Few things can ruin a perfectly good afternoon like the announcement “there is no more cake”. That was exactly what I had to tell myself when I saw my empty cake stand today. And it was one of those rare times when I actually want a piece of cake! The bright side was my thin alter-ego got to do a bit of victory dance. The fat girl in me let out a sigh of disappointment and went back to her couch to plot for the next craving.
Like most girls, I have two wardrobes. One for the svelte and one that is much more forgiving. Last weekend I added a new dress to the svelte wardrobe after thinking long and hard. I went shopping on an empty stomach and totally smitten by a fitted knit dress with satin ribbons that laced down the open back. When I walked out of the fitting room, the petit sales associate asked me what I thought of the dress. I thought for a second and replied “I absolutely love it but it is very unforgiving. I’m talking about no food or drink shall pass my lips once the dress is on.” This is one highly impractical purchase since most of my nights out involve dining and wining in one way of another. I bought the dress despite better judgement and now it serves as my daily mental reminder to quiet my fat girl cravings.
So this gorgeous Coffee-Toffee Celebration Cake you see played tug-o-war with my inspirational dress today. It was incredibly tempting with soft layers of tangy buttermilk cake and coffee flavoured caramel loaded with toasted hazelnuts and coconut. The toffee topping was reminiscent of candy bars in the best sense. The cake managed to look impressive without all the fuss that usually goes with frosting a layer cake. The recipe came from none other than Flo Braker’s Baking For All Occasions.
I wish I can tell you how much I enjoy it but my dress managed to stall my decision long enough until all the cake was gone. My tasters certainly showed me their enthusiastic approval though! The caramel was an absolute joy to work with. When mixed with the toasted nuts, it was just viscous enough to spread evenly into a flat layer over the cake without spilling over. Cooking this caramel reminded me how much I love working with sugar. Makes me want to rush home right now to whip up a batch of maple crème fraiche soft caramel! I think I’ll do just that tonight to make up for my cake-less afternoon. I bet I can still fit into my dress after eating a piece of caramel.
