Caramel and Chocolate Layer Cake
Caramel and Chocolate Layer Cake
We are so excited for this indulgent dream of a cake, created by the wonderful Ella Nurse. Three 6″ layers of indulgently fudgy chocolate sponge encased in caramel buttercream frosting and salted caramel drip (oh and how obsessed we are with that drip!!). This is the perfect cake to share now we can spend time with loved ones.
Ella is a food photographer and recipe developer who runs a beautiful website full of recipe inspiration – check out her Instagram and website for lots more recipes like this.
INGREDIENTS:
Cake Layers:
275g softened butter
275g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 tbsp golden syrup
85g cocoa powder
190g self raising flour
1 tbsp instant coffee granules, dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
150g sour cream
Buttercream:
165g butter
565g icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp golden syrup
Finishing Touches:
1 jar of salted caramel sauce to drip
Flower & White Chocolate Drops and Bites to decorate
METHOD:
Cake layers
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/140 degrees C fan and grease and line three 6” loose bottomed cake tins.
2. In a large bowl or a stand mixer, cream together the butter and golden caster sugar on a high speed until light and fluffy (around 3 minutes).
3. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking together between each addition. Add the golden syrup and vanilla extract to the bowl and combine.
4. In a separate bowl, add the self raising flour and cocoa powder and gently stir together.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time and whisk very gently on a low speed until fully combined and no lumps remain.
6. Finally add the sour cream and coffee to the mixer and whisk gently. Pour the mixture equally into the prepared tins.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
8. Once fully baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out to cool fully on a wire rack.
Buttercream:
1. Place the butter into the bowl of the stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to beat for a few minutes on a fairly high speed until it has lightened in colour and texture.
2. Slowly add the icing sugar, golden syrup and milk a little at a time and mix until combined.
3. Beat the buttercream on a high speed for about 5 minutes or until it is silky in texture. If the frosting is a little thick, add another tablespoon of milk.
4. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and beat out any air bubbles by hand using a spatula
Cake Assembly:
1. Once the cake layers have cooled you can begin assembling. If any of the layers have domed when baking, carefully remove the domes until the layers are level and the same height.
2. Place one of the layers bottom down on a 6″ cake card.
3. Add a layer of buttercream and salted caramel sauce, then place a second cake layer on top, repeating the buttercream and caramel. Place the final layer top down on the frosting.
4. Cover the whole cake in a thin layer of buttercream using a long palette knife. This will lock in the crumbs. Scrape off any excess using a cake scraper.
5. Place the cake in the freezer for 10 minutes to help the buttercream crumb coat to harden.
6. Remove from the freezer after this time and frost the cake in a final layer of buttercream, using a scraper to keep the sides straight and neat.
7. Drip the salted caramel sauce over the top of the final layer of buttercream, allowing a little to fall over the sides and smoothing the top. If the caramel is too solid, gently warm the jar in the microwave for about 10 seconds to loosen it.
8. Decorate the cake by placing Flower & White Chocolate Bites and Drops on top of the caramel drip.
NOTES
• You may find an acrylic disc useful for placing over the top of the cake when applying the final layer of buttercream. This will help keep you sides straight when using the scraper. To remove the acrylic disc, place the cake in the freezer again for another 10 minutes then use a knife to gently slide under the disc to cut the buttercream away.
• To help when moving the cake, place an 8″ cake card under the 6″ card to avoid disturbing the buttercream.
• A cake turntable will help immensely when frosting the cake layers.
• Adding coffee to the cake layers will help intensify the chocolate flavour – you won’t taste the coffee flavour