Last year I made a vanilla cake with an espresso buttercream for my father's birthday, this year we took a different route: A very light, almost sponge-like chocolate cake, with a light mousse salted caramel frosting. The resultant cake was absolutely delicious, with a tender crumb, not an overpoweringly sweet cake and simply veryyy light (so you can eat more than one piece)
Why do I prefer dry caramel over wet?
There are two methods to caramelize sugar to make caramel: the wet and dry method. I’m first going to point out the obvious here: wet caramel isn’t actually wet. It’s called ‘wet’ caramel, because it’s made with water, as opposed to ‘dry’ caramel, for which you need only sugar.
In other words, to make a dry caramel you heat sugar in a pan until it first liquefies (because sugar does this) and then caramelizes. To make a wet caramel, you combine sugar with water in a pot. You then first dissolve the sugar into the water over low heat, creating a sugar syrup. This syrup is further heated until all of the water evaporates. What’s left is pure, liquefied sugar, which is heated until it caramelizes.
I prefer dry caramel over wet simply because it is quicker and easier to make because the dry caramel has no liquid so there are no chances of your sugar crystallizing and then you having to start over again.
Ingredients For mini choc cake
All-Purpose Flour – Just the regular all-purpose white flour that you likely already have in your pantry. To get the most accurate results (and minimize dishes!), I like to do this on a scale by weight.
Sugar – Use granulated white sugar for this cake. Like the flour, I prefer to do this on a scale by weight, right inside the mixing bowl.
Baking Powder and Soda– A little bit of both
Egg, Milk, Vegetable Oil– You’ll also need these other common ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen
How to make the cake?
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, make a well in the center, add the wet ingredients, mix until just combined
Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Chill the cake until completely cooled
Make the dry caramel and the frosting
Frost the cake and chill until ready to eat
Yield: 8 generous servings (or upto 24 smaller pieces)
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1/2 cup (120ml) Vegetable oil (or any other flavorless oil)
1/2 cup (100g) Granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g) Brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup (120ml) Milk
1t Vanilla extract
1t Apple cider vinegar
1 cup (120g) All-purpose flour
1/2t Baking Soda
1/2t Baking powder
1/2 cup (50g) Cocoa powder
For the caramel:
1/2 cup (100g) Granulated sugar
2T (28g) Salted butter, cold
2T (30ml) Heavy cream
For the frosting:
3/4 cup (180ml) Heavy whipping cream, chilled
Directions:
For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease and line with parchment paper, two 6" round pans and set aside.
In a bowl, add milk and apple cider vinegar, let it sit for 1-2mins.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil and both the sugars until well combined, crack in the egg, mix until combined.
Add the now slightly curdled milk mixture, mix well. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and powder, and mix until just combined
Divide the batter roughly into two by pouring it into the prepared pans.
Bake cake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool cakes completely before frosting.
For the caramel:
In a heavy bottom saucepan (make sure it is completely dry), add the sugar and let it caramelize (as we are making a dry caramel, you can stir the sugar and it won't recrystallize).
Once all the sugar is melted and it gets a deep amber color, add the butter, mix until the butter is melted, then add the heavy cream, let it remain on the heat for two minutes, mix continuously, take it off the stove and it to a heat-proof bowl and let it cool completely
For the frosting:
Add heavy cream and the cooled caramel (reserve about 1T of the caramel for topping) and beat it for 4-5 minutes or until the frosting is thick and fluffy
Assembly:
Fill a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round nozzle with the frosting.
Smear a tiny bit of frosting on a cake board, then the first layer of cake, pipe dollops of whipped frosting onto the cake layer.
Place the top cake layer upside down, and repeat.
Garnish remaining salted caramel.
Notes:
*The cake is not too sweet, so you can add up to 1/4 cup (50g) Sugar more if you like a sweeter cake
The frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To use the chilled frosting: Let it come to room temp then whip it again for 2 minutes
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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