Recipe: Salted Caramel Bundt Cake

Remember the day when I informed you that I'd burnt all my taste buds off due to too-hot salted caramel consumption, and how, instead of backing away from the whole ordeal with a potholder on my tongue like any sensible human being, I pretty much threw all caution and and a few epithelial layers out the window and dove head first into the bowl of aforementioned sweet/salty heaven?

Believe it or not. I did it all for this bundt cake.



It seems simple and sweet in that girl-next-door kind of way. 

But like all stereotypical girl-next-doors, it is, as Ludacris so eloquently put it - "a lady in the streets, but a freak in the bed". 

(He really has a way with words, doesn't he?)



The cake element is vanilla-flavored to the MAX (3 tsp of the stuff. For real).  But the real kicker, and the thing that'll make your eyes pop, is that sultry salted caramel glaze on top.

It'll have you sitting there, in front of the still-too-hot bowl, practically drinking it with a straw and mumbling to yourself, "oh yes. pain is pleasure". 

Can your average run-of-the-mill bundt cake do that?  I think not.



Salted Caramel Bundt Cake
Serves 10-12, adapted from Truffle Honey

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt

For the caramel glaze:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• sea salt

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed.  Add the sugar and beat until the mixture has paled a bit and is creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Drop in the greek yogurt in 1/4 cup increments, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add the flour to the mix in three batches, mixing until just combined after each addition.  Try not to overmix the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and smooth with a rubber spatula, making sure everything is evenly distributed.
6. Bake the cake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine was done faster so start checking at 40 minutes).
7. Remove cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.  When it is cool enough to handle, transfer to a wire rack and cool for another hour.

For the caramel glaze:

8. Pour the sugar into a medium-sized pan and heat on the stove over medium-low heat, allowing the sugar to melt and whisking often., 3-5 minutes.
9. When the sugar becomes golden brown, add the butter and whisk constantly.  Once the butter and sugar are well-combed (about 5 minutes), remove from the heat.
10. Add the cream to the pot with the caramel and stir until the caramel is thick and creamy. Pour the glaze into a bowl and set aside to cool for a bit.
11. Pour the caramel glaze over the cake and sprinkle with sea salt.