The South Will Rise

I read the book, “The Help” when it first came out and absolutely loved it!  I have not had a chance to see the movie, but it is on the long long to do list.  However, I have had a chance to sample the actual Caramel Cake that was featured in the movie which is clearly the most important part!  The cakes in the movie were provided by Caroline’s Cakes in Annapolis, MD.  She is a native of Charleston, SC and will hopefully be opening a shop here soon!  Her bakery is centered around her Caramel Cakes, and they are phenomenal!!  She has over 120,000 people on her list that order them every year!  She obviously keeps this recipe pretty well guarded, so I am going to post another and quite tasty recipe for a Caramel Cake that comes from Eudora Garrison’s Favorite Carolina Recipes.   Eduora Garrison was food critic and editor for the Charlotte Observer.

Caramel Cake

1/3 cup plus 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar, divide use

1/3 cup boiling water

3/4 cup butter

3 eggs

3 cups sifted cake flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla etract

Melt the one-third cup sugar in a heavy skillet, stirring constatnly until deep-brown syrup is formed- a process called caramelization.  Remove from heat and slowly stir in boilin water, being careful that steam does not burn your hand.  Set syrup aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Greas two 9-inch cake pans, place parchement paper in the bottoms, then grease and flour the cottoms and sides.

Cream butter in bowl with electric mixer.  Add 1 and 1/4 cups sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until each is well incorporated.  Stir in 4 tablespoons of the reserved syrup.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.  Combine milk and vanilla.  Add flour mixture to the batter alternately with the milk mixter, beginning and endin with the four mixture.  Beat until smooth.  Divide batter evenly among the two prepared pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove pans from oven and let stand about 10 minutes, then turn out cakes onto wire rack, peel off paper and cool completely.

3 cups  (light) brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons half and half

1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix sugar and half and half in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring over low heat until syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.  If lacking a thermometer, check doneness by dropping a tiny bit of syrup into a cup of cold water.  When the syrup can be gathered up in fingers and will almost hold its shape, it has reached the soft-ball stage.

Remove pan from heat.  Stir in butter, then let syrup cool.  Add vanilla and beat until frosting reaches spreading consistency.  A little cream (or half and half) may be add if mixture is too thick.