Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream Recipe

If you're looking for an easy, decadent, and oh-so-yummy chocolate fudge cake, this is the perfect recipe. The nice thing about this recipe is that you don't have to use all the components--make the cake on its own and serve it dusted with cocoa, for example.

Active Time - 1 Hour
Total Time - 3 Hours 10 Mins
Yield - Serves 16

Fudge Cake

• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (around 9 ounces or ¾ of a standard 12 ounce bag of chips)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (1-lb.) pkg. light brown sugar (yes, it’s a lot of sugar, that’s not a typo)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee, hot
• 1 tablespoon (1⁄2 oz.) bourbon NOTE: The video says ½ tbs and the recipe says ½ an ounce. Go with half an ounce (1 tbs) that’s the right amount.

Caramel Buttercream

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups unsifted powdered sugar, divided

Chocolate Ganache

• 8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate (2 [4-oz.] baking chocolate bars), chopped
• 6 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate (from 2 [4-oz.] baking chocolate bars), chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Step 1

Prepare the Fudge Cake: Coat 2 (9-inch) square cake pans with cooking spray; lightly dust with flour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl; microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) until melted, about 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. Stir melted chocolate until completely smooth.

Step 2

Beat butter and brown sugar in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until well combined, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating until just combined.

Step 3

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Gradually add to melted-chocolate mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed until just blended after each addition. Gradually add coffee, beating on low speed until just blended. Stir in bourbon. Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans.

Step 4

Bake cake layers in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cake layers from pans; transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 5

Prepare the Caramel Buttercream: Place granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan; cook, stirring often, over medium-high, until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Cook, without stirring but swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is deep amber in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; quickly add cream in a thin, steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Stir in chilled butter until mixture is smooth. Transfer caramel to a small bowl to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 6

Beat softened butter and cream cheese in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, 3 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Add cooled caramel; beat on medium speed until combined, 2 minutes. Gradually add remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, beating on low speed until combined.

Step 7

Prepare the Chocolate Ganache: Place semisweet and bittersweet baking chocolates and cream in a microwavable bowl; microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Microwave until melted, 3 to 3 1⁄2 minutes, stopping to stir every 30 seconds.

Step 8

Assemble the cake: Place 1 cooled cake layer on a serving platter; pour half of ganache over top, allowing some to drip down sides. Freeze until just set, about 5 minutes. Dollop with half of buttercream; spread gently to edges of cake layer. Top with remaining cake layer; repeat process with remaining ganache and buttercream. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

Notes: I know someone will ask me “why hot coffee?” I’m not sure for the rationale that Southern Living has, but I can give my thoughts. In cocoa-based cakes, hot water or coffee is used to “bloom” the cocoa or help it release its full flavor. But this uses chocolate, not cocoa, so that’s not the reason. Baking lore in the U.S. used to maintain that you had to use warm water to dissolve your chemical leaveners to get them to work. This is not true, but in some classic recipes you’ll still see the warm or hot water called for for this reason. However, what I think is most likely is that they’re using the coffee to bring the whole batter up a bit in temperature—this gives the cake a nice even cook. The same reason you want to bake with room temperature eggs. Cold batter or batters with uneven temperatures throughout can bake up weirdly. I’ve made this cake batter before, and I just use warm coffee—not nearly hot enough to burn your mouth. Incorporate it slowly and you will not risk scrambling your batter, so don’t worry about that.

Another thought—make this frosting with bourbon added—it’s so good. You can also step some ginger in a little bourbon overnight and add the gingery bourbon, that’s a nice touch.


Source: Southern Living