I’m starting to notice that I have become a wee bit of a chocolate enthusiast these days: dark chocolate, extra-dark chocolate, and sometimes even-more-than-one-kind-at-a-time chocolate. I know that sounds like a stating of the obvious, but, in the big scheme of things, that’s a new thing for me. I have always been a vanilla, or even white-of-any-kind dessert girl, and would never think to eat chocolate anything, if there was a vanilla, or the like, option. A cake girl, though, well that I’ve been since birth, so, of course, vanilla cake with vanilla icing was always on the top of my list. But I remember things like white cheesecake (never chocolate), carrot cake, lemon & poppy seed cake, apple cake with fresh whipped cream, crepes, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, strawberry pie, sugar cookies, shortbread, bread pudding, cruller and even white powdered donuts (I know, I know…but I was a kid, and it’s an obligatory Canadian thing to have a favourite donut or two.), etc. were all alone up there on my dessert-love list (I suppose being among a dozen others isn’t exactly “alone,” but looking back, I suspect they were all lonely without their future friend “chocolate.”). I still love and appreciate all of those sweets, but chocolate has really taken on an entirely new role and appeal in my life, and I think about it–a lot. Maybe the problem was, as a kid, that I was turning to the wrong chocolate desserts, or is it perhaps an appreciation that grows with age? Hormones? Post-baby? Has this happened to anyone else?
I’ve also found that straight chocolate-on-chocolate dessert just doesn’t seem to excite me as much as one would think, considering my recent love and adoration for it, but I find myself needing to pair it with other flavours to truly appreciate it. Ironically, I often find that I opt for the deepest, darkest chocolate cake paired with vanilla Swiss buttercream–I love the contrast, and a part of me will always need to incorporate vanilla into a dessert somehow or another. In this case, though, the contrast of sweet and salty and chocolate & caramel is what I’m passionate about: 3 layers of dark fudge cake filled with salted caramel Swiss buttercream and frosted with dark fudge frosting and sprinkled with more Fleur de Sel. It’s extremely chocolatey, with billowy salted caramel buttercream, and very fudgy frosting–so for the truest of chocolate lovers, and very decadent. The day after I made this, I made a larger version to take with me to the cottage, but I decided to make a Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and actually just added the actual fudge frosting to some vanilla Swiss buttercream I had made, to create an even lighter, satiny, and less fudge-like consistency and taste ( I wish I had a photo, but it was quickly enjoyed!). It was still very full in chocolate flavour, but it was the same consistency as the caramel buttercream inside. I found it was a nice variation on this super-chocolatey combination. You could try it either way (you don’t have to actually make the fudge frosting to add to/make the chocolate Swiss buttercream, but rather just melted chocolate will do–I’ve included the recipe below), and both are delicious. The only thing I would change next time I make it with the fudge frosting is that I would make my layers of salted caramel buttercream filling much thicker, and I might even add more caramel to the buttercream for a stronger caramel flavour. As with any recipe or cake/filling combination, experimenting is key!
I have to admit that when I made the Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting for this little cake, it was the first time I made it, so I somehow used a bit less boiling water than I needed to when mixing with the cocoa powder, so the frosting in the photo doesn’t look as gloriously shiny as it did when I did it the second time and added the correct amount of water to the cocoa. It’s such a gorgeous, intensely chocolate, and full-of-sheen frosting that would be incredible on pretty much anything. I particularly love it sprinkled with the Fleur de Sel. For those of you who aren’t big sea salt users or lovers, you may want to make an exception for this glorious and special sea salt. Fleur de Sel is a gourmet salt hand-harvested, typically in France (and translates to “flower of salt”), that, albeit pricey, adds a perfect balance of salty (yet not too salty) flavour and a flaky, moist-yet-crunchy, and sprinkle-like texture. It can be a delicious and lovely touch to both sweet and savoury dishes. To calculate and compare the cost per pound to table salt may be a painful thought, but luckily you only need the tiniest bit for impact. You can find smaller packages of it at most gourmet shops or online for under $10, and it would last you quite some time (unless you develop a serious sweet & salty addiction, but I would know nothing about that…). Because it seems to be best appreciated in its natural form and texture, you could use regular sea salt when the salt will be dissolved and mixed into a recipe, such as the salted caramel buttercream. You can then save the Fleur de Sel for sprinkling over top of any other yumminess you decide to sprinkle it upon!). There is definitely some debate among foodies/chefs as to if using the Fleur de Sel, dissolved or not, within the recipe will always yield the best result, so feel free to give it a whirl and decide for yourself. I used all Fleur de Sel, even in the caramel, but next time I will save it for just sprinkling and try the rest of the recipe using a good sea salt to compare.
Here’s the recipe for all of the cake’s components, but don’t be afraid to even use them separately, and paired with your other favourite frosting/filling/cake recipes. Experiment, experiment, experiment! For this cake, you will fill with the Salted Caramel Buttercream, but there are two options for the outside frosting of this cake: 1. Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting (as shown) OR 2. Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. You’ll notice that the method for the caramel buttercream is a little different than our usual Swiss meringue buttercream method, because I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart who actually whips the butter first for caramel buttercream and then adds it in slowly, as opposed to the chunks of butter. You can also simply add a cooled caramel sauce as the last step of your typical Swiss meringue buttercream recipe. I was curious to see if there was a difference, and although I can’t pinpoint the difference exactly, it was definitely a heavenly version–as fluffy as can be.
The recipe is for a 6-inch round 3-layer cake (but note that in the photo I made a 5″ round cake with 4 thin layers). It does look like a ton of work, but I promise, it’s really not so bad, and it’s worth it! Here are the recipes:
Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake {click to print}
Yield: One 6-inch, 3-layer cake
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Yield: Three 6-inch round layers
Serves: 8+
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (180 g/6 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (300 g/ 10 oz) sugar
3/4 cup (90 g/3 oz) dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder – Extra Dark
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL/6 g) baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 mL/4 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (5 mL/5 g) salt
1/4 cup (60 mL/2 liquid oz) vegetable oil
3/4 cup (190 mL/6 liquid oz) buttermilk
3/4 cup (190 mL/6 liquid oz) hot brewed coffee
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla (I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C). Prepare three 6-inch round cake pans with butter, parchment paper rounds and cocoa powder. Tap out excess.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients and add all remaining ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splash-guard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. If possible, use a digital kitchen scale and weigh divided batter in pans for even layers. Batter will be liquidy.
3. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean–approximately 30 minutes. Try not to over bake.
4. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, then loosen edges with a small palette knife and gently invert onto racks until completely cool.
Salted Caramel Swiss Buttercream (for filling)
Yield: ~4 cups
Ingredients
1 cup (200 g/7 oz) sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) water
1/4 cup (60 mL) heavy cream
generous pinch of sea salt (and additional sea salt, preferably Fleur de Sel, for sprinkling), for example: Fleur de Sel De Guerande- French Sea Salt ; 6oz
1 1/2 cups (340 g/12 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large egg whites (120 g/4 oz)
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
Method
The first step is making the salted caramel (you can also do a non-salted caramel by omitting the sea salt), to set aside to cool while you make the Swiss Buttercream. You then add the cooled caramel sauce it to the buttercream as the very last step. I haven’t tried buying ready-made gourmet caramel sauce and adding it, but I suspect it would taste nothing short of awesome.
1. Place 130 grams (5 ounces or 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) of the sugar and the water in a medium 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 be splatter, so be careful. Whisk in sea salt. Let cool.
2. Place butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (flat beater) and beat on medium speed (I use #4 on my mixer), until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer clean with lemon juice, and place egg whites and remaining sugar into bowl over a pot of simmering water (not boiling–you don’t want to cook the eggs). Whisk occasionally and gently until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160° on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove the bowl from heat, and place back onto the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form (about 5-6 minutes). Once the bottom of the bowl is neutral and no longer warm to the touch, reduce speed to medium-low, and add beaten butter, one cup at a time, whisking well after each addition.
5. Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add cooled caramel, and beat until smooth (about 3-5 minutes).
6. Prepare to taste the most incredible buttercream you will ever encounter.
*Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Caramel Buttercream
Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Yield: ~5 cups
Ingredients
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (45 g/1.5 oz) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder – Extra Dark
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 mL/3 oz) boiling water
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks/341 g/12 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (63 g/2 oz) confectioners’ (icing/powdered) sugar
pinch of salt
1 pound (454 g/16 oz) good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Method
1. Combine cocoa powder and the boiling water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and stir until it cocoa has dissolved.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (flat beater), beat the butter, the icing sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until it is pale and fluffy–about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add melted chocolate (cooled), beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Beat in the cocoa mixture until well incorporated.
Notes:
1. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month in an airtight container.
2. Before using, bring to room temperature (usually overnight on counter does the trick), and beat on low speed until smooth.
*Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
*Alternatively, for a lighter, less dense and fluffier chocolate frosting option for this cake, you can use Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream to mask and frost the outside of this cake. The colour will be a lighter chocolate colour and much more subtle chocolate flavour (less fudgy), and it goes very well with the caramel buttercream filling. If you are opting for this buttercream in place of the Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake, then you can make it easier by making a double batch of the Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream and simply divide, then add your caramel sauce to the first half, and your melted chocolate to the second half.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Yield: ~5 cups
Ingredients
300 grams (10 oz) chopped semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted, and cooled
5 large, fresh egg whites (150 g/5 oz)
1 1/4 cups (250 g/9 oz) sugar
3/4 lb (3 sticks/340 g/12 oz) butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold
2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract (I use Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 8-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
pinch of salt
Method
1. Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl over pot of simmering water, or in a microwave-safe bowl in 25 second intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Set aside to cool (you can scrape it out into a new container to speed up cooling).
2. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice, to remove any trace of grease.
3. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 150°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
4. With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so). *Don’t begin adding butter until the bottom of the bowl feels neutral, and not warm.
5. Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). *If mixture is too runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes and continue mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together.
6. Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.
7. Add melted chocolate and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
Assembly of the Sweet & Salty Cake
1. Trim any doming from the tops of your cake layers with a sharp, serrated knife and place first layer, face up, on your cake board, pedestal, or plate.
2. Using a small offset palette knife, spread approximately 3/4 cup of the caramel buttercream evenly on the top.
3. Repeat this 1-2 until you come to the final layer, which you will place face down on the top of the cake.
4. Place cake on a turntable (if possible), and using a small offset palette knife for the top of the cake, and medium straight palette knife for the sides, cover the cake in a thin layer of chocolate frosting (or chocolate buttercream, if using) to mask (seal in crumbs). Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). *This does not need to be perfect, as that will come with the top “coat” of buttercream.
5. Repeat step 4, and, for best results, use bench scraper held at 90° against the side of the cake, slowly turning the turntable and keeping your hand steady–let the turntable do the work. Clean up edges with your small offset palette knife.
6. Chill cake to set. *Bring to room temperature before serving–about 2+ hours. Never serve Swiss Meringue Buttercream until it is soft and room temperature, as cold buttercream is, well, kind of yucky!
7. Sprinkle with Fleur de Sel.
8. Place any remaining buttercream/frosting in airtight containers and refrigerate up to a week, or freeze for up to 2 months, bringing back to room temperature before rewhipping to smooth consistency.
9. Serve at room temperature, and slice with a long, thin-bladed, sharp knife. Rinse knife with hot water and dry before each new slice, for best results.
As I included in my last post (Six-Layer Dark Chocolate & Strawberry Buttercream Cake), here are a few tips for baking your best cakes, and some of my favourite baking tools:
A Few More Steps to Baking/Making Better Cakes
1. I always use a kitchen scale to weigh my ingredients. They’re small, light, and don’t have to be fancy or expensive; here is what I use: Salter 1020 Aquatronic Electronic Kitchen Scale
2. You may notice that I bake “layer by layer,” so rather than baking a higher cake and slicing layers for a standard 3-layer cake, I bake 3 more shallow layers in 2″ high pans. This way, the cakes seem to come out more moist, with no “doming,” and ready to be frosted. It may seem an inconvenience at first, because you have to buy 3 cake pans in each diameter, but you get used to it quickly, and it’s so worth it. You also save the time trying to slice even layers, unless of course you are turning 3 layers into 6. But, then again, that’s worth it too!
3. Never open the oven before 20 minutes, or you could disrupt the baking process. Always wait 20 minutes, and then, if you’re baking 3 cake layers at a time, rotate the pans and then continue baking.
4. There are a few tools that I mention in almost every post, and since I’ve been receiving many emails asking more about the cake baking/decorating essentials, I thought I would take this chance to create a list of some of my favourite things in the kitchen, and things that I believe really make a difference:
- When torting, filling, frosting, and/or decorating cakes, I always use a cake turntable. They definitely range in price, but I think as long as you have one that is sturdy and turns, it should do the trick. I use something similar to this: Fat Daddio’s Professional Cake Decorating Turntable with Cast Iron Base, 12 Inch x 5.5 Inch
.
- When filling and frosting cakes, I use several sizes of offset and straight spatulas–I couldn’t live without them. Rule of thumb: offset for the top of cakes, straight for the sides. Here’s an example: Ateco Natural Wood Small Sized Spatula, 4.5 Inch Blade
.
- When I want to achieve a perfectly smooth finish to buttercream, such as in this cake, or before applying fondant, I always use a bench scraper. Here’s an example of the one I use: Ateco Stainless Steel Bench Scraper
.
Good luck, experiment and enjoy!
Rosie. Jeezy Creezy, this looks phenomenal! And I am right there with you on the sudden growing need for chocolate. Your tips on tools at the end are excellent too!
Woah, that looks insane! I keep on being surprised by how much I want chocolate cake this summer, and particularly chocolate with an additional element like coconut or honey.
Every cake you post gets better and better! I love this… might have to make it for my birthday in a few weeks!
Oh my. Rosie, you are my cake idol. This looks incredible!
I love caramel and fleur de sel macarons, so I imagine this cake will taste spectacular!
Delicious! this is one of my favorite combinations. When making caramel, you can also avoid sugar crystals from forming by placing a lid on the saucepan when the water and sugar come to a boil for a few minutes (2-3). Then remove the lid and proceed as usual. That will dissolve them and no brushes required!. Beautiful pictures.
Thanks, Mary, and what a great caramel tip! Thanks so much!
What a stunning cake! I want to make beautiful cakes like this! Sounds scrumptious… this pregnant girl loves her chocolate!
Love the size of this cake. Its so cute and perfectly adorably round!! Your photography is so beautiful as well!!
My God, this sounds truely fantastic! The only thing is, I feel as if I would weigh a million pounds if I ever took a bite of these decadent cakes, haha. But I guess it’s worth it just to eat a slice of heaven. :)
I’ve been wanting to make a cake just like this for a while but haven’t gotten around to choosing the recipes to make all the components. You just did it for me! This is gorgeous and I can’t wait to try it.
Wow..that is simply glorious !! Just a question – How do you make sure cakes aren’t domed when they come out the oven? Mine ALWAYS have shape and I dont particularly want to lose half the cake trying to make it flat :/
ps/ I really need to make this.. ;)
Thanks, Caroline! To be honest, if you bake layer-by-layer, you will likely never have to worry about doming again. Once I started doing it this way, I don’t think I’ve had one cake dome. It also keeps the cake layers really moist, because the edges don’t need to keep baking while a deeper center bakes and bakes. Good luck!
WOW!!! This seems to be done only for me, so delicious :-P
Rosie…now I HAVE to bake! AGAIN! After seeing this post, I got all excited because I really want you to try my very talented friend, and “Queen of the Kitchen”, Janice Atienza’s artisan truffles! Her salted caramel truffle it TO DIE FOR! As I’m sure this cake is too! <3 LOVE everything you do!
Oh my goodness, this cake is simply to die for!! I have been craving salted caramel chocolates lately, so this is perfect, must try this immediately! I have always been a total chocoholic, would choose chocolate anything over vanilla, but my tastes definitely changed post-baby. I used to love dark chocolate best, but now I lean toward milk chocolate. My favourite is a plain milk chocolate bar from Purdy’s Chocolates (I’m in B.C., so not sure if there is Purdy’s in eastern Canada). Lately though I have really come to appreciate vanilla too, probably due to your fantastic cake recipes :)). Love baking with vanilla beans. I just bought some pink himalayan salt, could you use this in place of the sea salt?
Thanks Rosie, another spectacular post, they just get better and better!
This cake is freaking amazing! You are one insanely talented woman! I’m like you, I can’t just have chocolate on chocolate. I need something else to grab my attention and mix it up. Wicked cake girl. I need to try this soon. Very, very, soon. Besides, my half birthday is coming up.
This cake looks wonderful. I’m a huge chocolate fan so this ticks all the boxes for me!
This sounds and looks amazing! I just wish I could eat chocolate. :(
I’ve been behind in reading blogs and I know I have missed more of yours that I have yet to catch up on. This cake certainly is a delicious way to start back. It’s beautiful, decadent and irresistible. Oh my, how I’ve missed you:)
This is my kind of cake! Love everything about it!
mmmmmmmm…. I love caramel frosting!!!
I agree, I love chocolate, deep, rich dark chocolate, from the bottom of my heart. But chocolate cake AND chocolate frosting just doesn’t always do it. One of them being chocolate, and the other non chocolate is usually a better flavor quencher. The combo of the salty, caramel, chocolate. I am going INSANE. Good grief, this looks UNREAL!!!!!!
Omg!!! Rosie, that cake looks so delish!! Combined with my favorite ingredients : salty, caramel-y choc fudge! Yum!
WOWWWWWW – this looks/sounds amazing!!! Is re-hab included for the addiction that I’m about to develop?
I love your cakes!! I have been making every cake post you put up since June and I cannot tell you how much fun I am having. Although I have limited myself to only one small slice per cake and increased my visits to the gym! I will look forward to attacking this masterpeice on the weekend….oh and my husband and daughter love you!Thank you for sharing your wonderful baking.
This is GORGEOUS. And I want to eat it, now.
Thanks for sharing such a lovely dessert!
Do you hear that? It’s the sound of you hitting another one out of the park. So good Rosie!
Thank you so much for these lovely cake posts. I seem to always be disappointed with the cakes I bake and I’ve been baking for years. My next shot at baking one will not happen until after I’ve had a thorough read of your tips. And your photography is delicious as well. I look forward to your posts!
@Mary Sanavia: Thanks for the caramel tip!
@Caroline: For me, bake-even strips help, you can get those from Wilton. Like Rosie I also bake short layers separately rather than split the cake, it helps to minimize the doming. I also avoid non-stick bakeware.
@Rosie: Just what I wanted, chocolate cake with some twist. Am going to make this for my birthday soon. Why do you cream the butter for the caramel SMBC first? Normally I just add small cubes of softened butter after the meringue is done.
You know, I would normally never do that, as I do the same way you do, which is typical. The thing is, when I read Martha Stewart’s method, seemingly only for caramel buttercream, I couldn’t resist giving it a shot. Although SMBC is always incredibly fluffy, I found it exceptional this way with the caramel beaten in. So, so light. Heaven, really. Next time I will do a vanilla cake smothered in it, I think. :)
We are kindred spirits. :) I just made vanilla cupcakes with salted caramel SMB last week, and they were heavenly! I need to work on the caramel/buttercream ratio, though. My frosting tasted great, but didn’t hold its shape as well as my SMB usually does. Maybe I’ll give Martha’s recipe a try. Love your cakes! xo
Thank you for your reply Rosie. Okay, I will do it this way even if it calls for cleaning up the mixing bowl. Salted caramel SMBC would be a great addition to my repertoire!
Rosie, I wish I had seen this post before I attempted the rainbow cake! Thanks to your tutorial, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, is my favorite frosting to make. Thank you for the step-by-step photos because I would’ve certainly dumped my runny meringue if you hadn’t taken those photos of the buttercream at different stages! I can’t wait to try this chocolate buttercream next. SMBC is no longer such a scary thing to make!
Looks DELICIOUS!!!! Ellice and I are looking at this with mouths watering…can you send it over please?? (she says you need to make her cakes everyday when she and Damian travel over in 2012…she is a true chocolate enthusiast) I CANNOT wait to taste your creations when I return…cake please! xo
I am a big fan of sweet and salty, I think I’ll have to give this a try!
This cake looked so good and perfect for my sister in law’s birthday this weekend that I went home last night and started baking! I have made the cakes and the Chocolate Fudge frosting so far- I fear I have done something wrong to the frosting though. It had the consitancy of melted chocolate when I put it in the fridge last night, this morning it is solidified as melted chocolate would be cold. Maybe my butter was too soft? Or I didn’t use enough sugar? If I let it warm up a bit and beat it on low- do you think I have a chance to save it? Beautiful photography!!! Thank you!
First off, thank you for the kind words! Secondly, hmm, let’s see if we can figure this out. Did you make any intentional changes to the recipe? If not, it’s definitely possible that something was missing by error, but I’m wondering if maybe you added the melted chocolate while it was still too warm, and it melted the butter, which would then be loose and shiny, like straight melted chocolate. I would definitely attempt beating it on low or medium low at room temperature–that often works, and this kind of frosting isn’t typically that touchy (provided all of the ingredients were included). Hope this helps, and good luck!
Thank you so much for your response! The frosting once it came to temperature was wonderful to work with. No beating needed! I do think the chocolate was too warm as well as the butter too warm. Thank you so much for your help and this beautiful blog- so inspiring!
Rosie flavorwise this may be my favorite of your creations yet! But my heart still leaps at your pink and browns….oh Rosie, you’re AMAZING!!!
I do love dark (very dark) chocolate! This cake looks perfect!
Rosie! Amazing and totally stunning as always lady! You never cease to amaze me with your creativity. In fact I was humbly just nominated for the “One Lovely Blog Award” and I had to nominate you for it as well. You are welcome to stop by my latest post to see my toast to you and your blog – you can find it here. http://www.thebutterdish.net/2011/08/a-lovely-blog-award-and-7-facts-about-me/
Thanks Rosie for Sharing.
I think I have to make this ASAP! I love salted caramel (at my last job working as a pastry chef we had an amazing salted caramel trio dessert) and I’m always interested in new ways to use it. I can’t believe I’ve never thought of salted caramel buttercream! Totally brilliant.
this has got to be one the longest recipes i have ever seen! but i guess itll all be worth it, look at that cake!!
Think I could get away with two 9-inch cakes? I only have 9-inch pans… I imagine I could do it and just lower the baking time a bit, but I get nervous tweaking baked-goods recipes.
Hi! I wanted to let you know that I have awarded you the “Cute Little Chef” blog award! Go by my blog to pick it up!
http://thebaremidriff.blogspot.com/2011/08/cute-little-chef-blog-awards.html
This looks delicious! I will have to make this the first thing to try on my list of recipes!
This is a very interesting recipe. I’ve had my share of baking chocolate cakes but I’ve never considered making a salted chocolate cake. I’m going to this.
You really make the most beautiful and most delicious cakes! Wish I could have a piece of this cake right now ;-)
This cake looks phenomenal! I love the sweet and salty contrast and I definitely think the work would be well worth it in the end =)
That’s a true celebration cake if I ever saw one! Love the pictures – it looks heavenly :)
Wow!! That’s one big cake that I’ll include on my wish list. Great photo. So scrumptious.
Like most people, I go a little bonkers over anything with salted caramel in it. So as soon as I saw this cake… well, you can only imagine the size of the puddle that formed on my desk.
Wow this looks incredibly delicious!! What a beautiful cake! :)
Ooooh, salted caramel. Delicious!
I love how this cake looks! your pictures are beautiful! I might just have to make this and post it on my website and give you all the credit!! this rocks! http://www.gangybuffet.com
Rosie, would it be okay if I ate this for breakfast?
Omg – this looks nothing short of amazing!!!! Can’t wait to make!
Hi Rosie,
I tried making your tripple layer lemon blueberry cake this past weekend. I couldn’t help myself and made it six layers instead of three. It tasted fabulous (so thank you!) but there was one minor problem. . . . as I stacked the laters, the frosting oozed out of the sides of the cake. How do you get the cakes to stack on such a thick layer of frosting? Especially light and fluffy butter cream, like here??
Thanks,
Alexandra
Hi Rosie,
Love this recipe!
I tried to make the Salted Caramel Buttercream today and it was delicious! But as soon as I put it in the piping back to put on top of my cupcakes (I made the Southern Devils Food ones), it went all curdled and separated and wouldn’t pipe out! Any ideas why? It was fine when it was in the bowl.
Love your blog so so much,
-Sam
This has to be my birthday cake!
I am joining the bandwagon and making this cake for my birthday next month. Yum-oh! Thanks Rosie for always taking the time to inspire us fellow cakers. xo
Dear Rosie, I love your blog very much, its beautiful and very inspirational. I made this cake yesterday and it turned out amazing. At first I was afraid it wouldn’t came out great like yours, because I lived in Indonesia, a tropical country and now the weather is very very hot. But I continue made this cake…and…oooh…wow….a crowd pleaser..really. Thank you again dear.
Rosie, this cake is incredibly beautiful! I’m making it for my husband’s birthday and did notice a slight discrepancy in the recipe. For the filling, you indicate 1 1/4 cups of butter, which would be 2.5 sticks, but then in parentheses you have 12 oz. which would be 3 sticks. I know it isn’t a huge difference but just thought I’d point it out for clarification. I can’t wait to taste it all together!
Hi Annie! Thanks so much! Sorry if that error caused any confusion–I’ve corrected it in the recipe, so all should be accurate now. It was indeed 12 oz, so it is 1 1/2 cups, not 1 1/4 cups butter. I hope you and your husband enjoy it!
I tried making this last night for a friend’s birthday, but I had trouble with the frosting. The caramel in particular gave me fits. The first batch I made hardened when it cooled (perhaps I cooked it too long?) and the second stayed runny but didn’t have as much flavor (it was more pale but still had a pretty good caramel color, but perhaps I didn’t cook it long enough?). I also had more trouble with this SMB recipe than with Rosie’s usual recipe (which is to say, I never have trouble with the usual, and this one just wouldn’t cooperate). In particular, I accidentally made two batches of scrambled egg whites while trying to heat it to 160 (despite furious whisking on my part and keeping the water in the lower part of the double-boiler below the boiling point). Has anyone else had problems with this recipe, or do you have any tips? I love salted caramel and would love to get this frosting to work.
Hello Heather! I was also really worried about the egg whites and stopped heating them at 140° – the buttercream turned out perfect anyways! Afterwards I read that egg whites start to cook at 143,6°F so I think that was a smart decision. I’m wondering myself how the others managed to heat the egg whites up to 160° without cooking them..
Thanks for the info, Louisa! I typically heat the egg whites & sugar to 160°F, and it works well. When mixed with the sugar, the egg whites don’t cook at this temperature (provided you are gently whisking constantly), and it whips up into a lovely meringue. That being said, 140°F works perfectly well!
Bravissima!this is my favourite cake :)
What an amazing looking cake! I made it into cupcakes few days a ago but found the cakes not quite sweet enough, I was a bit confused about the sugar amount, you said 11/2C=200g/7oz, but in your caramel frosting recipe it says 1C also=200g.
So, in cake recipe, 11/2C sugar should be 300g then? Oh, but you know, it just gave me an excuse to eat them for breakfast, it’s all good!:)
i’m making a wedding cake and the bride wants a caramel filling for one of the tiers. does your salted caramel swiss buttercream have to be refrigerated since it has heavy cream? thank you
Tammy, I’m comfortable leaving the buttercream out at room temperature for about 8 hours, a long as it’s not warmer than room temp. I hope this helps!
Thanks for replying! i’m not sure i’ll be able to use this recipe on this cake :(. it’s going to be fondant covered and i’ve read in several places not to place fondant covered cakes in the fridge because of condensation when you take them out. guess i’ll just have to make this for myself :)
Oh, wow! I found this while searching for a caramel buttercream recipe, but wish I had found it a week earlier – I would have made it for my own birthday cake!
Looks like a GREAT recipe, thanks for sharing. I’m thinking of using a gourmet caramel sauce the first go around instead of making my own. Do you recommend using about 11oz of store bought caramel? Thank you.
I KNEW I had to make this the second I found this recipe. I made it tonight for Thanksgiving tomorrow so so far I only have an un-cut photo. I decided to split the 3 cakes in two to make 6 layers so there’d be more layers of the caramel buttercream. I almost ate half of it while assembling!
Here is a picture :)
https://twitter.com/#!/AnnieBroach/status/139532428481003520/photo/1
I decided to use a big star tip to make flowers on the outside since I’m not very good at making the frosting smooth and crumb-free.
Thanks for the amazing recipe! I enjoyed making it and I’m sure I’ll enjoy eating it even more ;)
Your recipes are absolutely incredible. You are an artist!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com
I really want to make this cake for my cousin’s wife, but have NEVER been able to make caramel by boiling it with water. I always end up with all the moisture evaporating off & having nothing but rock solid sugar crystals (stuck to the pan & SO hard to clean!) Is this because I am not brushing down the sides of the pan enough? When I have to make caramel, I just usually heat the sugar directly in a pan, but I would rather learn how to make it according to the directions.
I have been in love with this cake ever since this post and come back often just to drool over the pictures. I have finally decided to make it soon for my husband’s birthday. As I am relatively new to baking cakes I had one question – a lot of recipes I see online make a note of adding the dry ingredients at the end and mixing only until incorporated. However, with your recipes I have noticed that you mix them in their together and quite obviously your cakes still too turn out beautifully.
So it doesn’t make much difference when the dry ingredients are mixed in? Any advice for a beginner? Your input would be much appreciated :)
Beautiful photos for a great cake recipe! It would be great to know the total prep/cooking times so that we know how much time ahead we need to get our hands dirty.
Making this but wanted to cheat with the pre made caramel sauce. Do you have an estimate for how much to use in place of making it.
I’ve decided this is the birthday cake for my sweet husband’s leap year birthday. Cross your fingers for me, will you? :)
Does this fudge frosting harden when it sets up? Or is it creamy?
Sandy, the frosting hardens to some degree, but stil has a creamy quality. I hope that helps!
Gorgeous!! I feel the same way about chocolate-on-chocolate. It’s too much somehow, but throw vanilla in there, or raspberry, and it’s heavenly.
I finally got around to making this and it turned out fantastic. I had one issue thought that my cakes still domed quite a bit, although I tried baking them in four thin layers in a 5 inch cake pan – any recommendation on how I can prevent it in the future?
Thanks for such an amazing recipe :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting these recipes! I made this cake with the addition of some toasted coconut on the top and omg amazing! I think the salted caramel swiss buttercream is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. You have definitely helped convert me to a swiss buttercream lover. My only problem was when incorporating the chocolate into both the SMB and the fudge icing my melted chocolate got chunky. What did I do wrong?
Hi, This cake looks so good! I’m going to make it for easter this year. I’m so excited. i was just wondering though, i don’t drink coffee and i wanted to know if i can substitute it with anything.
Thanks, Noush! Honestly, the coffee is just to heighten the chocolate flavour, and there is absolutely no coffee taste in the cake. If you’re really wanting to omit it, then you can replace with boiling water. Hope that helps!
Hi Rosie,
Ive been meaning to try this recipe but don’t have access to good quality cocoa powder. Would it be possible to substitute it with baking chocolate?
This recipe looks amazing! I’m hoping to try it out this weekend, but I have 2 9″ pans and no 6″ pans. How much should I add to the recipe to make it so I have enough batter to make a 3 layer cake?
Thanks!! Looking forward to making this!
Hi Grant! So sorry I didn’t get back to you in time. Did you make the cake this past weekend? If so, I’m curious what increases you made? If you still need the info, let me know and I can try to work it out for you!
I did make it this weekend. No increases in anything, other than about a tsp of salt into the caramel buttercream. I could never get the egg whites and sugar combo to form peaks though! So my buttercream was a little thicker. I think when I make the cake again in the future I’ll make more caramel to add the the buttercream and maybe use either 2 sticks unsalted butter and 1 stick salted butter to add a little more saltiness and pop to it.
With the 9″ cakes, I think doubling the buttercream recipe would be a good idea.
I had to slice the cakes pretty thin to make 4 layers, so if you could try and work something out to compensate, I think it’d make the next time even more delicious!
Looks yummy. I wonder if it would work to use Chai tea instead of coffee. I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee/ hate the taste.
If I halved the recipe, do you think it would make enough batter to fill one 6 inch round layer pan? Thanks!! Love your blog! I made the Funfetti cake last weekend and it turned out wonderfully! :D