Description
This Chocolate Fudge Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream, Salted Caramel, and Dark Chocolate Ganache is a rich, decadent dessert perfect for special occasions. The moist and tender chocolate cake layers are filled and frosted with creamy salted caramel buttercream, luscious salted caramel sauce, and smooth dark chocolate ganache, creating a balanced and indulgent treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Fudge Cake
- 200g butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup Dutch processed cocoa
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 teaspoons vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups plain cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 180g butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt flakes
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 300g dark chocolate
- 350ml heavy cream
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 375g butter, room temperature
- 3 cups sifted icing sugar
- 1 1/2 cups salted caramel (prepared as above)
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Batter: Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease, flour, and line two 20cm (8 inch) cake pans with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated.
- Mix Cocoa and Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine cocoa with hot water a little at a time until forming a thick paste. Gradually add this cocoa paste to the butter mixture. Mix vinegar into milk to sour.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate soda in a separate bowl.
- Combine Batter: Add flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with sour milk, starting and ending with flour. Fold the batter gently until fully incorporated.
- Bake Cake Layers: Pour 1/4 of batter into each prepared cake tin (you will bake in two batches). Bake for 23 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 10-15 minutes in tins, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Re-grease and line tins, then bake remaining batter similarly.
- Make Salted Caramel: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add caster sugar and brown sugar, stirring occasionally over medium heat until sugars melt smoothly. Add butter and whisk until melted and combined. Remove from heat, slowly pour in heavy cream while stirring. Return to heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in salt flakes. Allow caramel to cool before use.
- Make Dark Chocolate Ganache: Melt dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between until smooth. Add heavy cream and stir to combine until ganache is smooth and pourable but not hot. Allow to cool slightly.
- Prepare Salted Caramel Buttercream: Beat butter until light and fluffy. Sift in icing sugar and beat well. Add 1 1/2 cups of prepared salted caramel and beat until incorporated. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes until buttercream firms and is pipeable.
- Assemble Cake: Place one cake layer on a cake plate or baking paper. Using a large piping bag fitted with an open tip, pipe a border of large kisses around the outside. Fill the center with buttercream and spoon on a generous layer of salted caramel sauce. Repeat layering with more cake layers, alternating buttercream, salted caramel sauce, and drizzles of dark chocolate ganache between layers.
- Finish Decoration: Top the final layer with more piped buttercream kisses. Pour remaining ganache over the top and use a spatula or ganache scraper to encourage drip over the cake sides. Chill until set slightly, then serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Use Dutch processed cocoa for a richer chocolate flavor and smoother cake texture.
- The vinegar in the milk acts as a buttermilk substitute to tenderize the cake.
- If you don’t have a piping bag, you can spread buttercream and caramel with an offset spatula but piping adds an elegant look.
- Be careful when making caramel as the sugar mixture can get extremely hot; do not stir continuously once melting starts to avoid crystallization.
- Ganache should be slightly cooled before pouring to avoid melting the buttercream layers.
- Store cake in the refrigerator due to the buttercream and caramel; bring to room temperature before serving for best taste.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute cake flour with a gluten-free flour blend and adjust leavening as necessary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 48 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
