Moist Chocolate Caramel Cake (One Bowl)
This moist chocolate caramel cake has three tender chocolate layers made in one bowl, filled with salted caramel sauce and frosted with a whipped chocolate caramel buttercream.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Flour all purpose flour
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Coffee hot!
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
Chocolate caramel frosting
- 1 ½ cups Butter room temp
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon Caramel sauce use my salted caramel sauce recipe
- 2 tablespoon Heavy cream
Assembly
- ⅔ cups Caramel sauce
Instructions
Bake the chocolate cake
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sift in the cocoa powder, then add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix until almost combined.
- Add the Coffee: Pour in the hot coffee and mix until the batter is smooth with no lumps of flour. The batter will be thin.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the pans, weighing them for even layers. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the layers cool completely.
Make the chocolate caramel frosting
- Mix: In a medium mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar and softened butter, sift in the cocoa powder, then add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix on low until combined.
- Whip: Add the cold caramel sauce and beat on high until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Assemble the cake
- Anchor: Spread a small dab of frosting on your cake board or plate and place the first cake layer on top.
- Dam and Fill: Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the layer, spread a thin layer of frosting inside it, then fill the center with about ⅓ cup of caramel sauce.
- Stack and Frost: Top with the second layer and repeat. Add the third layer and cover the whole cake with the remaining frosting.
Notes
- Caramel Sauce: Use my homemade salted caramel sauce or a thick store-bought caramel. You need about 1 cup in total: 2 tablespoons for the frosting and about ⅓ cup for each filling layer.
- Caramel Temperature: Use cold caramel in the frosting so it doesn't thin the buttercream, and room temperature caramel for the filling so it spreads easily.
- Eggs: Use large eggs at room temperature for an even, smooth batter.
- Measure Accurately: Spoon and level the flour or weigh it, and divide the batter by weight so all three layers bake evenly.
- Cool Completely: Frost only fully cooled layers, or the frosting will melt and the caramel will slide.
- Chill Before Slicing: Refrigerate the finished cake for 30 minutes so the caramel and frosting set and the slices stay neat.
- Other Pans: Bake in two 9-inch pans for 30 to 35 minutes, or a 9x13-inch pan for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Storage: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Let slices sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 6gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 514mgPotassium: 185mgFiber: 3gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 731IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!