Sweet and Salty Millionaire’s Layer Cake
"Dark moist chocolate cake filled with satiny vanilla bean buttercream, homemade salted caramel, buttery shortbread crumble, dark chocolate ganache and frosted with more ganache and a sprinkling of sea salt...."
INGREDIENTS
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So, here’s the recipe for this sweet & salty Millionaire’s Layer Cake along with a quick list of the layer-pattern of this cake:
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cake
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buttercream + caramel + shortbread
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cake
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ganache
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cake
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buttercream + caramel + shortbread
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cake
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ganache
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cake
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buttercream + caramel + shortbread
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cake
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Yield: One 6-layer, 8-inch round cake
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Dark moist chocolate cake filled with satiny vanilla bean buttercream, homemade salted caramel, buttery shortbread crumble, dark chocolate ganache and frosted with more ganache and a sprinkling of sea salt.
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Ingredients
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For the Chocolate Cake:
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2 1/4 cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
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2 1/4 cups (450 g) superfine sugar
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3/4 cup (90 g) dark Dutch-process cocoa powder (I use Cacao Barry Extra Brute)
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2 1/4 teaspoons (10 g) baking soda
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2 1/4 teaspoons (10 g) baking powder
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1 teaspoon (8 g) salt
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1 cup (240 mL) buttermilk
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3/4 cup (180 mL) brewed coffee or espresso, hot
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1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
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3 eggs, room temperature
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1 tablespoons (15 mL) pure vanilla extract
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For the Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
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6 egg whites
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1 3/4 cups (350 g) sugar
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2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
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2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, seeded and scraped
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Pinch of salt
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For the Salted Caramel:
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2 cups (400 g) sugar
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1/2 cup (120 ml) water
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2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)
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2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
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2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
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Generous pinch of sea salt (I used Fleur de Sel)
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For the Shortbread Crumbs:
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1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
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1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
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1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
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For the Ganache Frosting:
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1 pound plus 6 ounces (700 g) best-quality dark chocolate (at least 53% cocoa solids), chopped or callets
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2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream (whipping cream)
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1/3 cup (110 g) corn syrup
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1/4 teaspoon sea salt
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8 tablespoons (120 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
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1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
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Sweetapolita’s Notes:
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For the chocolate cake layers, I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute Dutch-process cocoa powder, but you can use any quality dark Dutch-process variety of your choice.
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I have become rather fond of using vanilla bean paste instead of actual vanilla beans, as it’s convenient and more affordable.
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When you make the ganache frosting, you’ll notice that it’s a bit jiggly and gelatinous looking as it sets, but as soon as you being to spread it, it becomes smooth, glossy and glorious.
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Most cake does best at room temperature in terms of staying moist and fresh, but when it comes to building layer cakes, sometimes there’s no choice but to pop it in and out of the fridge a few times to stabilize it.
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