Tuesdays With Dorie - Caramel Peanut Topped Brownie Cake

I was really excited when this week's recipe was Caramel Peanut Topped Brownie Cake because that was one of the recipes where the picture was making me drool. Unfortunately, I wasn't too crazy about it while eating. My family liked it, so I think it was my tastebuds rather than the actual baking.

EDIT - Ok I just ate a slice from the fridge. A lot better than my first tasting. Plus I think it's the cake part I didn't like, not the topping. I'm eating the topping alone and yummy! Maybe it's the chocolate I used. I did use cheap chocolate because I can't afford better haha

A few words of caution. One, this cake rises like no other, so be careful if you are making smaller portions like cupcakes. I used a 9-inch round cake pan, and it was as full as you can get. Two, making caramel sauce is dangerous and tricky. I burnt my finger about a year ago, and the mark was there for about a month. The temperature of the syrup is hotter than boiling water, and it sticks to your finger, so that few seconds from contact to wiping it off really makes it hurt worse than boiling water. Also, caramel sauce burns fast if you aren't watchful. Dorie suggests 5-10 minutes. A lot of TwDers, including myself, found it to be 15 minutes. You want the color to be a few shades lighter than a deep amber when you turn the heat down because it continues cooking and will go from deep amber to burnt in about 30 seconds. Trust me. I had to make the sauce twice because it burnt the first time. And burnt caramel smells.

This past weekend plus yesterday and today is my school's fall break. I've been baking almost non-stop plus I went to an apple festival Saturday afternoon. This cake is one of the many items I baked and also gave away to my best friend's grandparents (since I don't have grandparents of my own).

Caramel Topped Peanut Brownie Cake




Thanks Tammy from Wee Treats by Tammy for choosing this week's recipe! You can find it on pages 264-265 of Baking: From My Home To Yours or visit Tammy's blog.