Caramel Cake

This was an easy cake to bake - as long as you subtract the time it took to make the caramel. It is nice and easy, and although a little dry for my taste, the icing was really tasty.

Ingredients: Cake
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1.33 (1 and 1/3) cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup caramel (see previous recipe) combined with 1/2 cup water

Ingredients: Icing
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened 2.5 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the sugar and butter for around 3 min (on medium speed).
4. Add each of the eggs , and beat between each addition.
5. Divide the dry ingredients into 3. Add one third, and then add 1/3 of the caramel mixture. Continue doing this until both the dry ingredients and the caramel have been used.
6. Divide the batter in two, and place in the two pans. Bake for 25-35 min (check at 25min). It is baked when a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
7. Place on a wire rack and cool for 10 min. Then remove from baking tins and let it cool to room temp.

Method: Icing
1. In a saucepan place the brown sugar, cream and butter. Stir constantly over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Boil for 5 min without stirring.
3. Remove from heat and cool for 20min (if you leave it too long then the icing becomes dry).
4. Add the confectioners sugar and with an electric mixer mix until smooth. If need be add cream to thin.
5. Ice the cake - first between the layers and then on the top and sides.
Taken from "The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook" by J. Appel, p. 26.