Chocolate & Earl Grey Salted Caramel Cake
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Where are all my tea lovers? I have some great news for you. I found the cake, not a cake, the cake. A rich chocolate cake surrounded by an utterly fragrant Swiss cream, finally finished with salted caramel for a balance of flavors. See- I told you I found the cake! Now, let’s break down this tea themed crowd pleaser.
We first start with the chocolate cake which, I won’t lie, at first glance seems unfit for the rest of the flavor combinations. After a few different rounds of flavor testing, I came to the conclusion that the chocolate flavor not only works, but it is vital to the cake. Why? Swiss merengue buttercream is prone to being overly sweet, that just the nature of the beast! Introducing the chocolate flavor comes with a whole band of other flavor profiles. You can have underlying tones of coffee, caramel, and even a little bitterness- which in this case is more than welcomed.
Speaking of Swiss meringue buttercream, what even is that?! Well before I get into it, I’d just like to apologize. Why you ask? Because after you eat this buttercream you will never want to go back to any other buttercream ever again. I’ve never been a fan of the standard butter and powdered sugar buttercream, it can be too sweet, I can taste the sugar granules, and did I mention it’s too sweet? Don’t get me wrong in some cases it’s good and it fits- but not in this recipe. Swiss meringue buttercream- what is it? Swiss cream is silky smooth and significantly less sweet than something like standard buttercream (American) due to the process in which the sugar is cooked it is also relatively stable a great for decorating. I will say, Swiss meringue can be tricky but with the right technique you will nail it like a pro!
Finally, let’s talk caramel, more specifically salted caramel. Another perfect addition to the team! We start off by cooking the sugar granules along with water and corn syrup. Cooking with water to avoid crystallization, corn syrup for texture and medium/medium high heat to develop flavor. Once we’ve achieved the perfect color we add in cream and butter, yes plssss. That’s enough talking- it’s time to grab an apron your favorite snack and let’s tackle this cake!
Note: There will be troubleshooting guide at the end of the page for all 3 aspects of this recipe.
Chocolate & Earl Grey Salted Caramel Cake
Prep time: 1h 30
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yields: One 9” 3-layer cake
Author: Ireland Lindsay
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Cake:
1 ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup grapeseed or canola oil
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon espresso powder- optional
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
1 cup water- or room temperature coffee*
*If using espresso powder, opt for water. If not using espresso powder, opt for room temperature coffee.
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves
3 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla
For the Salted Caramel:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup*
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup heavy cream,
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*Corn syrup helps with texture! You can leave it out but just note your caramel will be runny and look different.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 350F and prepare three 9-inch pans with non-stick spray and parchment rounds.
COMBINE dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into a bowl- set aside.
INTO a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat sugar and oil for 2 minutes, until combined. Add in espresso powder, if using, vanilla and mix till combined- scraping down as needed. Add in eggs one at a time incorporating well after each addition.
TURN the mixer on low speed and add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternating with milk (dry ingredients, milk, dry ingredients, milk, dry ingredients) scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once combined turn the mixer to the lowest setting and stream in water or coffee, depending. Continue to mix until combined, avoid overmixing as this will cause gluten formation and result in a tough cake.
PORTION evenly into prepared baking pans and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the deepest point registers clean. Let cool completely and give yourself a pat on the back- you just made chocolate cake!
FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL:
INTO a heavy bottomed saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium/high heat until it begins to turn an amber color (Note: it may seem like it isn’t changing colors but keep your eye because once the mixture starts to turn in color is can burn very easily!) During the process avoid stirring, rather swirl the pan to ensure that it cooks evenly. This will also aid in avoiding crystallization.
ONCE you’ve achieved an amber color turn off heat and stream in heavy cream, be careful, due to the hot sugar coming into contact with the cream the mixture will spit and sputter. Add in butter, salt and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
TRANSFER to a heat safe container and store at room temperature till cake assembly. For extra caramel store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
FOR THE SWISS MERENGUE BUTTERCREAM:
PLACE ¾ cup of the butter and earl grey tea into a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over low heat to infuse the butter. Once the butter is melted turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes strain the butter/tea mixture and let cool till it reaches the same texture as room temperature butter. Or in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. For a faster cooling time use a wider container so the butter creates a thinner layer.
Note: You don’t want to cook the butter mixture you simply want to melt down the butter then let the flavors infuse over the 5 minute period.
CREATE a double boiler. Whisk egg whites and sugar into a heat safe bowl then place on top of your double boiler and cook for 6 minutes or until registers 160F with a digital thermometer- or until the mixture loosens and you don’t feel any sugar granules.
TRANSFER egg white/sugar mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip on medium speed for 8-10 minutes or until medium stiff peaks are reached, the mixture should be slightly glossy, and the outside of the bowl should be completely cool. Note: It is super important that the bowl/mixture all of it is completely cool. If not, your Swiss meringue buttercream won’t set.
ONCE you’ve achieved the correct texture slowly add in your room temperature butter one tablespoon at a time mixing well after each addition. Once you’ve added all your butter, add in vanilla. Your end result should be a silky smooth and light buttercream (See Swiss meringue troubleshooting notes at the end of page.)
FOR ASSEMBLY:
AT this point you should have your cakes and salted caramel completely cooled, and your fresh Swiss merengue buttercream prepared. You are now ready to assemble! To start gather all your tools to finish the cake. Tools could include a turn table, offset spatula, and bench scraper.
LEVEL the tops of your cakes (if needed) and place one cake layer directly down onto your turn table. Next, evenly portion icing into center of cake and using your offset spatula guide the frosting from center to the edges smoothing along the way (avoid getting crumbs into the frosting). Place another cake layer on top of the previous and repeat the above step. Once you’ve come to the last layer, flip it over and place on top to finish your cake stack- look at you, you cake stacking pro!
WITH the leftover frosting smooth onto the sides of the cake- avoiding getting leftover crumbs into the frosting. This seems like a simple step, and it is! Just remember to be patient and don’t worry if it doesn’t look “perfect”!
NEXT, carefully pour about ¼ cup of caramel into the top. Then, take a spoon and guide to the edges of the cake.
FINALLY, cry some tears of joy and give yourself a high-five because you just made a cake from scratch!
SLICE and enjoy! Cover and store at room temperature for up to 5 days- if it even lasts that long ;)
RECIPE TROUBLESHOOTING:
For the cake:
Even if your cakes didn’t rise out of the pan, still level the tops slightly so that your cake has the needed structure.
For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
If after the butter has been added and the buttercream appears to be curdled, the butter was probably too cold. In this case, just keep mixing! It can take longer up to 10 to 15 minutes until the butter is completely emulsified into the meringue mixture. If the buttercream remains “broken” you may have to restart the buttercream process. It is completely ok- sometimes this happens to me too.
If after the butter has been added and the buttercream turns soupy, the butter was probably too warm, or the meringue didn’t completely cool before the butter was added. In this case, transfer everything (the bowl and buttercream) into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes then mix until smooth.
For the Salted Caramel:
As usual, try to pre measure your ingredients. Once the sugar begins to turn everything moves pretty quickly and everything is easy to burn.
When pouring the caramel onto the cake, make sure it is no longer hot. It should be fluid enough to drip off the edge of the cake without melting the buttercream.
If you have extra caramel, store in the refrigerator and warm up in the microwave to use again. Salted caramel is great for things like ice cream sundaes!
Recipe by @IreBakes
