Chocolate and Salted Caramel Crunch
Prep time: 45 minutes plus cooling and setting
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 18
Ingredients:
For the cake
100g (3.5oz) Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ Extra Dark Chocolate (72%), finely chopped
200g (7oz) plain flour
1 ½ tsp (7g) Dr Oetker Baking Powder Tub
½ tsp (3.5g) Dr Oetker Bicarbonate of Soda Tub
40g (1.4oz) Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder, sifted
125g (4.4oz) unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
150g (5.3oz) caster sugar
150g (5.3oz) light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
125g (4.4oz) natural yoghurt
For the salted caramel sauce and crunchy topping
175g (5.6oz) caster sugar
2 tbsp (40ml) Dr. Oetker Liquid Glucose
150ml double cream
50g (1.7oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
100g (4oz) cornflakes
½ tsp sea salt
Dr. Oetker Shimmer Spray Gold
For the Buttercream
50g (1.75oz) Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ Extra Dark Chocolate 72%, finely chopped
150g (5.3oz) unsalted butter, at room temp
¼ tsp sea salt
500g (17.6oz) icing sugar, sifted
2tbsp Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder
180g (6.3oz) full fat cream cheese
Method:
- Heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4. Grease 2 x 20cm cake tins and line with baking parchment.
- For the cake; put the chocolate in a bowl and heat in the microwave for around 30 seconds, (keep heating in short bursts if needed), then mix until just combined. In a jug mix 175ml of lukewarm water with the yoghurt, mix around a third of this into the melted chocolate, once combined mix in the rest until smooth. In a separate bowl mix the flour, Baking Powder, Bicarbonate of soda and Cocoa Powder.
- Cream the butter and sugars until creamy and pale. Gradually beat in the eggs and then gently fold in the flour mixture. Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the cake batter. Divide between the cake tins, smooth the top then bake for 25-30 mins. allow to cool for 20 mins in the tins then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
For the salted caramel sauce and crunchy topping; (have a baking tray lined with baking parchment ready) put the sugar, liquid glucose and 2tbsp of water in a medium heavy based saucepan over a low heat to melt. Do no stir the mixture, tilt the pan to help combine and if required use a wet pastry brush to help push down any undissolved sugar into the mixture. Meanwhile put the cream in a separate small saucepan and set over a low heat until warm.
- Turn up the heat to medium high and bubble the mixture until it’s golden caramel coloured (3-4 mins). Take off the heat then add 3 ½tbsp of the cream, once it stops bubbling add the butter and mix until smooth. Carefully ladle a third of this mixture into the pan with the cream. Add the cornflakes to the caramel mixture in the larger pan and fold with a spatula until evenly coated, spoon into 6 large or 12 small rounds and set of the baking tray to set and cool (around 20 mins). Spray with the gold shimmer spray.
- Put the pan with the salted caramel sauce back on the heat, add the salt and mix until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool.
- For the buttercream; pour 2tbsp of boiling water over the Dark Chocolate, out in the microwave for a few seconds then mix until smooth, leave to cool. Beat the butter and salt in a mixing bowl until soft, add the icing sugar and cocoa powder then beat until smooth. Mix in the melted chocolate then gently mix in the cream cheese.
- To assemble; put one of the sponges on a serving plate, using a palette knife spread a layer of the buttercream over the top then set the other sponge on top. Spread the rest of the buttercream on top and on the sides of the cake in an even layer. Set the cornflake rounds on top of the cake around the edges then pour the salted caramel sauce into the middle and between the cornflake rounds.
