Toasted Sugar Champagne Cake

A beautiful decadent cake made with toasted sugar and champagne! Complex champagne and caramel flavors, and a rich smooth champagne reduction buttercream frosting. Fresh fruit in the filling creates the perfect combination of creamy, tangy, elegant, and delicious!

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

MAKE AHEAD - TOSTED SUGAR FOR THE CAKE

Step 2

Make the toasted sugar well ahead of time – at the very least a few hours, depending on how caramel-y you want to make it. Plus leave time for it to cool down afterward.

Step 3

You’ll be making enough to have a lot of extra on hand, but it cooks better in bulk and is more rewarding for the time investment. If you reduce the amount, watch it like a hawk!

Step 4

Put oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 300.

Step 5

Spread about 9 cups of sugar into a 9″ x 13″ glass or ceramic pan. (Don’t use metal – it will heat too fast and melt the sugar rather than toast it.)

Step 6

Bake for about an hour, until the sugar turns an ivory color.

Step 7

Stir thoroughly, then continue baking – and stirring every 30 minutes – until the color is as dark as you want. The darker the sugar, the more caramel-y the taste.

Step 8

DON’T HURRY THIS PROCESS – keep the temperature low! If the sugar gets too hot, it’ll melt, not caramelize.

Step 9

Remove from the oven and let cool slowly, stirring occasionally.

Step 10

MAKE AHEAD - CHAMPAGNE REDUCTION FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

Step 11

To make the champagne reduction, pour the 1 1/2 cups of champagne (from the Buttercream section, above) into a saucepan and set over medium heat. Simmer until the champagne is reduced to about 1/3 cup. Cool completely to room temperature.

Step 12

CAKE

Step 13

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray. (I like a taller, smaller cake, so I used five 6-inch pans. It also worked in a flat sheet pan for tiny cakes.)

Step 14

In large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Step 15

Add the champagne, oil, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk for about 30-40 seconds until smooth and well combined.

Step 16

Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. (Remember to check sooner and more often if you use different sized pans.)

Step 17

Set the pans on a wire cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting. (For the tiny cakes, I used a floured cookie cutter to cut small rounds from the sheet cake.)

Step 18

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Step 19

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for one minute.

Step 20

With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, the meringue powder, salt, and vanilla. It will be clumpy. Add the cooled champagne reduction.

Step 21

Increase the speed to medium, and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl several times, until very light and fluffy. If needed for desired consistency, add 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream.

Step 22

ASSEMBLE

Step 23

Spread buttercream generously over the top of the first layer.

Step 24

Top the buttercream with sliced raspberries and strawberries.

Step 25

Add the next cake layer gently – don’t push down too hard or cake will split.

Step 26

Spread more buttercream, then more fruit.

Step 27

Add the top layer.

Step 28

Frost as desired. To do a crumb coat, put your cake in the fridge for a while before you put on the first coat (at least 30 minutes). Then put a very thin coat on, and put it back in the fridge for another while before you put the rest of the frosting on.

Step 29

Garnish with whole and sliced fruits, and roses.

Step 30

NOTE: This recipe was developed for high altitude, so it might be a little denser than the original creator had in mind if you bake at a lower altitude. I didn’t adjust anything at almost sea level, and loved the result!

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