… I will admit i’m finding it really hard to control my weight and not eat cake. I think the issue is less that I don’t have the will power to do it but more that I honestly love baking cakes… I can think of nothing better to do on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon that being in the kitchen and being creative… and as a person of artistic bent, this is my outlet. I don’t paint any more and my fashion designing days are well behind me and whilst I get to be creative at The Persuaders it’s constrained by the whims of my clients, who in this careful age of recession, is more practical than magical…
… plus when the lovely chaps at George Wilkinson sent me fabulous cake tins from their Great British Bakeware collection it didn’t help the cause… of course I could have just used the vintage-inspired duck-egg blue, 8inch loose bottomed cake tin as a new kitchen ornament (and believe me, it matches my blue kitchen so perfectly it now sits on display on top of the cupboard) but I felt I ought to at least take it for one short spin…
salted caramel and coffee swirl cake
surely this must nearly be my last salted caramel post, I hear you cry. Well yes, the jar is very close to completion but there are one or two tablespoons left and I have at least one final trick up my sleeve… i’ve used the currently popular zebra cake method here but because the colours are so subtle it’s not quite as impactful as it could be but I do think it creates a pretty and rather chic pattern to the cake and you can truly taste the coffee caramel too, which is just heavenly…
I’m using the ‘weigh the eggs’ method, which I love for an easy, light cake and then split it to add the caramel and coffee flavour to one half.
3 eggs
7oz self raising flour
7oz caster sugar
7oz softened butter
3 teaspoons of salted caramel – which can be bought in most good supermarkets or specialist deli’s. (I will show a method for making this soon, I promise…)
an espresso cup of strong black filter coffee
In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugar with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy, then add one egg and beat in followed by a third of the flour and again beat in, scraping down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the mixture… continue this method until all the eggs and flour is gone.
divide the mixture into two bowls and add 3 teaspoons of the salted caramel to one bowl and a little of the cold coffee and beat till smooth
add a teaspoon of the plain cake mix to the bottom of the cake tin, followed by a teaspoon of the coffee/caramel mix and keep going. As it piles up it will begin to spread out but don’t worry if it spills or slips, this will only add to the pattern.
Once all the mix is used bake in an oven on 180C for 30 mins or until golden and risen.
I’ve left this cake quite plain as I love it like this and you can really taste all the flavours
eat and of course, enjoy!
Looks beautiful and has two of my favourite flavours …what's not to love!
love the swirl. can't beat a nice coffee cake but never had a coffee and caramel cake before, sounds (and looks) delicious.
Lovely swirl, and caramel…. oh my goodness!
I'm fairly sure you did not know that the New York Times Dining section this morning featured salted caramels. I escape the cakes because I don't bake (desserts at least). But I wouldn't turn up my nose if offered a slice of this one.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't go on any kind of diet that doesn't include cake. Especially when you tempt us when such deliciousness…
Mmm – I could eat a slice of it right now – lovely!
I was honestly just dreaming of salted caramel sauce and thinking it would be nice drizzled on an upcoming cake. Low and behold this one satisfies all my cravings.
This looks delightful – and an unusual combination of flavours. A great change from coffee and walnuts.
Well you may have given up fashion designing but this looks very elegant and stylish – definitely worth a cat walk (or should that be a cake walk? sorry!)
do you know, I saw those cake tins in a magazine – think it was in Good Food, and I have a longing – so pretty. Your cake looks gorgeous and I love the sound of the flavours you used.
I do so love zebra cake – such a lovely surprise when you cut into it!
that cake sounds lovely! & I love the vintage cake pans..I have the muffin pan to try. Great to meet you today, even though you did make me eat Octopus!
I think this looks lush – and salted caramel with coffee? Sounds heavenly. 🙂
The cake looks delicious, but that cake tin looks GORGEOUS!!
I read your post nodding, I would love nothing more than to bake all weekend its what I did all through my childhood, but then I EAT it!
Oh, look at that swirl! And I can't believe that tin goes in the oven, it's so pretty.
Don't feel too badly about falling off the cake wagon – if it's any consolation I have fallen off the no chocolate one pretty heavily in the last couple of days – I had a chocolate video shot at my place on Tuesday and received a vat of chocolate mousse in return. Greed overcame guilt very, very quickly…
Ooooooo … would you look at that perfect marbling! Lovely cake, dearie! You need to find a church lady group to bake for! Ever so perfect for fulfilling the baking urge without applying quite so many fat cells to the hips and thighs! Of course, you could just come our way and bake for SB and I!
Beautiful! And you have shown remarkable restraint. I would have drizzled the top of that with more salted caramel.
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Ooooohhhh… that cake is gorgeous!! I can see why you have no will power! If I could bake cakes like that I would never be able to go on a diet!!!
I have the VERY same tin and like you I JUST love it! That cake is amazing, and I KNOW what you mean about baking on a cold day in a warm kitchen, bliss! Karen
Ooooh, kind of like a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato in cake form, well done!
What a beautiful cake! My other half is on a no-cake February, which given that we're only on the 7th and I've already got itchy baking fingers could make it a long month… either that or I need to start dishing it out to friends and family!
Oh my, Swirly-thing alert! Love this cake, don't eat too much.
I definitely sympathise with your dilemma of wanting to bake cakes…but then having cake to eat…not so good for weight watching!! This however is a lovely cake…great swirling and lovely flavours 🙂
Wow Dom I love this. A pretty cake and what lovely flavours. Interesting having salted caramel with coffee. I was just thinking today about salted caramel with a hint of chilli in a dessert
It looks so pretty Dom, very cleverly done. I'd happily take the coffee to get at the salted caramel 🙂