I found this recipe online and just couldn’t wait to make it. This Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake is without a doubt, sinfully delicious. The steps seem complicated, but don’t let that intimidate you. The Swiss buttercream filling makes the cake so fluffy and light which perfectly complements the rich fudge frosting.
Enjoy!
Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup hot brewed coffee
- 2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and line with parchment two 9-inch round cake pans.
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 and pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean–approximately 35 minutes.
Salted Caramel Swiss Buttercream (for filling)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- generous pinch of sea salt (and additional sea salt for sprinkling)
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
The first step is making the salted caramel 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.
Place 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. Whisk in sea salt. Let cool.
Place butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed, until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
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 reaches 160° on a candy thermometer.
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.
Switch to paddle attachment. With mixer on low speed, add cooled caramel, and beat until smooth (about 3-5 minutes).
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Caramel Buttercream via Sweetpolita
Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ (icing/powdered) sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 pound good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
Combine cocoa powder and the boiling water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup, and stir until it cocoa has dissolved.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, the powdered sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until it is pale and fluffy–about 5 minutes.
Reduce mixer speed to low, and add melted chocolate (cooled), beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat in the cocoa mixture until well incorporated.
Assemble the cake layer by layer (I cut both cakes in half to make a 4 layer cake.
Xo
Images via 97 Sullivan
Recipes via Sweetpolita and Martha Stewart
