One of my VERY favorite things to make is a good layer cake. I haven’t made one in AGES, so when my friend from work asked me to make her a cake for her first anniversary with her husband, I jumped on the chance. I will be sharing their cake a little later, but I decided I also needed a cake I could enjoy as well… so here is a deliciously rich chocolate cake with salted caramel filling. SO good.
This cake starts with three super soft chocolate cake layers, a fluffy salted caramel swiss meringue buttercream sandwiched between them, and a deeply rich dark chocolate swiss meringue buttercream on the outside. Swiss meringue buttercream is my absolute FAVORITE to use for layer cakes, as it isn’t overly sweet but has a perfect buttery rich flavor.
I have to say, I am a bit out of practice with frosting layer cakes, so these cakes are definitely a bit more rustic looking than usual. 😉 The key to frosting a layer cake is getting the cake layers nice and cold so the frosting doesn’t melt away too much as you frost. My freezer didn’t have enough room — and I didn’t have enough time — to really chill the layers, so I made do with what I had. Maybe not QUITE as pretty, but definitely just as delicious, which is all that matters!
This makes a pretty tall cake, so small slices are best for serving. I like to keep this in the fridge to keep it nice and fresh and let it come to room temperature before serving. The frosting tastes perfectly light and fluffy when it’s allowed to come to room temperature!
For the filling, I made my own salted caramel sauce, but you can just as easily use store bought for a delicious cake with a couple fewer steps. For the outer chocolate frosting, the darker the chocolate you use, the better, as it lends a sort of mocha flavor. Amazing.
If you’re a chocolate lover, you will love this chocolate cake with salted caramel filling. Go make it!!
What is your favorite kind of dessert to make?
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons oil (I used avocado oil)
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup hot brewed coffee
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites (60 g)
- 3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
- 8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of 3 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, and butter the paper and sides of the pan. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, coffee, and vanilla extract, and mix on medium-low speed for about 2 minutes, until fully incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans, and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. I find it's easiest to invert the cake pan onto a plate covered in plastic wrap, then inverting the plate onto the wire rack so that you don't end up breaking the cake into pieces since it'll still be warm at this point. Once cool, tightly wrap, and place in the freezer or fridge to chill for up to 2 days.
Place 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the water in a small saucepan to a boil over medium heat. Brush down the sides of the pot with a dampened pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Stop stirring and cook until caramel is dark amber, gently swirling from time to time. Remove from heat, and slowly add cream, whisking by hand until smooth. It will splatter, so be careful. Whisk in sea salt and vanilla. Let cool.
Bring a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water to a simmer. Place the egg whites and sugar into a heat proof mixer bowl, and place above the water. Whisk the sugar and egg whites until warm to the touch and the sugar is dissolved.
Place the bowl back on the mixer stand, and whisk on medium-high speed until you have stiff, glossy peaks, and the mixture is cool, about 10 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium-low, and add the butter, one piece at a time, mixing until fully incorporated between each piece. If it appears curdled at this point, keep mixing until it becomes smooth again.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the cooled caramel, mixing until smooth.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Set aside to cool.
Bring a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water to a simmer. Place the egg whites and sugar into a heat proof mixer bowl, and place above the water. Whisk the sugar and egg whites until warm to the touch and the sugar is dissolved.
Place the bowl back on the mixer stand, and whisk on medium-high speed until you have stiff, glossy peaks, and the mixture is cool, about 10 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium-low, and add the butter, one piece at a time, mixing until fully incorporated between each piece. If it appears curdled at this point, keep mixing until it becomes smooth again. Add the vanilla, melted chocolate, and salt, and mix until well combined.
Switch to the paddle attachment and beat for about 2 minutes to remove air bubbles.
If you’re a visual person, there’s a great step-by-step swiss meringue buttercream post at Sweetapolita.
Take the chilled cake layers and place one layer on a 8-inch cake board, glued into place by a pea sized amount of frosting. Place half of the salted caramel frosting filling in the center of the layer, and spread with a small offset spatula to about 1/2 inch away from the edge of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top, repeat with the other half of the filling, and top it with the final cake layer.
Place a generous dollop of the chocolate buttercream frosting on top of the cake, spread evenly with an offset spatula, working down the sides until you have a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake (this is the crumb coat). Chill in the fridge until set, about 30 minutes.
Once set, remove from fridge and add another large dollop of the chocolate buttercream on top of the cake and spread the same way, adding another coat of frosting. Scrape off the excess frosting with a straight blade spatula and smooth out.
Chill in the fridge until about a half hour before ready to serve (it's easiest to cut this when it is still chilled). Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days. Keep it in the fridge because of the heavy cream in the filling.
https://cookingalamel.com/2018/09/chocolate-cake-with-salted-caramel-filling.html