Description
A decadent Chocolate Fudge Cake layered with smooth Salted Caramel Buttercream, gooey salted caramel sauce, and rich Dark Chocolate Ganache for an indulgent dessert experience perfect for celebrations.
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 from above)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease, flour, and line two 20cm/8 inch cake pans with baking paper to prevent sticking.
- Make the chocolate batter: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter, caster sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined.
- Prepare cocoa paste and milk: In a separate bowl, combine the Dutch processed cocoa with hot water a little at a time to form a thick paste. In another bowl, add vinegar to the milk to sour it, and set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: Sift together the plain cake flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate soda in a separate bowl.
- Mix batter components: Gradually add the cocoa paste to the butter mixture. Then add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the soured milk, starting and ending with the flour. Fold everything together until fully combined.
- Bake the first batch: Pour one-quarter of the batter into each prepared tin and bake for 23 minutes. After baking, allow to cool in the tins for 10 to 15 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Bake the remaining batter: Prepare the tins again by greasing and lining them, then bake the remaining batter following the same process.
- Make salted caramel: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add both caster and brown sugars, stirring occasionally until sugars melt and the mixture is smooth. Add butter and whisk until fully melted and incorporated. Remove from heat and slowly pour in heavy cream while stirring. Return to heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in salt flakes. Cool caramel before using.
- Prepare dark chocolate ganache: Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each until smooth. Add heavy cream and stir until combined. Allow ganache to cool slightly until pourable but not hot.
- Make salted caramel buttercream: Beat the butter until light, fluffy, and pale in color. Sift in the icing sugar and beat well to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups of the prepared salted caramel and beat well. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes until the buttercream firms and is pipeable.
- Assemble the cake: Place one layer of chocolate fudge cake on a cake plate or piece of baking paper. Fill a large piping bag fitted with a large open tip with salted caramel buttercream and pipe a border of large ‘kisses’ around the outside edge. Using an offset spatula, fill the center with buttercream, then spoon a generous amount of salted caramel sauce onto the buttercream. Repeat the layering process for all cake layers, alternating salted caramel sauce and dark chocolate ganache.
- Finish and serve: On the top layer, pipe additional buttercream kisses and pour over the dark chocolate ganache, encouraging it to drip over the sides with a spatula. Serve and enjoy your rich, layered chocolate fudge cake.
Notes
- Make sure all the butter used in cake and buttercream is at room temperature for smooth mixing.
- Souring the milk with vinegar helps the cake rise and adds tenderness by reacting with baking soda.
- Cool the salted caramel completely before adding to buttercream to prevent melting.
- If you don’t have a microwave, melt the ganache using a double boiler method carefully.
- The cake layers can be baked ahead of time and stored wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer before assembly.
- Use good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao) for a rich, smooth ganache flavor.
- Adjust salt flakes in the caramel according to personal preference for saltiness balance.
- For easier cake layering, chill the assembled cake briefly before final ganache pour to stabilize the buttercream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
