Triple Layer Chocolate Caramel Cake

Triple Layer Chocolate and Caramel Cake with Chocolate and Caramel Topping… a mouthful (pun intended).  This cake was inspired by a request from @ok2baprincess during Easter Brunch.  She had a craving for caramel and I wanted to fill that craving!

I went to my usual suspects, Gourmet Magazine, SmittenKitchen and my own little book of recipes for this one.

This cake has two layers of classic cake with a rich chocolate layer wedged in between.  I used the same frosting as from the Triple Layer, Double Chocolate Cake and then drizzled the warm, home-made caramel over each slice of cake just before serving.

We watched the film, V for Vendetta, it was the first time to see it for everyone, except me.  Seemed like everyone enjoyed the film just as much as the cake, which is a good thing!

Those in attendance? Well, not that many. It’s a busy time of the year, but Cake and a Movie lives on, time for it or not!

@ok2baprincess @brooding_soul @madmax69 @kaleb1983 @keeeeth @akikooda

Bittersweet Chocolate Layer
Makes one 10×10 Layer

• 16 oz. 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Heat butter in sauce pan until melted. Stir in chocolate until smooth.  Set aside to cool.

Using a hand mixer, whisk eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla until mixture is beginning to fluff.  Add in the warm chocolate and carefully fold in the flour and baking powder.
Pour batter into a 10×10 baking pan sprayed with oil and lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick a tester comes out clean.

Place in freezer to cool while the other layers are baked.

Classic Cake
Makes two 10×10 Layers

• 5 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
• 5 tbsp sifted cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 7/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 2 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Grease the 10×10 cake pans, lined with parchment paper and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pans, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then place in freezer while you prepare the frosting.  These cake layers need to be very cold before frosting.

Ganache Frosting

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 2 pounds semisweet chocolate
• 1 stick butter

Warm heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan until sugar is completely dissolved.  At a simmer, add semisweet chocolate whisking until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.  At this point you can add the butter, cut into 1tbsp chunks to melt and mix with the chocolate.
Remove frosting from heat and pour into a bowl which can be refrigerated.

This frosting will be ready to apply to the cake once it has thickend up a bit.  It should have the consistency of rich caramel when it’s ready.
Remove cakes from the freezer, frosting from the refrigerator. Remove one cake from the pan, topside down on the cake platter. Peel away parchment paper. (You can choose to level the top of the cake by cutting it or just flip it upside down to save time and have an extra tall cake)

Frost the flat top of the first layer and add the second, and then the third and finally, frost the sides of the cake by pouring the remaining frosting onto the top of the cake and letting it slowly ooze down the sides of the cake.  You can use your offset spatula to smooth the sides if you want that effect, though the natural fall is quite beautiful.

Place in the refrigerator until ready to cut, served and drizzled with the caramel glaze, which should be made about 1/2 an hour before serving the cake.

Caramel Glaze

• 2 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 210 to 212°F on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.

Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

Alternately, since this is a large cake, you can use the warm caramel as a topping to individual slices.  If you go this route, place caramel into the refrigerator for 15 minutes until it’s thickened, but still warm.  Drizzle about 1 tbsp of warm caramel on each slice of cake.