The Here and Gone Cake aka Chocolate Caramel Peanut Cake

I made this cake for The Blog Tech and his fiance this weekend. She had never had it before and he hasn't had it in quite some time. It's all gone. They did give a big piece to her mother but still, that's a lot of cake.

Line an eight inch springform pan with parchment and butter and flour it.

Melt your butter in a double boiler along with the chocolate. Follow the directions and make the batter. Here is 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.