Salted Caramel Buttercream

Last year, during the holiday season I took a holiday candy making class at Whole Foods.  One of the candies we learned to make was salted caramels. I was hooked. Anything salted caramel, I love. I saw that Sweetopolia posted a recipe for a chocolate fudge cake with a salted caramel buttercream and I almost died. I felt very Rachel Zoe exclaiming "I die!" when I saw it.

My boyfriend's Grandmother was in town, and we were celebrating her birthday, you know what that means! Perfect opportunity to make this cake.  However in my excitement (and rush to get out of the door) this is the only photo I took of the cake. Please forgive the terribly messy background.

You've got to try this recipe! Hop on over to Sweetopolita's site for the full cake and frosting recipes. I will leave you with the Salted Caramel Buttercream recipe that I ever so slightly modified.

Salted Caramel Buttercream

Slightly Modified From Sweetopolita

Ingredients:

1 Small Jar Caramel Sauce

1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

4 Large Egg Whites

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Put the butter in bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

2. Wash mixer bowl, wipe with lemon juice to make sure no butter remains in the bowl.

3. Create a double boiler on your stove, and place egg whites and sugar in bowl.  Gently whisk until sugar dissolves and the temperature reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

4. Pour egg mixture into mixer bowl.  Using the whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium speed for 5 minutes.  

5. After approximately 5 minutes, increase speed to medium high.  Whip until soft, glossy peaks form. Approximately another 5 minutes.

6. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the butter a little at a time.  Make sure to fully incorporate the butter before adding more.

7. Once all of the butter is added and incorporated, switch back to the paddle attachment.

8. Add vanilla

9. Add approximately 1/2 a cup of the caramel sauce. Taste. Add more if necessary.  

10. Add a dash of salt. Taste. Add more if necessary.

11. Try not to fall over when you taste the amazingness.