Every time I make the effort to cooked a layer cake, it usually means its a special occasion. Well can you believe that I intended to cook this cake there is exactly one year? In fact, I decided that every year I would make this cake and August 25 I would eat with Andy to celebrate our anniversary. How has it been a year ?? I feel like I was yesterday frantically DIY-ing the heck out of this thing in my living room, planning all the details and feel like it was so far away. How we are here, one year of marriage, and on the road to parenthood. The time does fly huh?
There was not a traditional wedding cake, but instead had a fabulous dessert bar with a small cup cake on middle. My choice of flavor is probably not a surprise, and although I do not think I eat more than the Andy & I bite fed each other- I remember thinking that the cake was damn good. How can you go wrong with flavors like that? Since my memory of our wedding cake was iffy- I have not much to gain, except that I knew it was a fluffy vanilla cake with toffee sauce and salted caramel frosting as the filling. I went with it and actually think my leisure is spot on! This cake is sweet, salty and oh so good. I'm looking forward to it for the next 50 years !! ;)
We spent our anniversary in DC, wandering through museums and eat fabulous meals along the way. Throughout the day, I looked at the time and saying, "There is one year at this time I was getting in the limo !!" or "I bet at that moment, we had our first dance "So I made us watch our wedding video and I think weepy my favorite day ever. I look forward to this new chapter, make new days and favorite memories, but this first anniversary was sure a sentimental!
PS- More wedding here or here.
- 1 ½ cup white sugar
- 12 tablespoons softened butter
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or a combo of the extract, vanilla bean paste or vanilla)
- 2¼ cups all purpose
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup salted caramel sauce *, cooled.
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- cream 2 tablespoons milk or
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter, flour and line with parchment 8x8 2 round pans pastry. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Beat the eggs, one at a time, beating on high speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale consistency. Stir in vanilla.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt and add to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, starting and finished with the flour mixture. Do not over beat the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans evenly, smoothing tops with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack
- Cream butter until smooth and fluffy. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat until smooth. Add ⅓ cup of caramel sauce and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cream or milk if desired if your glaze seems a bit dry.
- Place the bottom layer of the cake on a cake stand. Use a fork to poke holes along the surface of the cake. Carefully spread sauce ⅓ cup caramel on the cake layer, soak into the cake. Top with a thick layer of icing.
- Add second cake layer with the flattest side up. Repeat the process to prick the cake with a fork, adding the remaining caramel sauce, and garnish with icing. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you like.
Vanilla cake recipe loosely adapted from: All revenue