Though it has been a while since I have had a chance to post, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been baking. May and June are busy months with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, graduations, etc. These last couple of months have also required some travel for me–once for work and once for an early summer vacation. In and around all of these events I have had several occasions that have called for me to bring a dessert of some sort. In my next two posts I plan to share a couple of the bundt cakes I made.

When I have to transport a cake I often like to make a bundt cake. They are easier to transport because you typically don’t have to worry about the icing getting wrecked in transit. They are sometimes easier to put together quickly. (The cake I will share in my next post is one of these super easy cakes.) This cake involves some effort, but the end result is definitely worth the time.

A friend at work inspired me to make this cake. She had given me some scrumptious handmade sea-salted caramels from Liddabit Sweets in New York for Christmas. I have to confess, before I tried these, I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about salted caramel. These, however, were divine. One day when I was having a particularly bad day at the office, this same friend also shared a fig ricotta caramel from Liddabit Sweets with me. It turned my day around! When her birthday approached, I volunteered to make a cake for the office. I had seen a recipe for a salted caramel bundt cake and knew she would love it. Indeed she did. It also livened up our staff meeting that day for sure!

RELATED:  Apple Crumb Pie – An easy apple pie recipe with salted caramel sauce.

When planning for a Mother’s Day celebration, I knew this would be something special both for my mom and for my sister-in-law’s first Mother’s Day as a mom. They were equally pleased with the cake that day. I hope you will be too.

Print

Sea-Salted Caramel Bundt Cake

This cake is moist and just holds its own against the creamy sea-salted caramel glaze. This is a bit more complicated to make than most bundt cakes, but you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

Course:  Dessert

Prep Time:  2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time:  1 hour

Total Time:  3 hours 30 minutes

Servings:  12

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup lowfat Greek yogurt

For the caramel glaze:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture has paled a bit and is creamy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla and mix well.
6. Drop in the Greek yogurt in 1/4 cup increments, mixing well after each addition.
7. Add the flour to the mix in three batches, mixing until just combined after each addition. Try not to overmix the batter.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth with a rubber spatula, making sure everything is evenly distributed.
9. Bake the cake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine was done faster, so start checking at 40 minutes.)
10. Remove cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.
11. When it is cool enough to handle, transfer to a wire rack and cool for another hour.

For the caramel glaze, version one:

1. Pour the sugar into a medium-sized pan and heat on the stove over medium-low heat, allowing the sugar to melt and whisking often.
2. When the sugar becomes golden brown, add the butter and whisk constantly.
3. Once the butter and sugar are well-combined (roughly 5 minutes), remove from the heat.
4. Add the cream to the pan with the caramel and stir until the caramel is thick and creamy. (CAUTION! The caramel may spatter when you pour in the cream.)
5. Pour the glaze into a glass bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
6. Drizzle the caramel glaze over the cake with a spoon.
7. Sprinkle the caramel with sea salt to taste.

For the caramel glaze, version two:

1. Melt the butter and sugar together over medium heat, while whisking constantly.
2. Once the butter and sugar have mostly dissolved, raise heat slightly and slowly add the cream while whisking.
3. When the mixture begins to bubble and foam, take it off the heat while still whisking.
4. Pour the glaze into a glass bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
5. Drizzle the caramel glaze over the cake with a spoon.
6. Sprinkle the caramel with sea salt to taste.

Recipe Notes

I realize "sea salt, to taste" isn't very specific. How much salt you like in your sweet really is a preference though. I sprinkled lightly not wanting to overdo it. Some felt it was just right, while others wanted a bit more. Making this cake a second time gave me a chance to experiment with a variation in making the caramel. Both of the versions above work just fine. I think both would be MUCH easier if I had been using a gas stove. If you are using electric or a glass-top electric stove (like me), this might take longer. Be patient! There is an excellent video on making caramel sauce by Melissa Clark on the New York Times that I found helpful as well. Also, be careful with the caramel! It is very hot if it spatters. Recipe adapted from: thetrufflehoney.com Variation on the caramel glaze adapted from: thetastefullife.com