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Prep time
1 hour
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Cook time
35 minutes
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Makes
1 (8-inch) cake
Author Notes
This candy bar–inspired cake starts with one of my favorite styles of cakes: cream cake (aka whipped cream) cake. It contains no oil or butter in the batter; the only source of fat comes from cream that’s whipped into the cake. The resulting cake is dense, with a really rich, moist crumb structure that I adore. It’s also made with dark brown muscovado sugar, which lends its deeply caramel flavor to cake. Then, it’s filled with dulce de leche, and homemade crispy chocolate crunchies (think Crunch bar vibes), and frosted with an easy-to-make milk chocolate and sour cream frosting. When you slice into this cake, there are so many wonderful and contrasting textures. It’s a perfect celebration cake—impressive, but very achievable.
The caramel cake recipe is adapted from my book, The Fearless Baker (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Rux Martin Books). —Erin Jeanne McDowell
Test Kitchen Notes
Bake It Up a Notch is a column by Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. Each month, she'll help take our baking game to the next level, teaching us all the need-to-know tips and techniques and showing us all the mistakes we might make along the way. Today, a very sweet lesson in all things frostings, icings, and glazes. —The Editors
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Caramel & Milk Chocolate Crunch Cake
Ingredients
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CARAMEL CAKE
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4 1/2 cups
(542 grams) all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
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7
large (347 grams) eggs, at room temperature
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2 1/2 cups
(532 grams) packed dark brown muscovado (or dark brown sugar)
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2 3/4 cups
(665 grams) heavy cream, at room temperature
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1 tablespoon
vanilla extract
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CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CRUNCHIES
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1/2 cup
(88 grams) milk chocolate chips
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1/2 cup
(88 grams) butterscotch chips
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1 cup
(30 grams) rice cereal
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FILLING & FINISHING
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12 ounces
(340 grams) finely chopped milk chocolate (don’t use chips)
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6 ounces
(170 grams) finely chopped semisweet chocolate (don’t use chips)
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1/2 cup
(115 g) heavy cream
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2 cups
(16 ounces) full-fat sour cream
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2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
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1/2 teaspoon
fine sea salt
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2 1/4 cups
(720 grams) dulce de leche
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans.
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Make the cakes: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together to combine.
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n the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and brown sugar on low speed to combine, then turn the speed to high and whip until the mixture is thick, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and whip for 1 minute more to stabilize the foam.
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Sprinkle about 1/4 of the flour mixture into the mixer and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the remaining flour in 3 additions, mixing just until incorporated.
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Gradually drizzle the cream into the batter, mixing just until incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
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Divide the batter between the three prepared cake pans and spread into an even layer. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs attached, 24 to 28 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
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Make the crunchies: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, stir the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips to combine. Microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring after each time, until the mixture is melted and evenly combined. Stir in the rice cereal.
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Spread this mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let set until firm. Chop coarsely into bite size pieces.
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Make the frosting: Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. In a heat safe bowl that will fit on top of the pot, mix the chopped milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate, and cream to combine. Heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is fully melted.
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Remove the bowl from the double boiler, and let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, whisking occasionally, until it’s a spreadable consistency. (If the mixture cools too much, it will firm up—it can be microwaved in 15 to 20 second bursts until it’s spreadable again.) Transfer about 1/4 of the frosting into a pastry bag with 1/2-inch opening cut from the end.
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Assemble the cake: Use a serrated knife to remove the domed top of the cakes.
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Place one layer on a cake turntable, platter, or cake stand. Pipe a ring of frosting around the outside edge of the cake. Use an ice cream scoop (about 1/4-cup in size) to scoop 3 heaping scoops of the dulce de leche into the center and spread into an even layer. Crumble about 1/3 of the crunchies over the caramel and press in slightly. Place another layer of cake on top, and repeat this process. Continue until you’ve used all the filling and layers.
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Apply a thin all over “crumb coat” of the frosting, and chill the cake for 10 to 15 minutes. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting, and garnish with remaining crunchies.
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
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