Chocolate Caramel Valentine’s Day Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup hot coffee
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/3 cups sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Fleischmann's® Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon Mazola® Corn Oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Caramel Sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons Crown® Lily White® Corn Syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Caramel Pastry Cream Filling
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 egg yolks (save egg whites for Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing)
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons Fleischmann's® Corn Starch
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Caramel Sauce
Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 cups butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce
PRODUCTS
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch or three 7-inch cake pans; set aside.
- Combine cocoa and coffee in a small bowl, stirring until cocoa is dissolved; set aside.
- Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a mixer bowl until combined.
- Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and buttermilk together in a separate large bowl until well mixed; add to flour mixture. Beat on medium-low speed until blended, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.
- With the mixer running on low speed, stream in the coffee mixture until combined.
- Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake for 23 to 26 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before removing cakes from pans. Let cakes cool completely, approximately 1 hour.
Caramel Sauce:
- Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over hight heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until mixture turns to an amber colour, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat; carefully stir in cream. (Mixture may bubble up a bit.) Whisk in butter until it is melted. Stir in salt and vanilla extract.
- Note: If sauce is too thick after adding cream and butter, heat over low heat until smooth, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer sauce to a microwave-safe container. Chill until cool and thickened.
Caramel Pastry Cream Filling:
- Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot; remove from heat.
- Whisk egg yolks together in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in sugar and corn starch.
- Slowly pour about half of hot milk into egg yolk mixture; whisking constantly until blended. Pour remaining milk into egg yolk mixture; whisk until smooth.
- Pour milk mixture back into saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.
- Remove from heat; strain mixture into a clean bowl; stir in butter and vanilla. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until cool and thick.
- Once chilled, stir in 1/4 cup Caramel Sauce; return to refrigerator until ready to use.
Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing:
- Whisk egg whites and sugar in large mixer bowl.
- Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water; heat over medium-high heat. Place mixer bowl on top of saucepan to create a double boiler. Make sure water in pan does not touch the bowl.
- Heat egg white mixture, whisking occasionally, until it reaches 155?F to 160?F. Remove from heat.
- Whip egg white mixture on high, using whisk attachment, until stiff, glossy peaks form, and the outside of mixing bowl returns to room temperature.
- Add butter, a few tablespoons at a time; beat on medium-low speed until blended. Stop the mixer and swap the whisk for the paddle attachment.
- Add 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce; beat icing until silky smooth.
Assembly:
- If necessary, trim the tops of each layer so they are flat (not domed). Place one layer on serving plate.
- Spread a thin rim of icing, about 1/2 inch-wide, around outside edge of the top of the cake. OR, pipe the icing using a pastry bag fitted with a round piping tip about 1/2 to 3/4-inch in diameter. If making a 2 layer cake, fill ring with filling; spreading evenly. If making 3 layers; use half of filling each time.
- Place top layer on cake. Spread a thin layer of icing over top and sides of cake to seal in any crumbs; refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes. This will make the cake and filling more stable, so the remainder can be more easily frosted.
- Frost top and sides of chilled cake. Use any remaining frosting to pipe on decorative details, if desired. Return frosted cake to refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.
Recipe Tips:
- Caramel Sauce may be made up to one week in advance, and stored in refrigerator. When ready to use, slowly reheat so that sauce is fluid, but not hot.
- Caramel Pastry Cream Filling may be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in refrigerator.
Recipe courtesy of Tessa Huff, Pastry Chef & Blogger @ StyleSweetCA
http://https://www.stylesweetca.com/
[um_bookmarks_button]