Photo: Lizzie's Old Fashioned Cocoa Cake with Caramel Icing Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to grease pans
- 2/3 cup cocoa
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 sticks (2/3 cup) butter, plus more to grease pans
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cooking spray
Caramel Icing:
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- Special equipment: candy thermometer
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans
For the cake: Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in stages with 1 1/3 cups water, beginning and ending with the flour.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Turn the layers out onto racks that have been sprayed with cooking spray.
For the caramel icing: Mix 3 cups of the sugar and the milk in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil and keep it hot. Caramelize the remaining cup of sugar in an iron skillet. Do this by cooking over medium-high heat and stirring and scraping the pan with a flat-edged spatula as the sugar melts. Continue to cook until the syrup turns to medium or dark brown in color. This occurs at about 320 degrees F to 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Do not scorch the syrup. Stream the syrup into the boiling sugar and milk mixture and cook to the soft ball stage, about 238 degrees F. Add the butter, vanilla extract and baking soda.
Pour the hot mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat as it cools until the icing is creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Watch the icing because it will go from runny to too thick very quickly. Spread on the cake layers while the icing is still warm. If it becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water.
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By feemeezh
on May 09, 2013
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Great recipe! My wife and I got a hankering for some chocolatey goodness and instead of going to the store and buying some garbage, I took inventory of the pantry and decided to find a recipe utilizing what we had! Being that our cravings were late in the evening, I opted not to attempt the caramel frosting and made a cream cheese frosting instead which worked out beautifully! I may have to make these as a mother's day present for our moms! Perfect in every way - moist and chocolatey without being too decadent and overwhelming. Yum!
By kayla.larock
on February 23, 2013
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I've always been nervous about trying to make caramel icing. My granny made the BEST caramel cakes ever, but trying to get a precise/clear recipe from her is difficult!! I decided to make this cake for my son's 3rd birthday and really wish I could post a picture of it!! It was a Scooby-Doo themed cake and it turned out amazing! I let the icing cool in the mixer for about 18 mins and as it started to thicken I was amazed at how much it was like my granny's...Trisha's icing looked much thinner so I wasn't expecting it to be like hers. It even tasted a lot like hers! I talked to my mama and she said that my granny used more butter and whipping cream + milk....so it is much richer I'm sure...which I will try that next time just to compare : Everyone loved the cake!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
By prauly
West Simsbury, CT
on February 23, 2013
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The cake was very moist and the icing came out just like on the show. My husband just devoured a HUGE piece. The only downside was that the icing was VERY sweet. I will be surprised to find out that I'm not diabetic after once piece. In fairness, I do have to say that I am ultra sensitive to too much sugar. I may try to modify the recipe next time to achieve more of a carmel flavor - perhaps 2 cups of sugar for the 'syrup' and then two cups of sugar in the milk, may have to decrease the milk too. I'll just play with it. But all in all -- a great dessert -- a true success because my husband has been circling the cake for hours.
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