I have returned from Saudi Arabia, happy, and stuffed with goodies…. or rather my suitcase stuffed with goodies……and I feel cake deprived. A slice of elegantly presented cake in restaurants does nothing for me. That one lonely slice always leaves me thinking…”That was a mouth sweetener, now WHERE is my cake??”. I need a nice good quantity of cake to make me happy. A few posts back I mentioned the lovely Dorie Greenspan cookbook(Baking: From My Home to Yours) I’d received as a surprise gift. I couldn’t get the time to bake something new so I’d been neglecting this book for a while. I opened my fresh copy yesterday and well…. I was drooling at the pictures Dorie had given of this cake. The lovely honey roasted peanuts lend a perfect icing to a moist brownie cake.
Recipe adapted from my all time favorite. Baking:From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake
Ingredients:
For the brownie cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
½ tsp. vanilla extract
For the topping:
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1½ tbsp. light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet.
To make the cake, combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; whisk together and set aside. Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted – do not let them get so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars until well blended. Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla. Add in the melted butter and chocolate mixture, and whisk until combined. Gently whisk in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are just incorporated. The batter should be thick, smooth and shiny. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and jiggle the pan a bit to even out the batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife between the cake and the pan and carefully remove the sides of the springform. The cake may have puffed up during baking, but don’t be concerned if it develops a crater in the center while cooling. Allow to cool to room temperature. When the cake is totally cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Turn the cake right side up onto a serving platter.
To make the topping, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring just to combine the ingredients. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your saucepan and the intensity of the heat. As the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any splatters on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. To test the color of the caramel, drop a bit onto a white plate. Don’t be timid about the color – if it’s too pale, it won’t have much flavor.
Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter. When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps. Stir in the peanuts and pour the caramel and peanuts into a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup or a heatproof bowl.
You will have more caramel than you need, but you want to get all of the peanuts onto the cake, so spoon all of the peanuts out of the hot caramel and onto the top of the cake. Pour or spoon enough caramel to cover all the nuts, drizzling a bit over the edges of the cake for presentation. Allow the topping to set at room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving. Keep the leftover caramel at room temperature and save for another use.
NOTE:
Dorie mentions that the brownie cake center will sink after baking. So we actually need our center to sink for this cake.
Cake looks yummy:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankyouu!! 🙂
LikeLike
Reblogged this on SherayxWeblog.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks 🙂
LikeLike
Ur very welcome and thanks for posting, much luv and peace.
LikeLike
Yummy Ayesha!
LikeLiked by 2 people
thankyou hon!! 🙂
LikeLike
At least you had some zaatar and all that good stuff! I was born in Saudi 🙂 The cake looks good, I’ve made it before as well, your post reminds me how much I enjoyed it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
oh yes…! i did… Also got to eat Oum Ali (Umm Ali)… was the first time eating that dessert, I’ve got to try that one 🙂 I wish i could live there forever,good place, good food, hospitable people plus many of my relatives there… so it’s like honey to the bee of my heart! 😛
LikeLike
Looks mouth watering!!! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankya!! 🙂
LikeLike
Oh my… Looks great…
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankss..! 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: Fiesta Friday #21 | The Novice Gardener
Wow Ayesha! This is an amazing cake. I am drooling just looking at it and I can’t wait to dive in. Trouble is, I’m having to elbow my way through the throng that is gathering around your cake. Hopefully I will at least get a few crumbs! Thanks so much for bringing this to FF! It is a hit! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha!! You’ll get the biggest piece my dear….!! P.s i ate your halibut in spicy pineapple broth and pineapple cucumber relish at the fiesta friday….. there wasn’t much left for anyone else!! 🙂
LikeLike
Oh well, I’d better get to work on making another batch! Phew, thank goodness we have Elaine to co-host while I’m in the kitchen! 🙂
LikeLike
these look naughty naughty naughty xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉
LikeLike
This looks so good. i managed to get a few last crumbs and it tasted great. I love the idea of peanuts. Happy FF.
LikeLiked by 1 person
haha…thanks 😉
LikeLike
This looks sinful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thanks hon! 🙂
LikeLike
Wow!!! Nice….yummy cake!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankyouu 🙂
LikeLike
You are welcome😊😊
LikeLike
Masha’Allah, that does look wonderful! Hamdillah Salam ya Ayesha, hope you had a wonderful visit in Saudi Arabia! ♥♥♥ ;^)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Walaikum assalam Aisha!! Alhamdulilah it was a great visit…. !! So glad you like it dearest!! 🙂 ❤ ❤ ❤ ^_^
LikeLike
Very delectable, Ayesha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankyou Fae! 🙂
LikeLike
It looks so good and delicious, Ayesha 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankyou so much! 🙂
LikeLike
What a good-looking cake!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
thankyou Deepa! 🙂
LikeLike
What a fantastic looking cake! So decadent!
LikeLike
ooohh sinfully delicious!
LikeLike
Caramel topped looks fab Ayesha
LikeLike
Looks so good! I’d love a slice right now with my morning coffee. 🙂
LikeLike
thankyou for liking it… ! 🙂 ❤
LikeLike
This looks absolutely amazing! Thanks for linking up at the Best of the Blogosphere Linky party. Come back this Week!
LikeLike
thankyou so much… love the way you’re empowering women!
LikeLike
That looks like absolute heaven on a plate!! YUM! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Hope to see you back at the Best of the Blogosphere link up this week as well! 🙂
LikeLike
Pingback: Best of the Blogosphere - Week 11 - Simply {Darr}ling
Pingback: Best of the Blogosphere Linky Party #11 - It's me, debcb!
Pingback: Best of the blogosphere #11 - Amber Nicole
Pingback: Best of the Blogosphere #11 - Penney Lane
Pingback: Best of the Blogosphere Linky Party!
Pingback: Best of the Blogosphere #11 | Beauty and The Boys
Pingback: Best of the Blogosphere Link Up #11 - daydreaming beauty