Caramel cake and my bookshelf is back

I have told you before about my love for simple cakes: they’re good on their own, with a cup of tea in the winter or a glass of cold milk in warm days, and with the help of some poached fruit and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream they can be transformed into delicious desserts.

This is a very simple cake – just as I like it – but the caramel glaze turns it into something even more delicious: it might not look stunning but it does taste great. You’ll be tempted to lick the spoon after pouring the glaze over the cake, but wait a couple of minutes – trust me on this. :D

Oh, and my bookshelf has been reinstated by Blogger – they said they’d analyze my case in two business days but it took them sixteen. Pretty close, huh? #not

Caramel cake
from the delicious Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen

Cake:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (or 210g all purpose flour + 40g corn starch)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup (240ml) well-shaken buttermilk*

Caramel glaze:
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
½ cup (88g) packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 20cm (8in) square cake pan and line with a square of parchment paper, then butter parchment.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.
Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles (I forgot to do that). Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely.

Glaze: bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 98 to 100°C (210 to 212°F) on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.
Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Serves 8-10 – I made the exact cake recipe above using a round 20cm (8in) cake pan with tall sides; it was my second time making this cake and the first time there was a lot of glaze left, so I halved the recipe above and the mixture took almost no time at all to get to the temperature described on the recipe