This Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake is moist and sinfully decadent! So if you love chocolate and caramel, you’ll LOVE this easy recipe for how to make Chocolate Caramel Cake!
Chocolate Caramel Cake Recipe
Tomorrow is my birthday and I’m currently feeling ALL of the feelings. Also currently in the car, driving to the beach, eating a giant slice of cake and chasing it with an iced coffee. If today is any indication of what 29 is going to be like, I think this year is going to be pretty darn great!
Now as you know I’m a diehard chocolate lover, so it’s no surprise my birthday cake this year is a salted caramel chocolate cake! It’s three layers of heaven! And surprisingly easy to bake.
I bake myself a birthday cake every year and this year I wanted something sinfully decadent. At first I thought it would be death by chocolate cake (one of my favorites), but then I started dreaming of something drenched in gooey salted caramel…
Finally, I decided to full on treat myself and create a cake that features BOTH chocolate and caramel! Because why not, right?!
So, without further ado, meet my 29th birthday dessert: Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake. Isn’t she just a knockout?! ↓
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- This recipe calls for vegetable oil, but you can use an equal amount of canola oil or melted coconut oil in its place. I do not recommend substituting oil with butter.
- For best results, make sure your eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, and milk have all come to room temperature before you begin baking.
- When you measure your flour, be sure you’re not packing it into the measuring cup. Packed flour will yield a dense and dry cake.
- The cake layers should all be baked on the middle rack of your oven. If there’s not enough room in your oven to bake them all in an even row at once, simply bake them in two batches.
- For the frosting, you’ll want to make sure your butter is VERY soft before creaming it.
- The chocolate cakes should be completely cool before adding the frosting and salted caramel.
- The assembly is a two part process: you’ll place one cake level on a large plate, top it with a thin layer of frosting, then add the caramel, then add another cake level and repeat. Once you’ve added the final cake level you’ll want to leave the top bare and place the cake in the fridge to set for one hour. Once it’s set, you can finish frosting.
Alright guys, time for me to wipe the crumbs of my party dress and start celebrating! There’s a mimosa and long nap on the beach in my very near future…
↑ But seriously, can everyday be my birthday?!
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If you try this recipe for Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day.
More Salted Caramel Recipes:
More Chocolate Cake Recipes:
- Super Decadent Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting
- Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake
- Easy Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes for Two
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (not packed!)
- 1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (you may also sub in melted coconut oil)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups hot water
For the salted caramel chocolate frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces), VERY soft
- 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream (more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons salted caramel sauce
Garnish:
- 1 and 1/4 cups salted caramel sauce
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
For the chocolate cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°(F). Cut out three 9-inch round segments of parchment paper to line your cake pans with. Spray each pan generously - sides and bottom - with nonstick cooking spray, then place the parchment paper cut out in the bottom of the pans and spray again. It's important to make sure every bit of pan and paper are sprayed so your cakes don't get stuck. Set pans aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, combine both sugars, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Use your hands to break up any large clumps, if needed.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, milk, oil and vanilla extract; mix until completely combined. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated. Pour in hot water and continue mixing until completely combined; about 1 minute. The batter will quite thin.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from pans and transferring to a cooling rack; cool cakes completely before frosting.
For the chocolate frosting:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter on medium-speed until completely smooth; about 3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer off and sift the powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on the lowest speed and mix until the sugar/cocoa have been absorbed by the butter; about 2 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium; add in vanilla extract, salt, heavy cream and salted caramel; beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting appears a little too thin, add a little more confectioners' sugar; If your frosting needs to be thinner, add additional heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Assembly:
- Using a serrated knife, carefully trim the raised top of each cake, making each one an even, level surface. Transfer 1 layer to a large plate or cake stand. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top, then add a 1/2 cup of caramel; top with another cake layer, and repeat, thinly spread it with a layer of frosting, then adding a 1/2 cup of caramel. Top final cake layer and place cake in the fridge to set for 1 hour. Once set, finishing frosting the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slice and serve, or keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Notes
muhammadayyan says
This recipe is out of this world! I made this cake at the weekend and it was amazing. everyone loved it.
Zoey Smith says
I made this Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake recipe last Sunday for my kid and it was a hit! He loved it so much that when I asked him which cake he liked best, he said the chocolate one. I was so happy and grateful for this recipe, thank you Manila for sharing it ❤
Ashley Manila says
This comment made my day! I’m so happy this was a hit fir you and your family!
Kristen says
Best chocolate cake ever. I haven’t tried the icing yet but I use this as my go to chocolate cake. Everyone loves it as a gob cake.
I was recently put on a gluten free dairy free diet. It’s not easy and recipes are often over complicated with weird ingredients. I experimented with this recipe for my birthday. I replaced the flour with King Arthur 1:1 gf flour and the sour cream with coconut milk yogurt and the milk with oat milk. It turned out great. Everyone that tried it loved it too.
Sumaiyah says
Hi there! Can this recipe be made into cupcakes?
Alyssa says
I love this cake and have been using the recipe for years!!! Everything about this recipe is just great! 10/10
Julie says
I made the caramel, and it is great. I did notice is got grainy in the fridge but wasn’t when I reheated it. Obviously, I won’t do that once it’s in the cake. Will the graininess go away as it gets to room temp? How early should I pull a cake from the fridge with caramel in it so it’s still good but not too cold?
michele says
It was awesome! Everyone loved it.
Nancy Herbert says
Question about salted Carmel sauce – I attempted your recipe. Did not work for me but a baker I am not. Bought jarred Carmel sauce how can I make it salted?
Also making chocolate frosting can this be made day ahead and stored in fridge?
Will have 6 grandkids running around and trying to make a head.
Thank you
Mihaela says
Can i bake the cake in one pan and then divide it into 3 layers or is it a must to do it in 3 separate pans?
Devon Bissot says
Absolutely wonderful cake! I got so many compliments. People that don’t like chocolate cake loved it. I followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT I did a 1:1 exchange for the flour with Bobs Red Mill gluten free flour. So so yummy!
Ashley Manila says
So happy this was a hit! And so happy your flour sub worked well 🙂