I am so excited to be back on the blog, especially with this post! After a short, unexpected break (surgery that had a few complications, doing great now) I am so happy to be back in the kitchen. It’s my little hide-out place where I can sink deep into a creative-multitasking-improvising-meditation mode.
If you like to cook and bake, you probably know that one moment where someone takes a bite from what you’ve made, closes their eyes and softly releases a “Mmmmmm” full of enjoyment. Well, that moment is just the absolute best! And I got many of moments like that with this cake.
What’s in this cake
I reserve making layer cakes for very special occasions, especially fancy cakes like this Chocolate Salted Caramel & Pecan Cake. The combination of chocolate and caramel would already be announced one of the miracles of the universe, if it was up to me. The density of the flavors complements the final bitter-sweet taste perfectly.
This cake was made for my brother’s 29th birthday and is constructed out of three layers of soft chocolate cake, creamy rich Swiss meringue salted caramel buttercream, chopped roasted pecans, salted caramel drizzle and topped with a creamy chocolate ganache.
I never met anyone who’d say no a beautiful piece of this rich cake. However, if you have nut sensitive friends, just keep the pecans out or replace with chocolate chips.
How to make it
The main phases of making this cake consist of:
- The Salted Caramel
- The Chocolate Cakes
- The Salted Caramel Buttercream
- The Roasted Pecans
- The Chocolate Ganache
I normally start with making the caramel and the roasting the nuts, then set those aside. Then I mix and bake the cakes, and let them cool down. Whip up Swiss meringue buttercream and add a bunch of the earlier made caramel. Finally, I put it all together and make the ganache to pour all over it. Drizzle some more caramel and decorate.
This Recipe makes a three layer 20cm (8inch) chocolate cake. The recipe below has a bit of extra batter which I make cupcakes from.
If you liked this cake, you might also like this amazing Full Size Chess Board Cake
- 360 grams (12.6 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 360 grams (12.6 oz) granulated sugar
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp whole milk
- 360 grams (12.6 oz) all purpose flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 300 grams (10.5 oz) dark chocolate - finely chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 65 grams (2.3 oz)cocoa powder
- 600 grams (21 oz) granulated sugar
- 270 grams (9.5 oz) unsalted butter at room temp (cut into cubes)
- 360ml (1.5 cups) heavy cream
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 10 Large egg whites
- 480 grams (17 oz) sugar
- 650 grams (23 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes
- 200 grams (7 oz) good quality dark chocolate
- 32 grams (1.1 oz) unsalted butter
- 14 grams (0.5 oz) honey
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 190ml whipping cream
- 250 grams (2 cups) shelled pecans
- Preheat oven to 170° C
- Grease, flour and line 3x 20cm/8inch round cake pans with parchment paper
- Pulse melt dark chocolate in the microwave or over Bain Marie and set aside
- In the bowl of a mixer, attached with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition
- Add milk and beat again
- Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa and add to the bowl, beat again until just combined
- Mix two spoons of the cake batter into the melted dark chocolate bowl, stirring quickly. Then add it all to the cake batter bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter equally into the cake pans, making sure there are ⅔ full. There will be some extra batter left, I make some extra cupcakes from it.
- Bake each cake for 25-35 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean with just a few crumbs on it.
- Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the tin. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack or cool in the refrigerator to firm up. Level all cake layers before assembling.
- Heat sugar in a big saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon
- The sugar will starts clumping and slowly melt into a thick amber-colored liquid. Make sure to continue to the next step immediately when it gets this color, over cooking will result in a bitter taste.
- Once the sugar is melted completely, carefully add the butter and stir it in until it's completely melted and combined in the sauce (you may want to use a whisk here to blend it in more easily)
- In a slow stream, add the cream in four additions while continuously stirring, do this carefully, the hot sugar reacts to the lower cream temperature and bubbles up.
- Keep boiling the caramel sauce for an extra minute or two and remove from heat. Stir in the salt and let cool down completely before using. Keep refrigerated in a jar for up to two weeks.
- Combine egg whites and sugar in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of slowly simmering water. Whisk continuously by hand until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved completely. Test by rubbing some between two fingers and assuring there are no grains.
- Transfer to a mixer bowl with a whisk attachment and whisk starting on low and slowly increasing to medium-high. Whisk until glossy and fluffy with high peaks. About 7-10 minutes. Touch the bottom of the bowl to make sure it's not warm before continuing to the next step.
- Reduce mixer to medium-low speed and add the butter, few tablespoons at a time. Mix well after each addition. If after all the butter has been added it breaks into a fluid mixture with the butter separating (looks like cottage cheese), increase the speed to high and mix until it comes together.
- Add 2 cups of cooled salted caramel and mix half a minute longer. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 170° C
- Place the pecans on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until slightly browned and fragrant (be careful not to burn)
- Remove and let cool completely. Chop pecans leaving a few halves full for decoration
- Make this last, when rest of the cake is already assembled. Otherwise it might set too soon
- Place chopped chocolate in a bowl and heat cream in the microwave for about 1-1.5 minutes until hot
- Pour cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute
- Melt the butter and honey in the microwave for 40 seconds until completely melted
- Stir ganache with a small spatula, slowly from the center outwards in a steady round movement
- Stir in the melted butter/honey mixture and the vanilla extract
- Place first cake layer on tray and add 1 cup of buttercream going all the way to the edges (I use a piping bag). Carefully straighten the buttercream and sprinkle some chopped pecans. Drizzle some salted caramel on top.
- Repeat with the 2nd layer
- Add the third layer and make sure cake is straight and all layers are aligned. Add another layer of buttercream on top and make the chocolate ganache. Let the Ganache cool for a couple of minutes and then pour it on the top of the cake, in round motions from the center until it covers the top completely and slides down from the sides. Use spatula if required.
- Pipe buttercream with a closed star tip and drizzle salted caramel sauce all around as you like. Place the whole pecan halves on top of the piped butter cream and add rest of chopped pecans on the middle forming a little hill
I really want to try adding caramel to Swiss merignue buttercream to tone down the buttery flavour. Your cake looks beautiful and I bet tasted delicious. Thanks for the inspiration!
Yes, please try it! This recipe also calls for less butter than the standard Swiss meringue buttercream recipes out there, I think it works better!
This is Absolutely stunning!!! This one is a keeper!
Thanks so much, Dikla!
That. Looks. Stunning.
Thank you for sharing
Thanks a lot! 🙂
My husband would love this for his birthday, I’m bookmarking this!
Thank you Casey, let me know how it turned out! 🙂