The Best Cake in the Entire World

Tomorrow is the biggest day of the year. It is the Blog Tech's birthday. The earth might just stand still! I am not a cake person. I've never liked cake. I make them though I never eat them. This year I needed something over the top for the BT so I tried a new recipe. The Uber Cake!!! Oh wow.....this is the cake to end all others. I actually ate two whole bites.


The recipe is printed below. It makes an 8 inch cake. I doubled it to make a 17 inch cake.

You need a spring form pan which you grease and flour and line with parchment. Then sit it on a parchment covered cookie sheet.


There are a number of steps but they are quite simple. The butter is melted in a bowl over simmering water.


You need a 1/2 pound of good quality chocolate.


Three eggs for the 8 inch or 6 for the 17 inch.


Crack the eggs into a bowl.


Then add them to the bowl of your mixer.


Add the light brown sugar.


And the white sugar. Mix until combined and smooth.


The chocolate mixture will be smooth and creamy when ready. Set it aside to cool a bit.


Add the corn syrup to the egg and sugar mixture. Then add the vanilla.


Then beat in the chocolate.


Switch to the paddle attachment.


Add the flour, baking soda and salt.


Blend it until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.


Pour the batter into the pan. Bake it in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes. Mine took much longer since it was so much bigger. The cake should be set and a toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the middle.


Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes.


Turn it over and remove the bottom and peel off the paper.


Allow it to cool completely.



While the cake is cooling make the caramel.


Have all your ingredients ready because you will have to work fast. Don't let your caramel burn.


When the mixture begins to caramelize, pull the colored part in from the edge with your whisk to cook it evenly.


Add the butter when the caramel is a light amber color. Then immediately pour in the cream. The sugar seizes up at first but just keep stirring and it will smooth out.


Add the salted peanuts and stir them in.


Place the cake back in the cleaned spring form and lock it. Pour the caramel and nuts over the top.


After my cake set and was completely cool I put it in the refrigerator to firm up further.


For purposes of the blog we cut into the cake early.


I made sure the Blog Tech got the first piece.


The cake is dense and chocolaty like the best brownie. The caramel is smooth and chewy and blends perfectly with the salty peanuts. This is simply one of the best desserts I have ever tasted.

The Blog Tech is very pleased!

The Recipe:


For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the topping:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 and 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup salted peanuts
Instructions
1. For the cake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter an 8-inch round springform pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.
3. Put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
5. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water.
6. Add the butter and chocolate to the bowl and heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted.
7. Remove the bowl from the heat.
8. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together until well blended.
9. Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla.
10. Whisk in the melted butter and chocolate.
11. Still working with a whisk, gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.
12. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread until even.
13. Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean.
14. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the cake for 15 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the pan and remove the sides of the pan. Cool the cake to room temperature.
15. When the cake is completely cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the paper. Wash and dry the springform pan, and return the cake to it right-side up. Refasten the sides.
16. For the topping: Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir just to combine the ingredients, and put the pan over medium-high heat on the stove.
17. Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber (mine was the color of light beer….test it on a white plate if you are unsure), about 5 to 10 minutes (depending on your stove and pan). As the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any splatters on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
18. Lower the heat a bit, and standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter. (BE CAREFUL…IT IS HOT AND WILL BUBBLE AGGRESSIVELY.)
19. When the caramel calms down a bit, stir to dissolve any lumps.
20. Add the peanuts and stir.
21. Pour the topping over the cake and spread evenly.
22. Allow the topping to set at room temperature about 20 minutes or so.
23. When ready to serve, run a blunt knife around the edge of the springform pan and remove the sides.


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