Caramel Chocolate Cake

Layers of chocolate cake with salted caramel filling and chocolate fudge icing make up this caramel chocolate cake.

Ingredients

For the cake layers:

• 300 grams (2⅓ cups) all-purpose flour plus a little extra for dusting cake pans
• 95 grams (1 cup) Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 7.5 mL (1½ teaspoon) baking powder
• 2.5 mL (½ teaspoon) baking soda
• 2.5 mL (½ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 170 grams (¾ cup) unsalted butter room temperature, plus a little extra melted butter for the pans
• 436 grams (2 cups) light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs room temperature
• 10 mL (2 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
• 375 mL (1½ cups) buttermilk (1 % fat)

Caramel filling

• 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 60 mL (¼ cup) water
• 58 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter room temperature and cut into cubes
• 125 mL (¼ cup) whipping cream (35 % fat) warmed on the stove

Fudge frosting

• 170 grams (¾ cup) unsalted butter
• 170 grams (1 cup) Cacao Barry Ocoa 70% dark chocolate
• 45 grams (½ cup) Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 15 mL (3 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
• 345 grams (3 cups) icing sugar
• 250 mL (1 cup) sour cream (14% fat)

For assembly:

• White chocolate melted for writing on cake

Instructions

For the cake layers:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans by spraying them equally with melted butter, flouring them, and covering the bottoms with parchment rounds. Remove from the equation.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Remove from the equation.
3. Cream the butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
4. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract one more.
5. Alternate adding the sifted dry ingredients with the buttermilk. Scrape the edges and bottom of the mixture with a spatula to ensure that all of the ingredients are equally distributed.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the three pans, level the tops, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow 20 minutes for the cakes to cool before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool fully.

Caramel filling

1. Before you begin, make sure you have all of your materials ready. This is a critical point. Heat the cream on a back burner until it is warm, but do not allow it to boil.
2. Pour the sugar, then the water, into a large 3-quart pot. Don’t muddle it.
3. Over medium–high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. If any sugar has adhered to the pan’s sides, carefully brush it away with a heat-resistant silicone brush soaked in water.
4. Continue to boil the caramel until it turns amber in color (a candy thermometer should read between 350°F and 360°F at this point). Remove the pan from the heat and turn the burner off after the caramel has achieved the appropriate color.
5. Drop the cubed butter in slowly and gently (it will bubble and erupt, so be careful!). Slowly and gently pour in the cream, a quarter at a time.
6. Begin whisking the caramel until it is smooth and uniform once the boiling has subsided.
7. Return the caramel pot to the stove and simmer until it reaches 242°F to thicken.
8. Before sandwiching the caramel between the cake and frosting layers, let it cool to room temperature.

Fudge frosting

1. In a small dish, melt the butter and chopped chocolate over a double boiler. Set aside to cool to room temperature after totally melted and homogeneous.
2. Combine the cocoa powder, vanilla, half of the icing sugar, the cooled melted chocolate mixture, and the sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (begin on low). When the mixture is smooth, add the remaining icing sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

To assemble:

1. Remove the parchment and use a serrated knife to cut the layers so that they are flat and even.
2. Starting with the first layer of chocolate cake, assemble the cake immediately on an 8-inch cake board put on a cake turntable. Using a piping tip, apply one equal coat of frosting (using a 10-mm round piping tip). Smooth it out with an offset spatula, then pipe a frosting border around it (to hold in the caramel and better adhere the layers).
3. Dollop the caramel over the frosting (or drop little spoonfuls) while remaining inside the piped border.
4. Place the second piece of cake on top, pushing down slightly.
5. Pipe a layer of frosting on top, smooth it out, and then pipe a border. a dollop of caramel (you may not want to use it all).
6. Place the final layer of cake on top, pushing down slightly.
7. Crumb cover the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula. Refrigerate the cake for about 20 minutes to firm up. Then spread a uniform layer of frosting on top of the cake. Put it back in the fridge to set.
8. Transfer the cake to the 10-inch cake board (I used Elmer’s white glue to join the two boards) or the serving dish (carefully). I used a star tip—D7) to pipe a border around the top of the cake and around the base edge.
9. If desired, use melted white chocolate to write a message on the cake.
10. Refrigerate the frosted cake to allow it to solidify. Take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to warm up a little.

Source: The Bake School

Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio