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Better Than Sex Cake
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4.93 from 56 votes

Better Than Anything Cake

Chocolate cake layers, covered with salted caramel, whipped cream, toffee candy and chocolate caramel buttercream.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Keyword: better than anything cake, better than sex cake, caramel, Chocolate Cake, chocolate caramel buttercream, salted caramel
Servings: 20 people

Ingredients

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 1/4 cups (373.75 g) cake flour
  • 3/4 cup (75 g) dark cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (8 g) salt
  • 2 cups (480 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) white distilled vinegar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons (10 g) baking soda
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, at room temperature

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (240 g) water
  • 2 teaspoons (14 g) light corn syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 g) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

  • 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon E-Z Gel

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

  • 1/4 cup (60 g) heavy whipping cream
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate
  • 2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, slightly cold
  • 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
  • 1/2 cup salted caramel, recipe above
  • *This buttercream recipe makes enough to fill and cover your cake. If you want to add additional piping, you’ll want to make an extra 1/2 batch.

FOR THE GARNISH AND FILLING

  • 2 cups crushed Heath Bars

Instructions

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another minute.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Once all of the eggs are added, continue to beat on medium-high speed for about two mintues, until the mixture gets lighter in color and bigger in volume.
  • With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1 cup of the buttermilk. Continue with another 1/3 of the flour, the second half of the buttermilk and then the remaining flour mixture. Stir until combined.
  • In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will bubble. Add the mixture to the cake batter and stir on low until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another 20 seconds.
  • Fold in the sour cream until no streaks remain.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (21 ounces in each of the 8-inch pans). Bake for about 33-38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
    Allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL

  • Mix the sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  • Bring the mixture to boil, but DO NOT STIR! (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it turns to a golden brown/amber color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
  • Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and very slowly stir in the cream, pouring it in little by little, to temper the cream and sugar syrup. If you pour it in all at once, your sugar will turn into hard candy. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
  • Once the cream is mixed in, add the salt and vanilla. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool to room temperature before using.  

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

  • Place a stainless steel bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to making the whipped cream.
  • When the bowl is chilled, combine the whipped, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Using whisk attachments on your hand mixer or your stand mixer, beat the ingredients on high. As you beat the whipped cream, gradually add the E-Z Gel.
  • Beat mixture until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM

  • Heat the cream and chocolate chips together in the microwave for about 45 to 60 seconds. Stir the mixture until the chips are melted. If the chocolate isn't melting enough, heat the mixture again for another 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. We want the ganache to be close to room temperature before adding it to the butter.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  • With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the ganache mixture, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat until silky, smooth.
  • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the caramel. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes.

FOR ASSEMBLY

  • Using a fork or the back of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the three cake layers. Try to avoid poking the holes all the way through the cake, but make sure to poke enough holes that the caramel can really soak into the cake.
  • Cover each cake layer with about 1/3 cup caramel. Use a spoon to spread the caramel and help push it into the holes you've created.
  • Place the first cake layer top side up, in the center of the cake board. Pipe a rim of buttercream around the edge of the cake. Gently spread 1/2 of the whipped cream over the cake layer. Sprinkle with crushed Heath bar candies and then a drizzle of caramel.
  • Repeat for second cake layer.
  • Place the final cake layer, top side down, on the second layer of filling.
  • Apply a thin layer of buttercream around the cake. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the crumb coat.
  • Once the crumb coat is set, continue frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream. Decorate with remaining candy and caramel.