they are super cheap, but I love them.
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