Chocolate Toffee Cake

Chocolate Toffee Cake
German's Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Toffee Cake

This recipe started off as me making a German's chocolate cake, inspired specifically by Bobby Flay's recipe in an old Food Network show. Unsurprisingly, it was quite delicious. As usual, I'm not one to leave things be and when I started on a toffee kick, I decided to adapt the base recipe into something to meet my new desires. This cake is the result of that experimentation.

Burke's Recipe
Ingredients

Filling/Drizzle:

  • 4 ¾ cups 2% milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped (3 Tsp extract)
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups crushed Heath bars or toffee of choice (uncoated)
  • 2 teaspoons of Bailey's or desired alcohol (optional)

Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon caramel (From filling)

Chocolate Cake:

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ cups muscavado light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions

Filling/Drizzle:

  1. Bring the milk to a simmer over a low heat in a small saucepan (Keep warm while preparing the rest of caramel)
  2. Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook (without stirring) until it reaches a dark amber color
  3. Slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until smooth
  4. Add vanilla and corn syrup to the mixture
  5. Bring to a boil and then reduce the temperature to medium
  6. Continue to cook - stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon - until it reaches the desired consistency (~55 minutes)
  7. Once reduced, remove from the heat and whisk in cold butter, vanilla extract, salt, and alcohol of choice
  8. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the toffee bits
  9. Let it cool to room temp, stirring occasionally before using

Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

  1. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix together the sugar and butter on low until blended
  2. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat for ~3 minutes
  3. Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat until you reach the desired consistency, adding more cream as necessary
  4. Once consistency is reached, mix in caramel to finish

Chocolate Cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
  2. Butter 2 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl
  4. Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
  5. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute
  6. Remove from the heat and add the sugars and whisk until dissolved
  7. Add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth
  8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well
  9. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and back on the middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean (~42 minutes)
  10. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes
  11. Invert the cakes onto the baking rack and let cool for an hour
  12. Slice each cake in half horizontally
  13. Alternate each layer with cake and then the buttercream frosting and then spread the frosting evenly around the outside
  14. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top
  15. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing
Ingredients

Filling/Drizzle:

  • 2 cups whole milk 
  • 1 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk (recommended: Mount Thai brand)
  • 1 cup goat's milk
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure cane sugar 
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 vanilla  bean, seeds scraped
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 
  • 2 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons coconut rum, optional
  • 1 1/4 cups toasted coarsely chopped pecans
  • 1 1/4 cups sweetened coconut

Ganache:

  • 8 ounces heavy cream
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Chocolate Cake:

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good quality Dutch process cocoa powder (such as Valhrona or Cocoa Barry)
  • 1 1/2 cups muscavado light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups strongly brewed black coffee, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Coconut Whipped Cream:

  • 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk (recommended: Cocoa Lopez)
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar or granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coconut rum
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup lightly toasted sweetened coconut
Directions

    Filling/Drizzle:

    1. Bring the milks to a simmer over a low heat in a small saucepan (Keep warm while preparing the rest of caramel)
    2. Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over high heat and cook (without stirring) until it reaches a dark amber color
    3. Slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until smooth
    4. Add vanilla and corn syrup to the mixture
    5. Bring to a boil and then reduce the temperature to medium
    6. Continue to cook - stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon - until it reaches the desired consistency (~55 minutes)
    7. Once reduced, remove from the heat and whisk in cold butter, vanilla extract, salt, and rum
    8. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the pecans and coconut
    9. Let it cool to room temp, stirring occasionally before using

    Ganache:

    1. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat
    2. Put the chocolate into a medium bowl and add the hot cream and the corn syrup
    3. Let it sit for 30 seconds before gently whisking smooth
    4. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake

    Chocolate Cake:

    1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
    2. Butter 2 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper
    3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl
    4. Melt the 12 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
    5. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 1 minute
    6. Remove from the heat and add the sugars and whisk until dissolved
    7. Add the coffee, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and continue whisking until smooth
    8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well
    9. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and back on the middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean (~42 minutes)
    10. Let cool in the pans on a baking rack for 20 minutes
    11. Invert the cakes onto the baking rack and let cool for an hour
    12. Slice each cake in half horizontally
    13. Alternate each layer with cake and then the filling and then spread the rest evenly around the outside
    14. Drizzle the ganache over the top
    15. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing

    Coconut Whipped Cream:

    1. Combine the heavy cream, coconut milk, sugar, rum, and vanilla in a mixer and mix until soft peaks form
    2. Serve a dollop on each slice
    Tags
    Dessert
    Inspired