Salted Caramel Frosting and Simple Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Fudge Cake with a Chocolate Chip Center, Salted Caramel Frosting, and Chocolate Ganache

Frosting recipe 4 out of 6 from my Tale of 12 Cakes week:

I've had this recipe pinned on Pinterest for a long time, and this was the perfect opportunity to try it out! Sweet and salty is one of my all-time favorite flavor combos. Ever since I was a little girl, Peanut M&Ms have been my #1 choice. Not peanut butter. Peanut. Aight? Aight. Sweet + Salty is such a beautiful compliment to the dessert world.

So you can imagine when we were at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco a couple weeks ago and they were handing out free salted caramel chocolate squares....  it was DIVINE. For a while there I thought I wasn't going to be able to shake the craving for more....

...until I made this frosting.

The flavors were subtle at first, so I added in a bit of caramel drizzle. It added that top layer over the rich caramel undertone, and the frosting came right together. I covered a devil's food cake with this frosting, stuffed the inside layer with chocolate chips, and smothered the outside with decadent chocolate ganache.

I had never tried working with chocolate ganache before - it was ridiculously easy (although, next time I'll be more patient, and let the edges drip where they may). When I make Ryan's annual cheesecake (for his birthday) it will be hard to not coat each fluffy inch with this stuff...  

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Salted Caramel Frosting

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese
3-4 powdered sugar
1 C salted caramel (recipe below)
caramel syrup to taste 

Directions:
1. If you haven't already, prepare salted caramel recipe in advance.
2. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed in your stand mixer until creamy.
3. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
4. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is the sweetness and consistency you desire.
5. Add a drizzle of caramel syrup to desired taste. Add more powdered sugar to regain desired consistency. 

Recipe adapted from: Kimberly Taylor Image 

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Salted Caramel

Ingredients:
1 C sugar
4 T water
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 C heavy cream
2 T butter
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t sea salt

Directions:
1. Combine the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Cover the saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
3. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
4. Do not stir, trust me. Swirl the liquid around the pan so the caramel mixture doesn't burn.
5. Continue to cook until caramel turns an amber color and remove from the heat immediately. Let cool about 30 seconds.
6. Pour heavy cream into the mixture - be careful, the mixture bubbles up like crazy and is very hot.
7. Stir the mixture. Add butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
8. Measure 1 C into a glass measuring cup. Allow to cool until thick like molasses (stirring occasionally). I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.

Recipe source: Kimberly Taylor Image

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Simple Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
8 oz (1 cup) heavy cream

Directions:
1. Place chopped chocolate into the bowl of a food processor.
2. Heat heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl for about 2-3 minutes on high (or until milk begins to simmer, but not boiling over).
3. Pour cream over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute.
4. Pulse several times in the processor until chocolate mixture is smooth.
5. Use as is for glazing - being gentle with the drips down the sides of the cakes/cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from: Alton Brown, The Food Network