Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

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Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F (no fan) and prepare 3 8" pans with parchment paper and butter.

Step 2

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, C&H® Dark Brown Sugar and C&H® Granulated Sugar. Whisk together until no lumps remain.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and sour cream until smooth.

Step 4

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 additions, and gently whisk and fold until they are just combined and no big lumps remain. Do not overmix.

Step 5

In a separate small bowl, add the cocoa powder and instant coffee. Pour over the boiling water and whisk until a smooth shiny mixture forms.

Step 6

Pour the cocoa mixture onto the remaining batter, and gently fold until a chocolate cake batter forms.

Step 7

Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans, and bake for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with light moist crumbs attached. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then carefully remove them and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely (1 hour in the fridge recommended). In the meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce and chocolate caramel fudge frosting.

Salted Caramel Sauce

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Step 1

Add the C&H® Granulated Sugar to a wide bottomed non-stick pan. Place on the stove on the lowest heat setting and cook until the sugar has melted. This can take ~10-15 minutes. Once the sugar starts to melt, use a clean spoon to lightly stir to encourage all of it to melt evenly. If any hard sugar lumps appear, do not worry and keep cooking as they will melt.

Step 2

Once the sugar has melted, continue to cook for a couple minutes on the lowest heat until it form a deep golden color, then turn off the heat.

Step 3

Add the room temperature butter and vigorously stir until combined. It’s ok if the mixture looks slightly separated. Then add the warmed up cream and stir vigorously until a smooth caramel sauce forms.

Step 4

Turn off the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla.

Step 5

Pour the sauce into a bowl or jar and let cool down at room temperature for 1 hour. It will thicken up as it cools.

Chocolate Caramel Fudge Frosting

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Step 1

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave (in 15-20s increments). Set aside.

Step 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature cream cheese and sift in the C&H® Powdered Sugar and cocoa powder. Use the paddle attachment and whisk on medium speed until the mixture becomes creamy (1-2 minutes). Scrape the bowl.

Step 3

Add ½ cup of the cooled down salted caramel sauce and whisk on low speed until combined. Scrape the bowl again.

Step 4

Add the melted chocolate (it should still be quite warm) whisk again on low speed until combined.

Step 5

Lastly, add in the heavy cream and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. The frosting should be smooth but slightly runny in consistency; do not overmix. If you see any hardened lumps of chocolate, remove a small amount of frosting, microwave it for 20 seconds, and mix back into the remaining frosting.

Step 6

Let the frosting cool down until it becomes spreadable, about 15-20 minutes in the fridge. If it becomes too firm, remove 1 cup, microwave for just a few seconds until it is warm, and whisk back into the remaining frosting.

Assembly

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Step 1

Once the cakes and frosting have cooled down, it's time to assemble. Use a large serrated knife to carefully trim off the domes from the cakes.

Step 2

Place the first cake layer onto a turntable. Spread on a layer of the frosting, then use a piping bag to pipe some frosting around the edge to create a “dam”. Pour 3-4 tbsp of the salted caramel sauce inside the dam and spread it out; the piped frosting will prevent it from flowing over the edges. Repeat with the next layer, then top off with the third cake layer.

Step 3

Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Then slather on the remaining frosting all over. Drizzle over any remaining caramel sauce however you want to.

Step 4

Serve & enjoy! This cake is best eaten at room temperature.