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White Chocolate and Caramel Drip Cake
A rich, heavy poundcake smothered in air-light white chocolate swiss meringue buttercream, covered in mini chocolate chips, crushed pecans, and a thick caramel sauce.
Servings: 1 4-level 8" Round Cake
Author: Cristina
Ingredients
Pound Cake (makes 2 layers, double for 4):
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
  • 5 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cups white , granulated sugar
  • 4 sticks unsalted butter , cubed and room temperature (you can use shortening)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 oz . white chocolate
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream
Quick and Easy Caramel
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 5 Tbsp brown sugar
  • OPTIONAL: 1 Tbsp of coarse salt (I love this addition, as it cuts the sweetness a bit, but it's not for everyone)
Optional Toppings:
  • 2 cups mini chocolate chips
  • 2 cups crushed pecans
Instructions
Pound Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F
  2. In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar.
  3. Set your mixer on medium and add the eggs and vanilla.
  4. Alternate adding milk and sifted flour, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
  5. Add baking powder and salt, and beat for 5 minutes.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes if using 8" round pans, or 1hr if using 9x13 rectangular baking pan.
  7. Remove from the oven and make sure they're cooled COMPLETELY before you take them out of their pans and try to level them.
Quick and Easy Caramel
  1. In a pot on the stove, mix the brown sugar and cream, and bring to a boil. Let boil for 30 seconds, before bringing down to a simmer. The mixture should thicken. You want it to be quite thick for the drips, so add more brown sugar or cream as necessary.
  2. This should be ROOM TEMPERATURE before you try to put it on the cake!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
  1. Melt your white chocolate and cream in a small pot on low heat over the stove OR in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring often. Bring it to ROOM TEMPERATURE before you try to add it to the buttercream, or else you'll have a mess. Make sure that you give it a stir now and then so it doesn't solidify.
  2. Fill a small to medium-sized pot with 1 inch of water, and bring to a boil on the stove.
  3. In a metal mixing bowl, add your egg whites and sugar, and place over the pot. Make sure that no part of the bowl is touching the boiling water, but rather sitting over it.
  4. Whisking constantly, bring the eggs and sugar to 140°-160°F. If you stick your fingers in, you shouldn't feel any sugar granules, but the mixture is still warm, not hot. It will look quite foamy.
  5. Using the whisk attachment for your mixer, set the speed to high, and whisk your meringue until it's glossy, smooth, and forms stiff peaks. (About 3-7 minutes)
  6. Set the speed to low, and add in your cubes of butter, waiting a few seconds in between each one. Let it mix. It'll go through some pretty gross-looking stages, but just be patient, eventually you will end up with a beautifully smooth, light buttercream! (About 5-10 minutes)
  7. Keeping the speed on low, pour in your room temperature white chocolate and wait until it's all mixed in.
Decorating the Cake
  1. Do a crumb coat, or once-over with a thin layer of buttercream, and then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes so all those crumbs get sealed in.
  2. Now frost the rest, trying to make it as smooth as possible.
  3. Using the palm of your hand, press the chocolate chips and pecans in all the way around.
  4. With a spoon, gently encourage the room temperature caramel over the side. Go back over a second time if you need to. You will need less caramel than you think you will!
  5. Top with last week's White Chocolate Meringue Cookies (http://halifaxbloggers.ca/isaynomato/2015/12/10/white-chocolate-meringue-cookies/) for a finished look!