Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Chocolate cake layers with a salted caramel buttercream. Cake uses a mix of flour and spelt flour for texture. Buttercream made from egg yolks and caramel syrup cooked to a deep amber. Baked cake crumbs toasted to crunch. Four-layered assembly. Final caramel drip on top.
Prep:
Cook:
Total:
Servings:
16 servings
#dessert
#chocolate cake
#caramel
#buttercream
#layer cake
#French-inspired
#baking tips
Chocolate cake layers—flour and spelt. Cocoa dusted, rise with soda and powder. Eggs and sugar whipped into thick batter. Oil and almond extract add smoothness. Buttermilk for moisture and bite. Batter baked ’til toothpick clean. Cooling on racks, trimmed flat. Cake crumbs toasted for crunch in buttercream. Then caramel buttercream—egg yolks tempered with hot caramel, warmed cream, and whole butter whipped till creamy softness. Caramel sauce folded in for salty-sweet layers inside. Four trimmed layers stacked with buttercream, crumb crunch between. Outside slathered crumb-speckled frosting. Topped with caramel drizzle. Serve cold or just off fridge. Pity to rush. Time is flavor.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 210 g all-purpose flour
- 90 g spelt flour
- 60 g sifted cocoa powder
- 5 ml baking soda
- 5 ml baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 390 g granulated sugar
- 130 ml grapeseed oil
- 15 ml almond extract
- 320 ml buttermilk
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 7 egg yolks
- 175 g sugar
- 50 ml water
- 300 ml heavy cream 18%, hot
- 480 g unsalted butter, cubed and room temp 25 min
- 260 ml salted caramel sauce, homemade or storebought, room temp
Decoration
- 55 ml toasted cake crumbs
About the ingredients
Substituted half the all-purpose flour with spelt for nuttiness and texture. Almond extract in place of vanilla to shift aroma subtly. Grapeseed oil quietly boosts moisture without flavor clash. Cocoa amount adjusted slightly to balance bitterness with sweet notes. Egg yolks for buttercream increased by one for richness. Heavy cream shifted to 18% fat from 15% for better whipping and mouthfeel. Caramel sauce can be homemade with butter, cream, sugar, sea salt or store bought. Cake crumbs toasted on lower temp to crisp but not burn. Butter room temp about 25 minutes to be soft but not greasy. Important for smooth emulsion in buttercream when incorporating warm caramel custard.
Method
Cake Preparation
- 1. Center rack in oven. Heat to 175 °C (340 °F). Grease and line two 20 cm (8 inch) springform pans.
- 2. Whisk together flours, cocoa, baking soda, and powder in a bowl. Set aside.
- 3. In another large bowl, beat eggs with sugar, oil, and almond extract for 2 1/2 minutes until slightly frothy.
- 4. Add dry ingredients in thirds alternated with buttermilk, folding gently to combine until uniform but not overmixed.
- 5. Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake about 40-48 minutes; check with toothpick — should emerge with few crumbs. Cool on wire racks 1 hour before unmolding.
- 6. Trim domed tops flat. Crumble trimmed cake, spread on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes at 160 °C (320 °F) until toasty. Cool 20 minutes. Pulse briefly in food processor to coarse crumbs.
Caramel Buttercream
- 7. Place yolks in metal bowl. Set aside.
- 8. Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Boil without stirring until amber color forms, about 8-10 minutes.
- 9. Remove from heat. Stir in half the hot cream carefully. Return to heat, stirring until caramel dissolves. Add rest of cream, bring back to boil. Strain to remove solids.
- 10. Slowly pour hot caramel into yolks while whisking to temper. Return mixture to saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly with wooden spoon till thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 7 minutes.
- 11. Transfer custard to bowl. Beat butter into warm custard 1-2 cubes at a time with electric mixer at medium speed. Scrape bowl sides often. Whip until creamy, smooth, shiny. Chill 20 minutes to firm slightly.
- 12. Fold in caramel sauce gently, leaving streaks for texture.
Assembly
- 13. Slice each cake horizontally into 2 even layers, 4 layers total.
- 14. Spread 110 ml buttercream on three layers, sprinkle 55 ml toasted cake crumbs on top before stacking.
- 15. Mix remaining crumbs into leftover buttercream. Slather entire cake with this crumb-studded frosting. Chill 35 minutes to set.
- 16. Spoon salted caramel sauce on top, letting drizzle down sides for drip effect.
- 17. Serve slightly chilled or room temp.
Cooking tips
Cake batter formed by folding dry into wet alternately with buttermilk to avoid overmixing; creates tender crumb. Baking temp slightly lowered from original for even rise and to prevent cracking. Cooling time shortened by 20 minutes by using wire racks to speed heat dissipation. Cake domes trimmed flat for even layers and crumbs collected for texture layers. Caramel cooking monitored for amber stage; critical not to burn. Hot cream added gradually away from heat to avoid crystallization. Tempering yolks prevents scrambling in warm caramel custard. Custard heated gently until coats spoon backs—classic texture test. Butter added hot custard reduces risk of butter separation. Frequent scraping avoids clumps. Chilling buttercream firms it for easier spreading and crumb adhesion. Crumb mixed with extra frosting adds rustic crunch and rustic look. Final chilling before caramel topping ensures clean drip edges without sliding off. Drizzle caramel slowly, less is more for visual effect and balance.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Use grapeseed oil for moisture without flavor interference. Oil cold, fold dry and wet in thirds. Avoid overmixing batter. Creates tender crumb, soft texture. Alternate buttermilk with dry helps avoid dense cake. Baking temp at 175 °C, not higher, stops cracking, even rise.
- 💡 Cool cake fully on wire racks to speed heat loss. Trim domes flat before stacking. Keep crumbs for texture layer. Toast crumbs at 160 °C to avoid burning—crispy but not bitter. Process crumbs briefly for coarse texture. Avoid powdering them to dust.
- 💡 Butter for buttercream: room temp 20-30 mins, soft but not greasy. Warm caramel custard incorporated slowly into butter avoids breaking. Beat butter in small cube portions, medium speed, scrape bowl edges often. Chilling buttercream 20 mins firms texture, easier frosting application.
- 💡 Caramel syrup cooked to deep amber means watch closely. No stirring during boil prevents crystallization. Add hot cream gradually off heat to dissolve crystals. Temper yolks gently with warm caramel custard or they scramble. Reheat custard low and stir constant until thick enough coats spoon back.
- 💡 Crumbs mixed with leftover frosting add crunch and rustic look. Sprinkle crumbs into inner layers, then mix remainder in frosting to spread on outside. Caramel drip topping chilled cake ensures controlled drip without sliding off. Drizzle slowly, less is more for visual and taste.
Common questions
What flours are used?
Mix of all-purpose and spelt. Spelt adds nuttiness and different texture. Balanced with regular flour for not too dense. Important for crumb structure and moist bite.
How to avoid buttercream breaking?
Butter soft, not melted. Add in small cubes to warm custard. Mix medium speed. Scrape bowl often. If breaks, try chilling or whisking slowly. Heat too high or adding all butter fast causes separation.
Why bake crumbs separately?
Toasting dries them, adds crunch. Prevents sogginess inside frosting layers. Baking low temp at 160 °C helps crisp without burning. Fine crumb dust unwanted, coarse crumbs give texture contrast.
How to store the cake?
Fridge best for buttercream stability. Wrap to avoid drying. Let sit at room temp 20 mins before serving for flavor. Freeze wrapped well for longer. Avoid direct heat, caramel drip melts easily.
