Caramel (Cup)Cake with Mocha Buttercream Frosting

January is a very popular month for birthdays. Mine and 4 of my friends within 7 days of each other! So I made these as cupcakes to celebrate. This recipe is adapted from Shuna Fish Lydon's Bay Area Bites recipe. For the caramel sauce, I use the Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels I posted below (cooking to a 250 degree - 258 degree temperature will keep the consistency sauce-like) and the Outrageous Mocha Buttercream frosting is from the Essential Baker by Carol Bloom.

CARAMEL CAKE
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup caramel syrup (Golden Vanilla Bean Caramel)
2 each eggs, room temp
splash vanilla extract
2 cups ap flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1c milk, room temp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter one tall 9" cake pan.
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth.

2. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

3. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl.

4. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

5. Sift flour and baking powder.

6. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dries.

7. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time.

8. Add another third of the dries, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dries. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

9. Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds. making sure batter is uniform.
Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days unrefrigerated.

Mocha Buttercream
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
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1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (opt)
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1 pound (2 cups, 4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped, melted over a double boiler and cooled to room temperature
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2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon water

In a small sauce pan fitted with a candy thermometer, bring the 1 1/4 cups sugar, water and cream of tartar to a boil over medium-high heat. If any of the sugar crystals get onto the side of the pan, be sure to wipe them down with a wet clean pastry brush. The sugar needs to cook until it hits 242° F on the thermometer. This takes several minutes.

While that is boiling, place the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip on medium speed until they are thick, pale in color and hold a ribbon when the beater is lifted. Once the sugar syrup has reached its temperature of 242° F, then slowly pour it into the bowl of whipped egg yolks while the beater is going on slow. Be sure to pour it along the bowl so that the hot syrup doesn’t hit the beater and splatter! Allow the eggs and sugar mixture to beat on medium high speed until the eggs have cooled, about 8 minutes.

Add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time.

The buttercream will go through a stage that looks soupy and curdled, but continue to add all of the butter and it will come together.

The finished buttercream will be smooth and silky.

Add a tablespoon of water to the espresso powder and dissolve.

Add the melted and cooled chocolate to the buttercream.

Mix to combine and decorate your cake. The buttercream will freeze if you have any left, wrapped really well in plastic. Just allow it to come bake to room temperature and whisk it on low speed to smooth it out.