CARAMEL PEANUT TOPPED BROWNIE CAKE

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Baking Pam spray an 8" springform pan and line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and mix

Add the butter and chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over simmering water or nuke for short periods in a microwave until just melted. Whisk together.

In mixer or larger bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars until well blended.

Whisk in the corn syrup

Followed by the vanilla.

Add in the melted butter and chocolate mixture, and whisk until combined.

Gently whisk in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are half incorporated.

Add toffee bits and continue to gently mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and jiggle the pan a bit to even out the batter.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, then run a thin knife between the cake and the pan and carefully remove the sides of the springform.

The cake may have puffed up during baking, but don’t be concerned if it develops a crater in the center while cooling. Allow to cool to room temperature. When the cake is totally cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Turn the cake right side up onto a serving platter.

Combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring just to combine the ingredients.

Place the pan over medium-high heat.

Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber, 5 to 15 minutes depending on the size of your saucepan and the intensity of the heat.

As the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any splatters on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.

To test the color of the caramel, drop a bit onto a white plate. Don’t be timid about the color – if it’s too pale, it won’t have much flavor.

Remove from heat and standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter.

When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps.

Stir in the peanuts and pour the caramel and peanuts.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop all of the peanuts out of the hot caramel and onto the top of the cake. Pour or spoon enough caramel to cover all the nuts, drizzling a bit over the edges of the cake for presentation.

Allow the topping to set at room temperature, about 20 minutes, before serving. (Keep the leftover caramel at room temperature and save for another use.)