Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Layer Cake

Ingredients: 

Cake:

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder 
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules

Filling:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 5 to 6 cups powdered sugar

Frosting:

• 12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup very hot water
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• pinch of salt

Instructions: 

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9" cake pans and set aside. 

In an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the eggs, milk, and oil. Stir for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the coffee granules to the boiling water and stir into the batter. The batter will be very thin. 

Distribute evenly between three cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Filling:

In a saucepan, slowly combine the sugar and water. Be careful not to let the mixture splash upon the sides of the pan. Set the pan over low heat and stir gently until the sugar completely dissolves, about 10 minutes. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before letting the mixture come to a boil. 

Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat and bring the syrup to a boil. Once brought to a boil, cover the saucepan and let boil for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes reduce the heat, and continue to let the mixture boil until the edges turn golden brown. Once the edges turn golden brown, gently swirl the pan until the syrup turns a dark amber color. 

Remove the syrup and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Next stir in the cream. Stir in the vanilla and the salt. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any caramel lumps. Pour into a bowl to let cool to room temperature, or put in the refrigerator to speed up the process. 

Once the syrup is room temperature place 1 1/2 sticks of butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until the butter is light and fluffy. Add in the caramel sauce and then add in the powdered sugar until desired constancy. 

Frosting:
Place the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a double broiler. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the melted chocolate cool to room temperature. In a small bowl stir the cocoa powder and water. 

With an electric mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, and salt. Add in the room temperature, melted chocolate, and the cocoa powder water mixture. Beat until smooth.

Assembly:

Level the cake layers if necessary. Place the cake layers on a cake board or platter. Top the cake layer with 1/3 of the caramel buttercream and smooth out evenly. Place the second cake layer on top and smooth another 1/3 of buttercream. Place the final cake layer on top. Cover the top and sides of the layer cake with the chocolate frosting and smooth out with an offset spatula. 

Use additional caramel buttercream to pipe decorative accents on the top and bottom of the cake like I did in the picture above.