I baked you a cake. But lets be honest, you’re not going to come over and help me eat it, so really I just baked myself a cake. A very large, two-tier cake, a cake so delicious that you can’t eat only one slice.

Now this is no ordinary cake. This is a special cake because guess what, it contains zero calories. Can you believe that? A butter cake with caramel frosting that contains NO calories. It’s one of the few cakes in the world that is like this.

Do you want to know how it’s zero calories?

Because I made it from scratch. I’ve mentioned this before, anything made from scratch does not contain any calories. Even when it’s a cake that has a total of four sticks of butter in it. Paula Deen would love this cake.

But really, I’m protesting that all homemade recipes contain no calories. If it’s not processed it has to be good for you, well I mean, better than its processed counterparts. Yes, I am well-aware that it’s impossible for nothing to contain calories, except for celery of course, but it’s just wishful thinking.

Butter Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
Cake recipe from Martha Stewart, icing/concept from Add a Pinch

Yield: two 9×13 inch round cakes or 26 cupcakes
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:
Cake
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Icing
Part One
2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda

Part Two
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (added in tablespoons)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9×13 inch round baking pans or line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Once combined, add the eggs in one at a time until they are completely incorporated. Then mix in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating the batches with milk.

Divide the batter into the cake pans or muffin tin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 20 minutes and remove from the pans and replace on the rack to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, make the caramel frosting. Add the ingredients from the first part of the recipe in a large pot. Whisk continually over medium-low heat until the caramel reaches softball stage (235-245 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat and place in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on high using the whisk attachment until the caramel has cooled enough to touch.

Once the caramel has cooled, add in the butter and salt from the second part of the recipe. Whip until they are combined. Add the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments until the icing reaches the right consistency. I found that adding all of the powdered sugar made the icing too thick, so I added heavy cream in tablespoon increments until it reached the right consistency.

Frost the cake on a cake stand or flat plate, until the cake is evenly covered. Slice a large piece and enjoy!

Maybe I should just start making recipes with celery, that works right?

Tagged: Butter Cake, Caramel, Dessert, Layer Cake