Prep time: 35 - 40 min
Cook time: 25 - 35 min
Serves: 6
Tender, moist, and positively luscious, this Caramel
and Walnut Cake is guaranteed to become a favorite!
INGREDIENTS
Sponge:
4 Medium Eggs
120g Granulated Sugar
120g Butter
140g Plain Flour
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
Mascarpone Cream:
250g Mascarpone Cheese
100g Cooked Condensed Milk
Caramel:
150g Granulated Sugar
100g Fresh Cream
15g Unsalted Butter
1/4 tsp. of lemon juice
To Decorate:
100g Walnuts
METHOD
Sponge:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place the shelf in the
centre of the oven. Grease and line two cake tins with baking parchment.
2. Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, butter and
vanilla. Crack in the eggs and beat well with a wooden spoon or mixer, until
the mixture is light coloured and fluffy. Divide the cake mixture between the
tins and smooth the tops.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for
5 minutes in the tins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Mascarpone Cream:
4. Use an electric mixer and mix the mascarpone cheese to
remove any lumps. Add condensed milk and continue to mix until smooth.
Caramel:
5. In the saucepan, combine the sugar, and of lemon juice.
Including a little lemon juice is one way to help prevent your caramel from
crystallizing and seizing up as it cooks. Use the wet pastry brush to wash down
any crystals from the side of the pan.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Rather
than stirring to dissolve the sugar, which could cause crystallization, gently
swirl the pan.
7. Once it’s come to a boil, continue to cook, and
occasionally wash the sides of the pan with a pastry brush until the color
starts to change—this will take about 5 minutes. When it starts to brown
in spots, swirl it occasionally just to even out the color, and keep the hot
spots from burning. Once the color starts to change, watch your caramel very
closely—it can go from undercooked to overcooked within a few seconds.
8. You can check the color by putting a dab onto a white
plate. Very light caramel won’t really have that bittersweet caramelized-sugar
flavor. The darker you go, the more bitter and complex the flavor gets, but you
don’t want to take it so far that it tastes burned. Stir in the cream and
butter to the caramel and leave to cool
Garnish:
9. Blend the walnuts in a food processor.
10. To sandwich the cakes together: Add a layer of mascarpone
cream to the top of the sponges, finish by placing the creamed side of the
sponges together. Cover the entire cake with the caramel sauce and garnish with
the crumbly bits of walnuts.
