candy bowl

I am sure that many of you have been curious about the title of this recipe for Bolo de caramel . Looking at the photographs, you will have also whetted your appetite. And is not for less! Virginia, from Sweet&Sour, leaves us caramelized with this recipe that comes from afar, typical of Madeira, to be explained with all the love and detail, as well as she knows how to do.

I don't know if the same will happen to you, but in my case, every summer they come back with me in the suitcase, along with a lot of souvenirs and many photographs, a few of those ingredients that I can't easily find in nearby markets. , but also some other recipe and a lot of inspiration.

The Bolo de Caramel that I bring you today is not exactly a recipe that came with me in my suitcase, but it did arrive in my daughter's, after her trip to Madeira this summer. She knows that for her mommy the best gift is everything that has to do with gastronomy.

It is a caramel cake that has the peculiarity that part of the sugar that we incorporate into the dough is in the form of caramel , with which we obtain an intense caramel flavor. But also, to make it more luxurious, we bathe it with a toffee-shaped coating with nuts . Will you tell me if it is or is not a special cake? One of those sweets that will make you succeed in any meeting. And beware, it also comes with an autumn air, thanks to the fresh walnuts in the cover.

I have prepared it using my Le Creuset Skillet, one of the most versatile in the kitchen, because it is just as useful for preparing savory dishes on the stove as it is for these sweet baked goods, and best of all, it goes directly from the oven to the table, with that presentation with a rustic but careful touch.

Ingredients (For 8 servings)

For the caramel sponge cake base:

• 84 g butter at room temperature
• 200 g of brown sugar
• 266 g self-rising flour or sifted sponge cake*
• 2 "L" eggs at room temperature (yolks and whites separated)
• 200 ml of milk
• 83g white sugar
• a pinch of salt

*You can replace self-rising or biscuit flour by mixing 3 teaspoons of raising agent for biscuits for every 6 cups of pastry flour.

For the caramel and walnut coating:

• 450g white sugar
• 125g butter
• 150 ml of milk
• 175g coarsely chopped fresh walnuts

Preparation

1. In a saucepan with a thick bottom, make a caramel with the 83 gr. of white sugar. When we have obtained the caramel, remove it from the heat and add the warm milk, mixing well until all the caramel is dissolved in the milk. We may need to heat it up a bit to help this dissolution. We reserve until it has warmed up.
2. Preheat the oven to 180oC, heat up and down.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar until fluffy and smooth. I usually do it with my Kitchen Aid , so if you have one it will be very simple, you just have to attach the paddle and beat at speed 2 for a few minutes, until the butter takes on a whitish color and foam. We will do the rest of the process equally with the shovel accessory and at speed 2 as well.
4. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, after each addition we beat until incorporated. Next we added the sifted flour and the caramelized milk that we had reserved, alternately and in three times, always finishing with the flour. Be careful not to over-beat once we incorporate the flour, just enough to integrate. Otherwise you will get a gummy cake.
5. In a small and very clean bowl, we mount the egg whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. In this case, whoever has Kitchen Aid , with a clean bowl and replacing the shovel with the balloon accessory, we will assemble them, starting with the minimum speed until they foam, and then speed 2-4-6 until we have them assembled. Ready our egg whites, we incorporate them into the dough with enveloping movements.
6. Grease our Le Creuset Skillet and pour the dough inside. We level and bake at medium height for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. In the meantime, prepare the topping. In a wide-based pan, make a caramel with the sugar. When we have obtained the caramel, add the butter and milk, mixing well until the caramel has been integrated with the butter and milk into a dense and honeyed cream. Finally, add the roughly chopped walnuts, mix and let the walnuts soak up this "toffee". We booked.
8. When our cake is cooked, we take it out of the oven and place our Skillet Le Creuset on a wire rack. Helped by a knitting needle or a skewer, we pierce the entire surface. We pour 2/3 of the hot coverage on the cake, we reserve the rest in the heat. The icing will penetrate through all those holes and flood the cake. Let rest for a few minutes.

We serve our hot caramel cake with a scoop of ice cream, red fruits and the rest of the hot caramel sauce in a little sauce to sin more intensely. Another option instead of accompanying it with ice cream, and which is how I like it best, is with a creme fraiche quenelle, which is the ideal counterpoint to the strong sweetness of the caramel. Absolutely delicious. A cake to succeed, I assure you.