Caramel Poke Cake Homemade & then the Cheaters Version

                                                                         

This is a terrific snacking cake !

I tried another website's chocolate glaze & although the taste was great it just did not give the smooth glossy glaze I wanted. So I am giving you Better Homes & Gardens Chocolate Glaze for this recipe & your cake will have a nice glossy sheen & better presentation. I thought the other webpage's  recipe sounded interesting but I still like Better Homes & Gardens  much better!

This is where you can see how the caramel goes down into the cake for an extra caramel punch! My Caramel Poke Cake is loaded with caramel flavor but none of the gooey caramel! If you want that caramel goo, use the cheaters part for the poke section. If you want a nice neat snack cake to serve stick with my original cake recipe. 

For my original version made from scratch recipe:

1& 3/4 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Boiling Water

3 TBS Butter

Put the sugar in a heavy deep sauce pan or deep black iron skillet, this foams up when you add the water so make sure your pan is deep. Over medium heat stir the entire time the sugar, cooking & stirring until you have an amber colored sugar. The sugar will melt but not entirely. You want a nice deep caramel color. BE CAREFUL you do NOT want burnt sugar & this will burn easily! Just whisk or stir to prevent that! As soon as you have an amber color add all of the boiling water & the butter & stir & whisk. Remove from heat so as not to end up with a burnt mess! Continue to whisk & stir to melt all of the sugar. You will end up with a nice thick caramel syrup! Set aside & let cool! 

TO CHEAT ON THIS CAKE :

Instead of doing the above ( but it is fun to make the caramel yourself) buy 1 Cup Caramel Yogurt & 1 jar of Smuckers Caramel Ice Cream Topping or use your favorite brand!

NOW FOR THE CAKE:

1 stick (8 Tablespoons of softened butter)

1/2 Cup of my homemade caramel sauce, save the remaining for the poke part ( if cheating do not use)

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

2 Cups Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 CUP Plain Yogurt ( 1 Cup Caramel Yogurt if cheating)

3 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Sift the dry ingredients together. Set aside. Cream your butter, add the 1/2 cup homemade caramel sauce & beat. Add eggs & vanilla & beat again. Beat in 1/3rd of the dry ingredients. Now add 1/3rd of the yogurt plain for the original recipe, caramel for the cheaters & beat. Repeat until all is beaten into a nice smooth batter. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your pan by spraying with cooking spray & then lightly flouring your pan. I used my tube pan, a 9 x 13 pan or bundt pan would work nicely too! Spoon batter into the pan & bake. My tube pan took 45 minutes to bake a 9 x 13 might be completely baked as soon as 30 minutes. Start checking at the 30 minute mark. If cake springs bake when pressed gently with your finger it is baked! Remove from oven & if using tube or bundt pan let cool for 10 minutes & then invert pan to dump out the cake! If using 9 x 13 pan just let cake in the pan! NOW, poke nice holes into your cake scattering then around, these are to pour the caramel syrup into the cake. Do this while your cake is warm! I used a straw to poke holes into my cake you want the holes about that big around. Only go about 2/3 down into the cake you do not want the syrup to come out of the bottom of your cake. Now spoon the caramel syrup into the holes about 1 Tablespoon in each hole & I had about 13 holes. IF CHEATING use the store bought caramel topping instead of the homemade sauce, this will make for a gooier cake but still very good! Now let cool while you make the chocolate glaze topping!

CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

1 Cup Sugar

3 TBS Cornstarch

3 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate

Dash Salt

3 TBS Butter

1 & 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Mix sugar & cornstarch in a deep pan. Add chocolate & 1 Cup water. Cook & stir  over medium heat until smooth & bubbling, whisk the entire time. Once thick & bubbly remove from heat & whisk in butter & vanilla! Whisk until smooth! Spread over cake while this mixture is warm for an easy finish! This is a nice chocolate glossy glaze that I use & it is from The Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook! Nothing beats it! CHEATERS use a can of nice dark chocolate bought frosting!