I have a real soft spot for caramel. And, for butter. And for salty, sweet, vanilla, and cake. And for tacos but that's for another day. While roaming the aisles of my favorite store, hint- it's pretty much any grocery store on Earth, I came across a bag of Crackerjack and thought to myself, there's no way I'm leaving this store without this. And, so it began. Then, I decided to make a beautiful buttered popcorn chiffon cake that is bursting with butter and so light that it melts in your mouth. I forged on to make the most insane whipped caramel cream that is creamy and dreamy and not too sweet and would make your shoe worth eating. To top it all off, Crackerjack; crunchy, salty, caramel-y, childhood-y, makes life worth living-y Crackerjack. Because, you deserve it.
In a large bowl:
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup (185 grams) water
1/2 cup (150 grams) butter-flavored oil for popcorn
1/2 teaspoon butter extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium bowl:
2 1/4 cups (310 grams) sifted cake flour
1 1/4 cups (285 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl:
8 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup (35 grams) granulated sugar
On the sidelines:
Whipped caramel cream, recipe as follows
Crackerjack, for topping
1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Thoroughly grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.
2
Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar to stiff peaks. Set aside.
3
In the large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients very well.
4
Add in the dry ingredients to the large bowl, and whisk to combine thoroughly.
5
Fold in the beaten egg whites. Take your time with this step as we don't want to deflate the beaten eggs. Ensure that there are no white streaks in your batter. I like to fold egg whites into the batter in thirds to make life easier.
6
Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven until baked through and springs back when touched- about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool.
7
Once cooled, frost however you like. Sprinkle with crackerjack- as little or as MUCH as you want.
Whipped Caramel Cream- courtesy of Sugar Rush
In a small saucepan:
1/2 cup (125 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of water
Pinch of salt
In a cup:
1 cup heavy cream, slightly warmed
On a plate:
4 tablespoons butter
On the sidelines:
1 cup heavy cream
1
In the saucepan, cook the ingredients over medium-low heat until the sugar has melted and become medium brown in color.
2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the warmed cream. It will bubble and rise but just keep stirring.
3
Place the saucepan over low heat and whisk in the butter, one pat at a time. Once fully incorporated, remove from heat.
4
Pour the caramel into a large bowl and add in the second cup of cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5
When ready to assemble, whip the caramel cream the same way you would when making homemade whipped cream- to stiff peaks. Use just the same as frosting.
