Chocolate Caramel Cake Recipe
Dark Rich Three-Layered Chocolate Cake Lined with Caramel
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Ingredients
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Chocolate Cake Layers
Salted Caramel Sauce (for lining and filling)
Chocolate Ganache (filling & topping)
Assembly & Finishing
Method
Chocolate Cake Layers
- 1
Prepare and preheat
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment, and lightly flour or spray with baking spray. Bring eggs, buttermilk and melted butter to room temperature if chilled.
- 2
Dry ingredients
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- 3
Wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- 4
Combine batter
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently until mostly combined. Gradually stream in the hot coffee while stirring; batter will be thin and chocolatey. Scrape bowl and mix to a smooth, homogenous batter but avoid overmixing.
- 5
Bake
Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans (use a scale or measuring cup for even layers). Bake 22–28 minutes, rotating pans front-to-back halfway, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cakes cool in pans 10 minutes, then run a knife around edges, invert onto wire racks, remove parchment, and cool completely.
Salted Caramel Sauce (for lining and filling)
- 6
Make caramel
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine granulated sugar and water over medium heat. Swirl the pan gently to dissolve sugar; avoid stirring. Cook until the mixture turns an amber- to deep-amber color (watch closely to prevent burning).
- 7
Finish caramel
Remove pan from heat and carefully whisk in butter (it will bubble). Slowly pour in the warm heavy cream while whisking until smooth. Stir in sea salt and vanilla. If caramel is too thin, return to low heat briefly until desired thickness; if too thick, stir in a tablespoon of cream. Cool to warm (not room temperature solid) before using to line and fill cake—about 20–30 minutes.
Chocolate Ganache (filling & topping)
- 8
Heat cream
Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer (bubbles at the edge). Remove from heat.
- 9
Make ganache
Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit 1 minute, then whisk gently from center outward until smooth and shiny. Whisk in butter if using for extra gloss. Cool until slightly thickened but still pourable for filling (about 15–25 minutes). For a firmer spreadable ganache, chill briefly and stir before using.
Assembly & Finishing
- 10
Level and prepare layers
If cake domes have risen, level each layer with a serrated knife or cake leveler so they stack evenly. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or cake board.
- 11
Line with caramel
Using a spoon, brush or pour a thin layer (~2–3 tbs) of the warm-but-not-hot salted caramel onto the top surface of the first cake layer, spreading to the edges. The caramel will soak slightly into the crumb and form a thin lining.
- 12
Add ganache
Spread a layer of slightly cooled ganache (about 1/3 of the ganache) over the caramel-lined layer to an even thickness. If you want a thicker caramel ribbon, drizzle additional caramel in the middle before adding the next layer.
- 13
Repeat layers
Place the second cake layer on top and repeat: brush with caramel, spread ganache. Top with the third layer and press gently to level the stack.
- 14
- 15
Final ganache topping
Pour the remaining slightly warm ganache over the chilled cake, starting at the center and letting it spread to the edges; use an offset spatula to encourage smooth sides and gentle drips. For a glossy finish work while ganache is fluid; for neater edges chill a little longer so ganache is thicker.
- 16
Caramel decoration and salt
Drizzle extra cooled-but-pourable salted caramel in lines or rosettes on top of the ganache. Sprinkle sea salt flakes over the top sparingly to accent the caramel. Chill 10–15 minutes to set the ganache and caramel. Bring to room temperature about 20 minutes before serving for best texture.
