Kim

Triple chocolate caramel cake

This is a really fun cake to make and it looks really impressive when cut into. The sponges are layered in an ombre style, so they go from light to dark. Each sponge is flavoured slightly differently and there are different types of ganache in between to hold the cake together.

Olive Magazine

Ingredients

  • butter 500g, plus a little for the tins
  • golden caster sugar 400g
  • dark muscovado sugar 100g
  • eggs 10
  • buttermilk 200ml
  • plain flour 250g
  • self-raising flour 250g
  • baking powder 2 tsp
  • vanilla extract 1 tsp
  • cocoa powder 3 ¾ tbsp

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

  • plain chocolate 400g
  • milk chocolate 200g
  • double cream 300ml
  • whole milk 100ml
  • golden syrup 1 tbsp
  • butter 25g

CARAMEL GANACHE

  • white chocolate 150g, chopped
  • Nestlé Carnation Caramel 150g

MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

  • milk chocolate 150g, chopped
  • double cream 100ml

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 3 ½ . Butter and line 4 x 20cm cake tins (or cook in two batches). Beat 250g of the butter and 250g of the golden caster sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat 5 eggs lightly with 100ml of the buttermilk and sift 125g of each flour with 1 tsp baking powder. Fold the egg mixture and flour into the butter and sugar in alternate batches. Divide the mixture into two and add the ½ tsp vanilla to one batch and 3 tbsp cocoa to the other.
  2. Scoop the chocolate mixture into one tin and level the top. Scoop the vanilla mixture into another cake tin and level the top. Beat the remaining butter and caster sugar with the muscovado.
  3. Combine the remaining eggs and buttermilk, sift the flours with the baking powder and add them in alternate batches. Divide the mixture in two. Add the remaining ½ tsp vanilla to one and the remaining ¾ tbsp cocoa to the other. Scoop into tins and level the tops.
  4. Bake the cakes for 30-40 minutes or until they are risen and springy to the touch. Cool on wire racks. When the cakes are completely cold, trim them flat on top.
  5. To make the dark chocolate ganache, heat the chocolate, cream, milk and syrup in a bowl over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water until the chocolate melts and you have a smooth, shiny mixture. Stir in the butter. Cool until spreadable.
  6. To make the caramel ganache, heat the white chocolate with the caramel in a bowl as above until melted. Cool until spreadable.
  7. To make the milk chocolate ganache, heat the chocolate and cream in a separate bowl as above until melted. Cool until spreadable.
  8. To assemble, put the dark chocolate cake on a plate or stand. Spread over the caramel ganache then top with the lighter chocolate cake. Spread over the milk chocolate ganache then top with the caramel cake. Spread a layer of the dark chocolate ganache then top with the vanilla cake. Cover the whole cake with the rest of the dark chocolate ganache. Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight if you like – this will help the ganaches to set and will give neater slices when you cut the cake. Take out of the fridge an hour before you want to serve it.