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Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake

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Salted caramel chocolate fudge cake – four layers of moist chocolate fudge cake filled with salted caramel swiss meringue buttercream, topped with whipped chocolate ganache and a liberal dose of salted caramel.

salted caramel chocolate fudge cake

This salted caramel chocolate fudge cake is one of the most popular recipes on my site – and for very good reason! It is a bit of a labour of love to bake, but the results are so, so worth it.

Four layers of dark, moist, intensely chocolatey cake filled with salted caramel swiss meringue buttercream and salted caramel sauce, topped with whipped chocolate ganache and a luscious drizzle of extra caramel.

The photos here do not do it justice – when I came to photograph it, it was the most grey, miserable, dark day imaginable, so even right next to the window in the early afternoon there was no light.

salted caramel chocolate cake

It is a very impressive cake which would be perfect for any celebration or birthday. I’ve had loads of comments from readers who have baked this salted caramel chocolate fudge cake and loved it!

This cake is truly indulgent (don’t think about the amount of sugar involved…). I used a dark, not too sweet cake recipe to balance the sweetness of the caramel a little but it is still very rich so serve in small slices.

salted caramel chocolate cake

The cake is quite labour intensive, but the work can be split over two days; the cakes can be baked and the salted caramel made one day and both be refrigerated overnight, then the following day make the swiss meringue buttercream and ganache and assemble the cake.

In fact I recommend that you don’t attempt to do it all in one day, the cakes are best refrigerated before you attempt to halve them as they have quite a soft crumb, and the salted caramel needs to be cool before you add it to the buttercream.

And it is so worth the effort! My fiance declared it one of the best tasting cakes I have ever baked…and I have baked A LOT of cake…

salted caramel chocolate fudge cake with swiss meringue buttercream

I used whipped ganache as I wanted the lighter texture and colour compared to standard ganache – I didn’t think that the caramel drizzle would stand out enough on un-whipped ganache, but it isn’t a necessary step and the cake would taste just as good if you don’t want to bother whipping it.

I made my own salted caramel, and have given the recipe below; it isn’t difficult, but if you don’t fancy messing about with molten hot sugar (and I don’t blame you), you can certainly use store-bought salted caramel sauce instead.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe:

salted caramel chocolate fudge cake
5 from 1 vote
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake

Serves 12.
Author Domestic Gothess

Ingredients

Cake

  • 225 g (scant 2 cups) plain flour
  • 350 g (1 + 3/4 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 85 g (2/3 cup + 1 tsp) cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 2 eggs
  • 250 ml (1 cup + 2tsp) buttermilk
  • 125 ml (1/2 cup + 1tsp) vegetable or sunflower oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250 ml (1 cup + 2tsp) very hot coffee or boiling water

Salted Caramel

  • 300 g (1 1/2 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) water
  • 280 ml (1 cup + 3tbsp) double cream
  • 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tsp - 1 tbsp sea salt flakes

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 200 g (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 250 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) softened unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp (or more to taste) salted caramel

Whipped Ganache

  • 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
  • 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1tbsp + 1tsp) double cream

Instructions

  1. Bake the cake the day before you want to ice it. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in round tins.
  2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarb of soda together into a large bowl, stir in the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract, pour into the dry ingredients and beat well until smooth and combined. Add the hot coffee, a little at a time, until it is all combined, the mixture will be very liquid, don't panic! Divide the batter between the tins and place in the centre of the oven, check after 35 minutes - a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter. They could take up to an hour to bake though, mine took 55 minutes, just check every 5-10 minutes after the 35 minute mark.
  3. Once baked, remove to a wire rack, still in their tins, and leave to cool completely. Once cold, wrap the cakes in their tins in clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight, or for at least an hour. It is far easier to slice a cold cake in half neatly.
  4. Make the salted caramel: Place the sugar and water into a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring to the boil and cook, swirling the pan, NOT stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the colour changes to amber. Remove from the heat and pour the cream - be careful as the caramel will bubble ferociously and rise up in the pan. When the bubbling stops, add the butter and whisk till combined, it may not be completely smooth at this point.
  5. Return the pan to a medium heat and cook at a gentle simmer, whisking the whole time, for a couple of minutes until the caramel is smooth and free of lumps. Whisk in the salt, a little at a time, tasting as you go (CAREFULLY - the caramel is very hot!), until it's at the right level of saltiness for you. Make sure that the salt is actually fully combined, and not just sinking to the bottom, before adding more. Leave the caramel to cool completely, it can be made the day beforehand and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
  6. To make the salted caramel swiss meringue buttercream, put the egg whites and sugar in an extremely clean heatproof bowl (use the bowl of your stand mixer if you have one). Place over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water) and whisk with a hand whisk (not electric) until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is warm to the touch, if you rub some of the mixture between your fingers it should be smooth and you shouldn’t be able to feel any graininess, this will take about five minutes. If you want to get technical about it the mix should reach 60°C/140°F on a thermometer.
  7. Remove the bowl from the heat and attach it to your stand mixer with the whisk attachment or use an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites until it forms a thick, glossy, bright white meringue and is completely cool, the bottom of the bowl should feel cool to the touch, this will take about 10 minutes.
  8. Once the meringue is cold, switch the mixer to a low speed and begin to add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, make sure that each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next; the meringue will deflate a little and may begin to look curdled, don’t panic! This is normal, just keep adding the butter gradually and whipping away and it will come back together. If, once all the butter has been added, your mixture is runny, the butter may have been too soft or the meringue still warm, just put the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes or so then carry on whipping.
  9. If, even after a decent amount of whipping, it still looks curdled, place about 4 tablespoons worth of the mixture in a small bowl and microwave for 10-15 seconds, it should become runny, pour this back into the bowl of buttercream, down the side of the bowl while whisking, continue to whisk for a few minutes and it should come back together. Once the buttercream is completely smooth and silky and all the butter has been incorporated, whisk in the vanilla extract and salted caramel.
  10. Remove the cakes from the fridge and carefully, using a long, sharp serrated knife (like a bread knife) slice each one in half so you have four layers. Place one layer on a serving plate or cake stand and spread over just over a quarter of the buttercream, then drizzle over a tablespoon or two of the salted caramel (you can thin it with a little more cream or warm it VERY slightly until it becomes pourable if needed - I'm talking no more than 10 seconds in the microwave, do not let it become warm or it will melt the buttercream). Top with another layer of cake and repeat until you have three layers of buttercream; place the final layer of cake on top - use one of the bottom halves, upside-down, so that you have a flat top.
  11. Spread the remaining scant quarter of buttercream thinly all over the cake, it does not need to be neat and you will be able to see cake through the buttercream but try to get it fairly smooth and cover the cake evenly; this is your crumb coat - it will stop cake crumbs from getting into your ganache. Place the cake in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes while you make the ganache.
  12. To make the ganache, chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Put the cream in a small pan and heat until just simmering, pour it over the chocolate, making sure that it is all covered; leave to stand for 5-10 minutes then stir until smooth. Leave the ganache until it has cooled to room temperature - it should have thickened but still be spoonable, like pudding (you can pop it in the fridge to speed this up). Whisk with an electric whisk until it has lightened in colour and has the texture of thick whipped cream, do not overwhip or you will end up with chocolate butter...which sounds delicious but is not what we want here! Immediately spread the ganache all over the cake - work fairly quickly as it doesn't take long for it to start to set.
  13. To finish, drizzle over the remaining salted caramel.

salted caramel chocolate layer cake

I am sharing this with Totally Talented Tuesdays, Create Link Inspire, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Foodie Fridays and Fiesta Friday

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Justine

    I’m glad it ended up working out for you! Sometimes people think that recipes magically come together perfectly, but there are often many trials and errors before it’s finally right. Looks delicious 🙂

    Reply

  5. Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake

    oh my gosh Hannah, this cake looks absolutely amazing! Talk about indulgent! I think I could eat that SMBC with a spoon though, I’d be a bit worried I wouldn’t have enough left for that cake 😉
    I think we all have those days in the kitchen where nothing seems to go quite according to plan, but you definitely pulled it off in the end (and I hate those grey days where you just can’t get enough light, seems like we’ve been having them back to back lately in the UK!). Thanks for the tip about saving the SMBC though, I’ve not heard that one before I’ll definitely file it away for when I’ll inevitably need to save some!

    Thanks for sharing with us this week, happy fiesta friday, have a great weekend!

    Reply

    • Domestic Gothess

      Thanks Michelle 🙂 it is definitely indulgent! It was the salted caramel sauce that I was eating with a spoon though….I ended up feeling a little bit sick but it was worth it!
      It’s a very useful tip, I was dubious as to whether it would work but it definitely saved my buttercream!

      Hope you have a good weekend! 🙂

      Reply

  8. Nancy

    Wow…with your final results, one would never guess this cake was a trouble maker! This cake is beautiful. 🙂 Great combination of flavors…must have created a little party in your mouth with every bite!

    Reply

  11. Aruna Panangipally

    This was the first pic that caught my eye at the Fiesta Friday. What a super cake and super recipe! I must commend your patience and eye for detail. And to think I was going to give Fiesta Friday a miss this week. 🙂

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Thank you! I think I took about 350 photos to get a couple of good ones! I was not having a good photography day…

      Reply

  23. lucyparissi

    Ahhh the joys of buttercream. I have employed that same trick so many times. This is one amazing cake – my favourite favourite combination for sure. Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare

    Reply

  25. dishofdailylife

    WOW! This is gorgeous! I wish I had a slice right now! I’ll be pinning and stumbling and yumming…spreading some foodie love around for you! Thank you so much for sharing this yummy treat with us at Foodie Fridays! I can’t wait to see what you share with us this week!

    Reply

  27. kate

    Thank you for sharing such s great recipe and I’m so pleased finally someone has made caramel from scratch. Been desperate for a proper recipe. X

    Reply

  31. louise macrae

    Just finished making this cake and the family were like a pack of hungry dogs when I brought it out 🙂 I almost ate half the caramel sauce before the cake was even made lol

    Reply

  33. Maria Ryan

    I followed this recipe and it turned out PERFECTLY. So impressed, best cake I’ve ever eaten, let alone made myself! X

    Reply

  34. Rose

    Just made this. Excellent recipe with very clear, precise instructions. Cake was an excellent texture for cutting and layering. Made it as written. Used 2 8×8 pans and baked for 38 minutes (would probably do 35 next time). Thank you for an excellent recipe!

    Reply

  35. Rosanne Parker

    the cake is moist and delicious. the meringue was an epic fail two times…I will use the cake recipe but will find another frosting option.

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      I’m sorry to hear that you had problems with your frosting; Swiss meringue buttercream can be fickle and tricky to get the hang of. However, in the vast majority of cases, smb that looks like it is an epic fail is actually perfectly salvageable either by a: simply continuing to whisk it, you are creating an emulsion and it can take a long time to come together. b: Adding more butter. c: Chilling the buttercream for at least 15 mins or so then continuing to whisk it. Or d: Melting about 1/4 cup of the buttercream in the microwave then gradually drizzling it back in to the rest of the buttercream whilst whisking.

      Reply

  37. Nichole

    This cake looks incredible!! Do you think it would work to convert to a cupcake form? Would you fill the cupcake with the ganache and then top with the buttercream and drizzle with salted caramel sauce? Or fill with caramel sauce and top with ganache and buttercream?? Or fill with buttercream and top with ganache and caramel??? I have seven friends with birthdays this month and we are having a big combined party. I would love to send them each home with their own amazing salted caramel chocolate fudge cupcake!!!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Nichole, Yes I think it would work great as a cupcake! I can’t give you an exact baking time, but I estimate they would take 20-25 minutes to bake. I would core each cupcake and fill with ganache, top with buttercream and drizzle with salted caramel. Hope you like them!

      Reply

  38. Annette

    Oh my goodness! I’ve just finished making this as a surprise for my daughter’a 16th birthday tonight. Ive tried and succeeded at some unfamiliar techniques, and the cake tastes just as good as all of the parts I’ve made, she’ll think she’s died and gone to heaven! (I’m on a sugar high from all the bowl licking – just couldn’t help myself, particularly the caramel!) Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      That’s fantastic! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 The caramel is very addictive…last time I made it I ate so much that I felt slightly sick… Thanks Annette, it’s always nice to receive feedback when people make my recipes 🙂

      Reply

  39. Annie Allen

    WOW! What a cake! Very rich, but my god, totally amazing! Worth all the effort! A few notes on the process: I did it in a day, which if you have the time, is very doable. Cake took 40 minutes in the oven. Amazingly moist fudge cake – I was extremely impressed with the cake on its own. SALTED CARAMEL – as someone who’s never made caramel before, I got scared and took the sugar off the hob way too soon – be brave, leave it on (I didn’t wait for the amber colour) – however, it made a delicious sauce either way (I’m saving the trial batches for pancakes!). I attempted it 3 times, third time was much better, but I still probably should have left it a bit longer to get a more caramel-y colour. Doesn’t matter though, tastes incredible. SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM – I started with an electric hand whisk, then soon changed to an electric stand mixer – which I hugely recommend, if possible. Following Hannah’s instructions, mine turned out perfectly, and I didn’t even need to save it at all! Very surprised, as I’ve never made this before. Cutting the cakes and putting it all together – much easier than expected (however, I very briefly microwaved the caramel to help it pour better – which I would advise against, because mine mostly collected at the bottom of the plate instead of on the cake!). Overall, totally excellent recipe – very detailed, and if followed properly, will work perfectly! A bit of work obviously, but the results are truly indulgent, choc-tastic, and divine! Thank you Hannah!!!! I’m currently deciding which of your cakes to try next! xxxxxxxx
    Question: Hannah, is there a way to upload a photo so I can show my results? (not that it’s a patch on yours – taking a photo myself has made me realise just how good your photography is!)

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Thanks Annie! So glad it worked out for you 🙂 caramel just takes a bit of practice to get perfect and can be a bit nerve-wracking to make! The buttercream is definitely best attempted with a stand mixer although it is doable without (I don’t have one), it’s just a bit of a pain having to stand there whisking for ages…I don’t think you can upload a photo in the comments, you can share one on my Facebook page though 🙂 thanks again for the lovely feedback! xxxx

      Reply

  40. Janine

    I’m making this for my sons 21st but I’m concerned about the plain flour quantity. You say 225g (scant 2 cups) of plain flour yet (1+3/4 cups) of cater sugar is 350g, there is a 125g difference. What is the true grams of flour please. Fingers crossed mine turns out anywhere near as delicious as yours!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Janine, the recipe is correct – it is 225g flour and 350g sugar. Sugar is denser than flour so if measured by volume the same volume of sugar will weigh more than the flour. Hope that makes sense! Hannah

      Reply

  41. Sonali

    Awesome cake and looks delicious. If you want to order Chocolate fudge cake online, I will recommend Monginis online cake shop, because they have a vast varieties of cakes offering online delivery.

    Reply

  42. Kaitlin.

    Since I’ve never made a Swiss meringue butter cream before, I decided it would be best to do a trial run with it. So happy I did. The meringue itself turned out perfectly, but as soon as it came to adding the butter, it went down hill. I think I got a little to excited, and whipped it on a higher speed, but it over whipped and turned into this gross cottage cheese curdled type texture. I tried both suggestions on saving it, neither worked. On what speed did you have the mixer on when you added the butter? I was using a kitchen aid mixer, and had it on about 6-7, I think that was a little too high. Overall I’m really excited to have this all turn out, I hope.

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      You need to have the mixer on a low speed when you add the butter, curdling is normal – it’s just part of the process, you are creating an emulsion and it can take a long time! You just need to keep whipping it and it will come back together (eventually), may I ask how long you whipped it for? And was your butter soft or was it still a bit firm? Here’s a link to a handy tutorial with some step by step photos https://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/tutorial-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
      I hope you manage to master it! 🙂

      Reply

      • Kaitlin

        Yeah I didn’t do that. I think I had it going for all of five minutes on high. I’m not going to do that today though. As it the article you just gave me so nicely wrote I “broke it, and it gave me the finger”. Fingers crossed it works second time around, I need to finish this cake tonight. 🙂

        Reply

        • hannahhossack

          Five minutes isn’t very long to whip it for, I’ve had to whip it for half an hour before to get it to come together! Hope it works out for you today!

          Reply

          • Kaitlin

            I fallowed the directions in that link. Let it mix on low for a little over an hour, it still got all weird and curdled, so I microwaved about a cup, poured it back in, and it came together. This is probably the most delicious fluffy, salty, caramely goodness I’ve ever made! I’m 100% going to be making this again!

            Reply

            • hannahhossack

              I’m glad it worked out for you 🙂 SMB is so much better than standard buttercream! It can just be a bit awkward to make…

              Reply

  43. natalie

    I cant get my buttercream to be thick. It seems too runny. once I put another cake on, it all oozed out the sides.

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Swiss meringue buttercream should be quite thick…perhaps try refrigerating it for half an hour or so?

      Reply

  46. Ginger

    I’m making this cake for the first time. Does it need to be refrigerated after its made? I’ve read all reviews , is there any other tip I need? Thanks Ginger

    Reply

  48. Rosie

    Hi,
    This recipe sounds amazing and I’m going to make it as a thank you cake! I was just wondering if I made the whole cake the night before and left it refridgerated if it would be okay? Or do you recommend doing the butter cream and ganche fresh?
    Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Thank you! That would be fine 🙂 it will keep well for a few days at room temperature if it’s not too warm; or if you do choose to put it in the fridge just let it come up to room temperature before you serve it or the buttercream will be hard .

      Reply

  49. Dan

    Hi Hannah,

    Just wanted to say thanks for this. I made this (minus the salt) for my birthday shout at work. It met with universal acclaim!

    Cheers!

    Dan

    Reply

  50. Kieran

    Hi Hannah,

    My wife demanded this cake for her birthday so I had to give it a go! I was worried about the caramel and the buttercream, both went smoothly, it was the ganache gave me dreadful trouble; no matter what I did it refused to whip and ended up more like a thick chocolate sauce that would have run off the cake. I ended up having to use icing sugar to thicken it, which worked but was more like fudge frosting than ganache, which wasn’t what I wanted (I would have used Betty Crockers frosting if that was what I was after…).

    My question is: does the type of chocolate matter (I used 74% cocoa plain chocolate) for the ganache? It’s the only thing I can think of as I followed the recipe closely, as far as I know…

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hmmm, you’ve got me utterly stumped by that one I’m afraid…the type of chocolate shouldn’t affect the ganache at all, and I’ve never had an issue with it whipping, and even if it didn’t whip it should have thickened as it cooled…May I ask what kind of cream you used? And did you allow the ganache to cool before you whipped it?

      Reply

    • Debra

      Hi Kieran,

      I am in Arizona in the US. I have been a cake decorator for over 20 years. I have had this happen twice when making ganache, both times during our summer monsoon season when it was VERY humid. To avoid this, I make my ganache in the morning and not on days when humidity is high. I don’t know if this is why your ganache did not work, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to mention it. Good luck in the future.

      Debra

      Reply

  51. Sally

    Thank you for this incredible recipe. The detail in the method made it incredible easy. The cake was delicious, light and fudgy and perfectly balanced with the buttercream and ganache. I have always been a bit suspicious about Swiss meringue buttercream but you made it sound so forgiving. The taste is sublime, particularly with the salted caramel. This will be on my favourites list for quite a while.

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Thank you so much for your fantastic review and kind words Sally 🙂 I am really pleased that you liked it, it is always nice when someone makes one of my recipes and gives such great feedback!

      Reply

  52. Amelia Fairfax

    I made this cake this weekend. Excellent recipe with clear, easy to follow, instructions. Turned out really well, and looks very impressive. My family loved it. Thank you.

    Reply

  54. Marita

    Hello!
    Would you change the bake time and or temp if using a 9 inch pan?
    I only have 1 pan that is 9 inch so I would have to do this in 2 batches. Would the batter be okay if it sat while the other half baked?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Marita, don’t change the temperature, but the cakes will probably bake a little quicker since they will be thinner, check after 25 minutes and just keep an eye on them. I haven’t tried leaving the batter to sit, though generally it isn’t a good idea to leave it as the raising agent begins working as soon as you mix the wet and dry ingredients together. If I were you I would either divide the recipe in half and just make half of the cake mix at a time or invest in another pan! Hope that helps, Hannah

      Reply

  55. Kathy

    Do you prefer that your items are not pinned to Pinterest? I pinned this to my cake board and they removed it for copyright issues of the same thing on another board. I do not want to upset anyone but I notice that you do have a pin button on the side of your blog so I was wondering what went wrong. I will stop pinning your items if you do not want that to happen.
    Thanks,
    Kathy

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Kathy, I am so sorry, Pinterest has removed all of my pins of the cake as well, I certainly didn’t report it, I love people pinning my stuff! I’ve contacted them and am just waiting to hear back… Hannah

      Reply

  56. Sera

    Oh hey great to know that when we try to save the recipe on our pinterest page through a web link that still gives you all the credit that you apply through the copyright act to have it removed, but hey that’s great there’s plenty of people out there still willing to let us pin recipes the way we like while still crediting the creators for it and providing them with free advertising so I guess I’ll only be using those recipes now since you clearly don’t want anyone to know about yours.
    By the way if that’s the way you really feel about it take down your website to start with and stop screwing people around.
    I will be going through and deleting anything that has to do with you and your recipes that I have ever shared anywhere

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Sera, I didn’t report the pin, I have had all of my own pins of the cake removed by Pinterest as well and I am fuming.

      Reply

  57. Emma

    Thank you for sharing this recipe! I made it for my brother’s birthday and it went down really well so thanks! My cakes also took about 50mins but they turned out great 🙂

    Reply

  59. Thamasha

    Hi! This looks absolutely amazing! I was thinking of making this for my friends birthday but maybe with three chocolate and two meringue layers instead of four and three – any idea how I would adjust the measurements??

    Reply

  60. tish

    Made this for my mum had never made any of the components of the recipe be four but turned out a hit was great and love this recipe

    Reply

  61. Paula

    I’m making this today! I’m not attempting the caramel, but using store bought salted to save a little stress. We are really looking forward to this!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      I don’t blame you for buying the caramel, it is a bit of hassle to make your own! Hope you enjoyed the cake 🙂

      Reply

  62. Helen

    Considering making this for my parents 50th wedding cake, but adding some spun toffee decorations on the top and just bringing the sauce (for travel purposes). How many people do you think this would serve? There will about 25 people.

    Reply

  63. Maria

    Made this yesterday and finished if off today as a birthday cake – lots of different components to make but well worth the effort. Everyone really enjoyed it – excellent instructions. Thank you

    Reply

  64. Annick

    Hi! Today was my first attempt on this delicious cake, it turned out almost perfect! The only problem I had is that my caramel was to runny, therefor it didn’t ‘stick’ as well on the ganache. So the layer of caramel on top op the cake was very thin and you could see through it. Do you have any ideas how I can make it less runny? Thanks!!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Annick, I’m sorry to hear that, did you use double (heavy) dairy cream for the caramel? It should be fairly runny when hot then get quite thick when it is cold, was it warm when you poured it over the cake? If it is too runny you can stick it in the fridge for a bit until it thickens up. If you are still having problems with it you can add a bit less cream to the caramel which will make it thicker, although I usually use the same ratio of cream to sugar as in this recipe and have never experienced any problems with it. Hope that helps!

      Reply

      • Annick

        Thanks for your reply! Over here in the Netherlands we don’t have double cream so I used a mixture of mascarpone and normal cream, which is what I usually do. I think adding less cream will help, I will give it a try!

        Reply

        • hannahhossack

          Ah ok, that explains it! Double cream has a fat content of 48% which means that the caramel will become much thicker than if made with a lower fat content cream. Also the combination of heat and sugar may make the mascarpone go runny, although I don’t have any experience in using it this way. Try using the highest fat content cream you can find (I read that you can get a whipping cream equivalent, about 35% fat content) and reduce the quantity a little, replacing it with extra butter which will increase the fat content; I would try 180ml whipping cream and 130g butter.

          Reply

  65. den

    thank you for this delicious recipe. i just assembled the cake and waiting for the ganache to cool. A question: how did you get so much filling in between the layers? i had barely enough and my layers are really thin

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Den, I’m honestly not sure what’s gone wrong here, the quantities given in the recipe are exactly the same as I used. Without seeing what you did I’m afraid it is impossible to give a solution, did you use 20cm/8in cake tins or were yours larger? I apologise that I can’t be of more help!

      Reply

  66. April

    PLEASE HELP…I’m planning on making this for my daughter’s 16th birthday, at her request. Double cream is not available here in the states….what can I do? I hear that our “heavy cream” wouldn’t work.

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi April, I see no reason why heavy cream wouldn’t work, it does have a slightly lower fat content than double cream but I have made caramel with British whipping cream (about the same fat content as heavy cream) successfully before. If you are worried you can swap some of the cream for extra butter to up the fat content, about 180ml of cream and 130g butter. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  67. Beverly

    I made it for a family dinner and it was the star of the show. The buttercream was tricky (I think I should have let it cooled longer)but it worked out just fine. I will definitely go for round 2 sometime soon! Thanks for sharig this very detailed recipe.

    Reply

  68. AlehaA

    Am making this cake for my husbands birthday and so far the cakes look beautiful but the caramel sauce is a bit of a hassle. I have made it three times and still no luck. My water and sugar isn’t turning amber and is getting super thick to the point of becoming almost like a crystallized version. How long does it normally take? and when you say not stirring but swirling the pan do you mean taking the pan by the handles and lifting it up to make a swirling motion of the liquid? I want to try one more time before moving on to the buttercream, but don’t know how long I should go at it! Thanks!!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi! Caramel does take a bit of practice to get the hang of, and it can take a while for it to caramelise, you just need to be patient with it and watch it closely. It will sometimes become thick before it re-melts, this is just the water evaporating, it will melt again and turn into caramel. This video is quite useful and shows the technique for brushing down the sugar crystals and swirling the pan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4P8xwS3IAg I hope that helps and it works out for you! 🙂

      Reply

  69. Adi Bean

    Oh moy goodness this cake is divine. I just finished making it for the third time tonight. Thank you so much for a great party go to cake. My family and I love it!

    Reply

  70. Ernesta

    Made this cake last year for my birthday. It was the best cake I ever made. Making again this year just in 2 weeks. For my 30th celebration

    Reply

  71. Kelli

    This cake looks absolutely amazing! My church group always expects me to bake something yummy for us. I’m going to make this cake but make the cake gluten free as one has celiac disease. Wish me luck!! Italian buttercream and salted caramel are my favorite!! Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply

  72. Michelle

    I’d love to do this recipe but I only have a 10 inch round tin and a 6 inch round tin. Is there any way I could make it work? I don’t mind baking twice (if using the 10 inch tin or using the 6 inch).
    Just wondering if there is an easy way to revise the measurements a little to make it work?

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      That’s a tricky one, there’s no easy way to revise the measurements and it is best not to leave half of the batter sitting around while you bake the other half as the raising agents begin to work as soon as you mix the wet and dry ingredients together. You could divide the recipe in half and make it in two goes… If you use the 10 inch tin you can make a fairly thin two layer cake. If your 6 inch tin is deep-ish you can use that one and make a tall four layer cake. Really I would advise investing in a few more cake tins though, they don’t need to be expensive ones so long as you grease and line them well.

      Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Michelle, we don’t really have kosher salt in the UK so I’ve never used it before. You can use most kinds of salt for the caramel so long as they will dissolve, but the amount you will need to use will vary depending on the grain size. My advice is to add the salt a little at a time, tasting as you go until the caramel tastes right to you.

      Reply

  74. Natalie

    This cake is divine and as much as my husband and I would like to eat half each, it’s not really a good idea lol. Do you think this could be sliced up and frozen?

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Haha! It is a little bit large for two people! Yes you can slice it up and freeze it, make sure that it is well wrapped so that it doesn’t become dry; then when you want to eat some, just let it thaw at room temperature.

      Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Tatiana, I’m not sure I understand your question, do you mean what fat percentage should the cream be? If that is the case then the cream I use has a fat percentage of 48%

      Reply

  76. Courtney

    Although it took me forever to make, your directions made everything perfectly and the cake turned out awesome! Great recipe!

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Haha! It certainly isn’t the quickest cake to make…but it is worth the effort! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the great feedback 🙂

      Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Linda, you can just use hot water instead of coffee. You can’t really taste the coffee in the cake, it just deepens the chocolate flavour.

      Reply

  79. Amanda Schoap

    I’ve made this cake multiple times and it’s totally a family favorite!! However, everytime I try the caramel recipe it never works out for me. I end up making a salted caramel from a different recipe. I can’t figure out what i’m doing wrong! Thank you for posting this cake! My family says thank you too. 🙂

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Thanks Amanda! I’m really pleased that it’s become a family favourite 🙂 I’m sorry the caramel recipe doesn’t work for you though, I’m not sure what could be going wrong there…my apologies 🙁

      Reply

    • Natalie

      I have the exact same issue. My caramel crystallises before it gets to Amber colour stage. I never stir it, just swirl it. Very disappointing so I have to revert to my faithful caramel millionaire shortbread caramel sauce, which is condensed milk, golden syrup, butter and sugar.

      Reply

  81. Holly Shannon

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

    My boyfriend announced a few weeks ago he wanted a chocolate and salted caramel cake. I had no idea where to start, then I stumbled upon this post!!

    I’ve never made meringue buttercream or caramel (salted or otherwise) before, but I decided to give it a go!! It took 4 attempts to get the sugar dissolved properly, but once that was done, everything else was plain sailing.

    He said it was the best cake he’s EVER had!!

    xxxxxx

    Reply

  82. Sarah

    Followed the recipe and it didn’t work! The meringue butter cream was too thin didn’t set had to keep whisking. When I added the ganache it all slide off and looked a mess. Will have to buy a shop cake for my sons 18th Birthday tomorrow as this cake looks crap, just hope it taste ok so I can serve it as a sloppy gateaux

    Reply

  84. Louise

    Absolutely delicious. Definitely a good idea to start the day before. My husband and son both have requested this cake for their next birthdays!

    Reply

  85. Brigitte

    I am making this cake at my daughter’s request for her 13th birthday.. I. have just made the cake portion and it didn’t rise… any idea what I did wrong? Both the baking soda and baking powder were brand new…

    Reply

    • hannahhossack

      Hi Brigitte, sorry to hear that; there are many reasons why a cake may not have risen but unfortunately without being there when you made it I can’t tell what went wrong.

      Reply

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