I’ll be the first to admit that I have yet to perfect this recipe but I am getting much better at it. I’ll also be the first to admit how pleasantly surprised I am that the original cake itself is gluten-free so I didn’t have to experiment in order to make a gluten-free variation. My honeyman loves this cake so I have an added incentive to get it right – and he doesn’t mind eating the rejects. Enjoy. Note: this recipe makes two 7″ cakes.
Caramel Crunch Cake
For the Meringue Layers
1/2 cup ground hazelnuts (I use walnuts as I always seem to have these on hand!)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
8 whole egg whites
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Butterscotch Caramel
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup 35% cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter
For the Chantilly Cream
4 1/4 cups 35% cream
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
15 grams gelatin leaf
1/4 cup water
To make the Meringue: Draw six 7″ circles on 2 pieces of parchment paper. Blend together the nuts and cornstarch and set aside. Whip egg whites to a thick foam. Slowly add sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Mix until blended. Fold in nut / cornstarch mixture by hand until blended. Pipe meringue into a spiral within the parchment paper circles using a plain piping tip. Bake at 250F for 1 1/2 hours or until the meringue is dry.
To make the Butterscotch Caramel: Heat the cream until scalded. Set aside. Place sugar and water into a pot and cook on high heat to caramelize to a light golden color. Remove from heat. Add cream carefully as mixture will boil violently. Mix until blended. Be sure to add the cream in stages. Add utter and mix until blended. Pour into bowl and refrigerate until cool and starting to set.
To make the Chantilly Cream: Soak gelatin in bowl of water until soft. Remove from water and place in pie plate with 1/4 cup water, set aside. Place cream and sugar (if using) into bowl and whip to medium firm peaks. Heat gelatin until dissolved. Temper with some cream. With the mixer running, add the gelatin mixture to the cream and continue whipping until firm peaks form.
To assemble the Caramel Crunch cake: Spread a thin layer of butterscotch on each layer of meringue. Place one layer on a cake board or serving platter Pipe a spiral of cream over the top of the meringue layer using a plain piping tip. Stack the second layer on top and pipe a spiral of cream. Stack the third layer and finish with piping a spiral of cream. Using a paper cone, pipe butterscotch on the top layer in a zig zag pattern.
Enjoy!
Kitchen Table Talk…
Have you ever tried to make your own version of a store bought favorite? Feel free to share your creations in the comment area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.
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Deborah, or iDeborah as she’s affectionately known on Twitter, loves to experiment in the kitchen. Some of her best dishes were created by accident! She started this blog to encourage others to get creative in the kitchen… and to record some of her accidental creations so she can enjoy them again! To learn more about
5. November 2011 at 7:16 pm
Hi, a fellow Torontonian in exile for the moment: I also love the original Caramel Crunch and have worked on a copy as well, basing it on your recipe. My main problems have been getting the cream to whip high at an altitude of 5500 ft and getting the caramel to the right texture. Cream improved with the addition of whipit, and gelatin also works well, but after a few hours the cream gets moist and dissolves the caramel. That’s one issue – how to keep the cream drier or get a barrier between the whipped cream and the caramel. Second: your caramel (and the one on the real cake) looks very smooth, towards icing texture, not chewy and not greasy as are so many recipes which have butter. Beating the caramel after cooling improves the texture and colour, but the grease of the butter remains an issue (used good quality butter) and the caramel is too wet after a few hours. Keeping the cake extremely cold isn’t an option, and besides the original cake stands up under being left out for a while. Reducing butter may help, but in addition what additive could be used to change the texture from silky shiny caramel to a caramel that can be piped like icing and will stay in place?