Name: Triple-caramel Cake
Ingredients: 3 cups whipping cream; 2½ cups granulated sugar; ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature; 4 large eggs, at room temperature; 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; ⅛ tsp salt

Why it works: Cream and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Triple-caramel Cake

Oven325°F

Timeabout 45 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups whipping cream
2½ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp salt

Directions

Make the caramel

In medium pan on medium heat, bring 2 cups cream to boil.
Turn off heat but leave pan on burner.
Meanwhile, put 1 cup sugar in another medium pan on medium heat.
Leave undisturbed until sugar begins to melt and darken.
Gently shake pan to distribute sugar.
Remove from heat when sugar has all melted and is dark amber, about 5 minutes.
While stirring constantly with wooden spoon, slowly pour in hot cream to make caramel.
Return pan to burner and turn heat to low.
Boil gently, stirring often, 5 minutes.
Set aside at least 30 minutes, stirring often, until cool, then pour into 2-cup measure.

Make the batter

Grease and flour 10-inch, non-stick bundt pan with removable bottom.
Using electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter and remaining 1½ cups sugar in large bowl until fluffy.
Beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended; scrape sides of bowl.
Beat on medium-high until fluffy.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl.
At low speed, mix until barely incorporated.
Beat half of flour into batter.
Add 1 cup caramel.
Add remaining flour; scrape sides of bowl.
Finish blending gently with spatula.
Refrigerate remaining caramel.

Bake and cool

Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake on lower rack of preheated 325°F oven until tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.
Unmould and cool completely on rack.
Bring remaining caramel to room temperature.
Drizzle ½ cup over cake.

Serve

Just before serving, whip remaining 1 cup cream until firm peaks form.
Fold in about ⅓ cup caramel, leaving streaks (you will have some caramel left over).
Cut cake and serve with dollops of caramel cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

735Calories

20 gProtein

23 gFat

109 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Whipping cream: Adds moisture and richness to the caramel and the whipped topping.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and, when melted, forms the caramel flavour and colour.
Unsalted butter: Adds fat and tenderness, and helps the batter become light when beaten with sugar.
Eggs: Provide structure and richness and help bind the batter.
All-purpose flour: Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
Baking powder: Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and becomes lighter.

The step that matters

Adding hot cream to the caramel. Hot cream poured into dark, very hot sugar can bubble up violently. Pour slowly while stirring constantly so the caramel stays smooth and does not seize or splatter.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Triple-caramel Cake