I'm heating things up in the kitchen...

Today is the kind of peaceful afternoon that demands a cake baking in the oven.  And not just any cake,  a sinfully sweet southern cake.  Is there any other kind?  Lately, I've had three cakes on my mind- yellow cake with choc. frosting, pineapple upside down, and caramel.

I've never made a caramel cake before, but was inspired to after reading The Help.  I'll share a recipe that the book's author used and I'll post pics on how it turned out in a little while.  I'm off to the store to get buttermilk in the mean time.

Makes one 9" 2-layer cake

1 cup finely chopped pecans, plus extra for garnish
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups unsifted cake flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

For the cake:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 20 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until blended. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Slowly alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture to butter mixture, Begin and end with flour mixture and make sure to scrape down sides of bowl frequently until all is combined. Mix batter until well blended and smooth.
Prepare 2 9-inch pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper, buttering the side then dusting with flour. Divide the batter evenly among the 2 pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cake is lightly browned and springs back and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove cakes from pans after cooling for 10 minutes and then cool completely on wire racks.

I'm sharing at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, by the way :)

Ta ta for now,

The Kitchen Witch