Sassy Dots

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Caramel Crunch Cake by LaRocca



This was the challenge.

And this was my answer...




I've seen this cake in Loblaws, I always wanted to buy it... but as you know, I'm frugal and this cake was $14.99 for a 7" cake. How could I possibly pay $15 for a wee little cake! It's not like spending $23 for a glorified rubber chew toy for the baby (I'll get to that story one day). After years of starring this cake down behind the bakery glass, I finally bought it. (to be accurate, K bought it, I think I would have chickened out at the cash). Let me tell you... this cake was worth the wait. It was fantastic! I was in trouble, because there is no way I could ever bring myself to buy the $15 cake again.

I accept the challenge!

Hazelnut Meringue
What I did What I would do next time
4 egg whites 5 egg whites
3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 walnuts 1/4 cup hazelnuts (or walnuts)
2 Tbsp corn starch 2 Tbsp corn starch

Preheat oven to 250 C. Draw 2 8" circles on parchment paper and place on a cookie sheet. Beat the egg whites in a glass or metal mixing bowl (meringue will not form peaks in a plastic bowl) until soft peaks form. Slowly add white sugar and beat until hard peak forms. In a food processor grind nuts and corn starch together until it reaches the consistency of corn meal, or a little bit bigger. Fold the nuts into the meringue. Place meringue in a piping bag (or a ziplock bag as I did). Pipe meringue in a spiral fashion onto the parchment paper circles. Bake in the oven for 1.5 hours or until the meringue is hard throughout. Remove from oven, remove parchment paper when meringue is cool enough to touch, place on a cooling rack.

Caramel
(2) 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Use one of these methods to make the caramel. I used two methods, I wasted 1.5 hours cooking the milk in the oven. It wasn't the right color when it came out, so I put it in the microwave for another 8 mins in 2 minute intervals. Next time I would cook the caramel using the microwave method or the stove top method, and I would cook it until it was a bit darker and richer in color.
Refrigerate the caramel until cool (approximately 3-4 hours depending on the size of the bowl).

Stabilized Chantilly Whipped Cream
(basically this means a thicker (stabilized) sweetened (Chantilly is a fancy way of saying the whipped cream has sugar in it) whipped cream)

2 cups 35% cream
1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
2 packets of Whip It (in the baking aisle)

Make sure all of your ingredients and your bowl are very cold. Add the Whip It to the cream and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add in your sugar. Beat until hard peaks are formed. Do not over beat or your cream will turn into butter. Next time, I might try to stabilize the whipped cream with gelatin, I think it might result in a more firm cream that holds up longer, but I would like to test it first.

Assemble the cake just prior to serving. Divide caramel in 2 portions, leaving about 4 Tbsp aside for garnish. Spread caramel onto both of the cooled meringues, pipe whipped cream on top of the first layer. Place the second meringue on top, pipe whipped cream on top. Using the caramel you set aside, place it in a ziplock bag and add a design on the top of the cake. Refrigerate until serving.

$2.99 Condensed milk
$3.49 whipping cream
$1.29 Whip It
$1.25 eggs
Delicious cake... priceless!

Really me,
Challenge completed
Nik

7 comments:

  1. Forgot to add, here are the inspiration websites.
    http://gnufmuffin.blogspot.com/2006/03/cakes-ctom-1-crunchy-caramel-cake.html

    http://accidentalchef.ca/larocca-caramel-crunch-cake

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  2. if it takes 3 to 4 tries you waist more money than if you bought one

    just saying it may take 20 tries for me to get it right

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    1. If it takes you 20 tries to get a recipe "right" your doing something wrong. :P

      This is my mom's favourite cake and I have used your recipe to make it for her birthday over and over again. It always turns out wonderfully and is exactly like the one you buy! The only thing missing is the refrigerated, this cake was made a few days/weeks ago taste...and truthfully that is why I don't buy it at the store. It always tastes better when you make it at home and it's super fresh and delicious! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! :)

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    2. Thanks Vicky! Glad it turns out every time. I've taken to making mini personalized versions of this cake just so that it is always fresh... and I my hips don't hate me. lol

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  3. Nik!! I want to make minis of this cake for my inlaws anniversary party!! How did the process/measurements change for you when you altered the size? Sorry I'm a new baker but love this cake!

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  4. Hi there! I'm planning on making this but wanted to double check. It says in the directions to preheat oven to 250 C? Did you mean 250 F? Thanks!

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  5. Nik! I have tried out your recipe! It turned out amazing! Also the second time...I tried to make miniature versions of the cake and succeeded! - Only tip would be to keep the oven at 200 F for approx 30 mins until the meringue turns brown and hard. Thank you!

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