Baking Class with Giveaway Winner!

Today, Traci, the winner of the "Guess the Vegetables" contest, came to the house and we made Paula Deen's " Bobby's Caramel Cake".  Traci didn't really need a lesson, she is already a great cook! She taught me a couple of things too!  she brought a roll of Reynolds Pan Liner which is foil on one side and parchment on the other.  The liner worked like a dream and the cake layers released from the pans like a dream!  The afternoon was spent baking and chatting!  She saw first hand why my husband calls me the Messy Cook!  She met my taste testers who hung around waiting for beaters to be taken out of the mixing bowl and my supervisor, Max, the golden doodle , who likes to lie in wait under the kitchen table hoping we will leave food unattended!  We had lots of fun and at the end, we split the cake so both our families could enjoy our efforts!  Thanks, Traci for a fun day in the kitchen!

Bobby's Caramel Cake:
Serves 16-20

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the filling:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, or more if needed
• 1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add granulated sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

For the filling:

While cake is baking, in a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Remove cake layers from oven and allow cake to remain in pans as you prepare to stack and fill. Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Pierce cake layer with a toothpick over entire surface. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Top with second layer, repeat process. Top with last layer and repeat process again.

*Cook's Note: As I stack layers together, I stick them with toothpicks to prevent cake from shifting.

For the frosting:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat with a handheld electric mixer until it reaches a spreading consistency. At this time it may be necessary to add a tablespoon of heavy cream, or more, if frosting gets too thick. Just be sure to add cream is small amounts because you can always "add to", but you can't take away. Frost cake and sprinkle top with chopped nuts, if desired.