Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting...with Devil's Food Cake

Yes, the cake is typically first in a recipe title, but really, this salted caramel buttercream is the star of the show.

Let me tell you about something astounding, momentous, and incredible that happened last week. My baby, our kiddo, turned 16.
It's still sinking in. (Ohmygosh...just found this post of his 10th birthday!)


He has his driver's licence and today drove to school for the first time. This is such an fun age...so exciting. Between this and his flight lessons, my prayer life had grown considerably.

I read Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist years ago. I don't remember quotes from movies or books, but this one has stuck with me...

"This is my new prayer, my mother-prayer: Dear God, please please please, and thank you thank you thank you." 

Yep. That's running through my brain in a loop.

Let's talk cake. Kiddo requested Devil's Food Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting. Who am I to say no???


He chose the cake from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. I made it straight from the book....no tinkering. The recipe online is just a bit different.

Here is the cake recipe. The one in the cookbook calls for natural cocoa and replaces the 2 teaspoons baking powder with 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda. I followed the book recipe. The cake is mild in chocolate flavor with a beautiful crumb...we liked it quite a bit.


The frosting. Oh my word. The FROSTING.

I'm so happy that the birthday boy chose salted caramel. His mama raised him right. ;)


For the salted caramel buttercream, I used Sprinkle Bakes' recipe. Heather has some incredible Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes on her blog, and in her book, so I used the frosting for the cake.

You start by making caramel. Don't be scared. If I can do it, you can do it. Then, you make frosting using that caramel. For the cake, I doubled this recipe. I also added in about a cup more powdered sugar. I always make notes in my cookbooks after making a recipe and by this one, I wrote, "exquisite."

Eat a salad for lunch on the day you make this because you'll be doing quite a bit of taste-testing of that frosting before it goes on the cake. Trust me.


A little trick I learned from My Cake School, is to pipe an edge of thicker frosting around the outer ring of each cake layer before filling with frosting between the layers. It keeps the frosting from oozing out when adding another layer. I just scooped some frosting into a separate bowl and added a bit more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it up. (Here's a better visual of what I mean, in case you're having trouble understanding my incoherent ramblings.)



Don't wait for a special birthday...you need this cake in your life!

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Xanadu, your neon lights will shine...

Birthdays...when we were growing up, my parents instituted a "birthday party rule."  Birthday PARTIES were every other year...on the "off years," we could invite a friend or two to dinner, or to the movies, and over for cake.  I have no idea where they came up with this idea, but we decided to carry on the tradition with kiddo, too.


I had been thinking about one of my teenage birthdays...I think I was 12 or 13.  One of the movie theaters in "the city" was having a special showing of Xanadu.  I think the movie came out a couple of years earlier and I already had my white roller skates and knew all of the songs by heart.  My parents took a few of us down for the movie.  I can't remember much else from that birthday...just Xanadu.

{photo credit olivia-newtonjohn.com}

Please tell me you're a Xanadu fan, too!  I loved all things Olivia Newton-John.  Her voice, her face, her accent, her perfect hair!!!  Remember those thin hair ribbons?  And, that off the shoulder white top?  Oh!  And, that cowgirl outfit?  And Gene Kelly?!?  Oh my gosh...yeah.  I loved Xanadu.


In my mind, I was ONJ as Kira....in reality, I was a frizzy-haired girl with braces who was a little (a lot) wobbly on those skates, but man, it was fun to pretend.


The week I was thinking about those birthday memories, I got an email from McCormick.  They're celebrating their 125th (!) birthday this month. Did you know September is the most popular month for birthdays?  I didn't, either!


To celebrate, McCormick is igniting a conversation about birthdays and asking people all over the globe to share their favorite birthday flavor story.  For every story shared on McCormick's website or social media channels, McCormick will donate $1 to United Way to feed those in need.

In honor of birthday month, they released a new vanilla extract: Extra Rich Pure Vanilla Extract.
It's luscious and rich...25% stronger than the classic vanilla and the perfect balance between sweet caramel and bourbon-rummy flavors.  It is PERFECT in baked goods...and also to dab a little behind your ears. ♥


I used it to make Vanilla-Clementine Cut-Outs for the Xanadu-inspired cookies.  The strong vanilla flavor combined with the sweet and fresh clementine is just swoon-worthy.  The cookies also have a little kick of salt that balances out the flavors so well.  I love them almost as much as I love Xanadu. ;)



Vanilla-Clementine Cut-Out Cookies
{makes about 12 cookies, depending on cutter size}

2 & 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons McCormick Extra Rich Pure Vanilla Extract
zest of one clementine
1 teaspoon clementine juice

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg, vanilla, zest, and juice.  Beat until well combined.  Add in the flour mixture on low speed, mixing until just combined.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Once chilled, roll to 1/4" thick on a surface dusted with flour, and cut with cookie cutters.  If the dough becomes sticky, refrigerate.  Place shapes onto parchment-lined cookies sheets.  Freeze the shapes for 5-10 minutes before baking to help retain the shape.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until done.  Cool completely on wire cooling racks before decorating.  Use royal icing to decorate.

What's one of your favorite birthday memories?  Does it involve Xanadu?

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Birthday Halfsies

Celebrating half birthdays continues to be one of my favorite family traditions.  There are no presents, no Pinterest-worthy parties, nothing fancy...just half of a cake, and maybe, if you're lucky, a cut-in-half birthday card.


Even though my mom liked to bake, I remember our half birthday cakes usually being the half Bundt cakes from the grocery store.  See what I mean?  Half birthdays are NOT fancy.  I tend to go the Bundt cake route, too, but not always. 


Bundt cakes can sometimes be dry or dense...too dense.  Not this one.  It's moist, lemony, and topped off with an irresistible lemon cream cheese frosting. 


Here's the rule, though:  you must not present the half birthday person with the whole cake.  Give the other half away.  It's fun; I promise.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting 

{makes 1 Bundt cake...give away the other half for half birthdays!}

for the cake:
1 box lemon cake mix
1 box instant lemon pudding mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
2 TBSP poppy seeds

for the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. powdered sugar
pinch kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.  Preheat oven to 350.

Combine all of the cake ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on low until combined.  Increase speed to medium-high and mix for 2 minutes more.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.


Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Place a wire cooling rack on the bottom of the cake (which is facing up).  Invert the pan onto the cooling rack, remove the Bundt pan and let the cake cool completely.


To make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter together using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until smooth, combined and fluffy.  Add in the remaining ingredients.  Beat on low until the sugar is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and mix until thickened and fluffy.

Scoop the frosting into a piping bag, cut off the tip and pipe back and forth on top of the cake.
(Obviously, there is a little Nothing Bundt Cakes inspiration happening here.)

Refrigerate to let the frosting set.  Now, if this is for a half birthday, cut the cake in half and give half away.  Ta-da!  You now have a half birthday cake!

*cake recipe adapted from Sample House: Recipes from the Soup Shop and More, frosting recipe is my own.*