Salted Caramel Glaze Vanilla Chiffon Cake - by Belle Christine

JAPANESE SHORTCAKE
(Recipe for one 20 x 12 cm cake)

10 g glucose
150 g eggs
60 g castor sugar
60 g cake flour
1/16 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
45 g corn oil


Preheat oven to 185°C. Line bottom of 20 x 12 x 5 cm cake pan with parchment paper.

To make sponge cake, beat glucose, eggs and sugar till ribbon stage. Sift flour into mixture in 3-4 batches, adding salt along with the last batch. Mix gently with whisk after each addition, stirring just top half of batter, till there're no lumps at all. Drizzle with vanilla extract and oil. Mix with whisk, again stirring just top half of batter, till you don't see streaks of vanilla extract or oil. Fold with spatula till just evenly mixed, banging mixing bowl against worktop a few times.

Pour batter into cake pan, slowly and from about 30 cm high. Tap pan against worktop a few times. Place pan in bottom of oven. Place baking tray in top of oven. Bake till batter doesn't move when gently jiggled, 15-20 minutes. Remove baking tray. Continue baking till cake is nicely browned and springs back slightly when pressed gently, another 10-15 minutes.

Remove cake to wire rack. Leave till pan is just cool enough to handle, 10 minutes or so. Run knife along sides of cake. Flip cake onto wood surface. Remove pan. Place cake on wire rack, right way up. Leave till completely cool.

To make whipped cream, place cold cream in thoroughly chilled bowl along with sugar. Whisk till cream is stiff. Add vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly.

Recipe for the CARAMEL ICING (enough to frost and fill an 8" round cake)
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup white sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (one 375 ml can), divided
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 ml condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup (or 2 tablespoons) of the sugar in a small bowl/jug. Add in 1/4 cup of the evaporated milk and cornstarch. Mix well, then set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, over low to medium heat, caramelize the remaining sugar. When sugar is completely melted and a golden brown colour, add boiling water. Bring back to a boil, making sure all the caramel is incorporated into the water. Carefully add in the rest of the evaporated milk (1 1/4 cups) and condensed milk. Heat mixture just until it starts to boil. Without turning off the heat, pour a little of the caramel/milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Mix until smooth. Pour this back into the remaining caramel/milk mixture in the saucepan. Mix until icing reaches a thick consistency. Turn Off the fire, add in butter and vanilla extract. Let cool just a little bit, whisking once in while. The mixture will thicken more. Pour onto cake while still warm.
NOTE: This icing is pourable. Let it flow smoothly over the top and sides of the cake.