"caramel sauce" news and stories

Caramel sauce is indulgent, but surprisingly easy to make at home. Save the 10 bucks it may cost in the gourmet store and do it yourself!

Have you ever forgotten about a birthday, or tried to whip up a birthday cake at the last minute? It can be daunting -- especially if you're a from-scratch baker who refuses to indulge in boxed cake mix and tins of frosting. However, if you like bananas, I have just the thing -- Banana Cake, which I found over at Honey and Jam, and came from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. After a few adjustments -- one bundt pan rather than two pans (needs more time to cook), and no "carmel" bananas in the middle or on top -- the result was an incredibly moist and delicious banana cake with a crisp exterior.

Since my whipping cream had mysteriously gone bad a few weeks early, I hunted for a caramel sauce I could pour on top, and settled on this recipe over at Metro. (It's a good thing I didn't notice what site I was on until now, since I've been a bit irked with the store's quality since Dominion became Metro and the selection went down the tubes.) Anyway... It's not the best sauce recipe out there -- but it's a tasty one.

According to the recipe, you're supposed to end up with this mixture that needs to be pulverized in a blender to get smooth. Mine was smooth from the get-go, and actually a bit too watery, so I had to wait about 40 minutes for it to thicken. But the result was perfect for this cake -- a nice sugary rush to balance the intense and tasty banana. Oh, perfect once the rum was added, to give it a little something extra. (Actual rum, rather than extract.)

If you like bananas, banana bread, what have you, give it a try. Your taste buds will thank you.