A super soft, moist chocolate cake is always great. But topped with a frosting that’s caramel and dark chocolate? Ummm, yes please. It is so explosively good, I don’t have enough words. But every single person who has eaten it has gone into raptures, and I’m sure you will too. This cake is all about that frosting and it’s perfect for a large gathering so makes a great celebratory cake too!
This is called a Wellesley Fudge Cake, which came from an America’s Test Kitchen recipe I saw over on Hummingbird High along with the story of how it got its name. I’d made it a few years ago on my birthday and decided to update the recipe and reshoot it.
Instead of the traditional square cake, I bake this as a round cake because I don’t have two square pans and my oven only fits one at a time anyway. I still got a good-sized two layer cake out of it, so yay! I reduced the baking soda a little because in my experience with larger batters, the center tends to sink with a high amount of leavener, especially if it fills the pan a fair bit. The biggest change I made though was to cut down the sugar in the frosting A LOT and use cream instead of evaporated milk because it’s just more easily available. So though the frosting is darker coloured than it would be if I had also used a lot of icing sugar, it is still the perfect dark-sweet balance in terms of flavour.
The cake is plenty sweet as well, so I really didn’t want to be overwhelmed by the frosting and I absolutely love this version even with those changes. It has a wonderful caramel flavour and is stickier and thicker than a regular buttercream frosting.
This is a cake that definitely needs to be eaten at room temperature because the caramel hardens as it cools and so even though it’s best stored in the fridge in humid environments, it’ll taste great only if left out for a bit. I also loved it immediately after frosting, even though of course, the slices are a bit neater if the cake gets a chance to rest. But what’s a chocolate cake if not a little messy?
It really is an amazing chocolate cake and I hope you love it as much I do!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Chocolate Cake with Caramel Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup milk + 1 tsp lemon juice (250 ml; or use buttermilk)
- 3/4th cup freshly boiled water (190 ml)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (40 gms)
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (300 gms)
- 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
- 1 cup butter, room temp (230 gms)
- 1 and 1/2 cups caster sugar (285 gms)
- 2 eggs, room temperature (see notes)
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 1 and 1/2 cups soft brown sugar, light or dark (320 gms)
- 1 cup cream at room temperature (250 ml; regular cream is ok, but whipping cream is better)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (115 gms)
- 1/4 tsp salt, plus more if needed
- 225 gms dark chocolate (90% cocoa), finely chopped (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted very well (60 gms)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 C. Grease a 9 inch round cake tin very well and preferably use a springform tin for easy removal. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice. Stir and set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the hot water and cocoa powder. Whisk well until the cocoa has dissolved. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat again to combine.
- Now alternately fold in the flour mixture and soured milk in three additions, starting and ending with the flour so that the batter doesn't curdle. Use a silicone spatula to fold the batter until smooth but be gentle. If needed, use the hand mixer on low speed to break up any lumps. Because this is a large amount batter, if you have a stand mixer, it makes the process a little easier and less messy. Use the paddle attachment.
- Finally pour in the cooled cocoa mixture and beat gently to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothen the top and bake for 1 hour, then an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the center comes out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter. Over-baking the cake will lead to it drying out so keep an eye on it.
- Set aside to cool completely before frosting. I prefer refrigerating the cake for 30 minutes before I frost it so it's sturdier to slice in half, and the crumbs don't go everywhere.
- To make the frosting, combine the brown, half the cream, half the butter and the salt in a saucepan. Place on low heat, stirring frequently till the mixture looks uniform, begins to darken and form small bubbles. This should just take a couple of minutes, after which you will start seeing large bubbles forming all over the surface and the mixture looking thicker and darker. See photos below.
- Take off the heat, stir in the remaining cream and butter, which will help the mixture cool a bit. Let it cool for another few minutes until it's warm but not hot. In the meantime, melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave or double boiler, taking care that it's also not too hot.
- Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to the caramel, stirring gently to combine. Sift in the icing sugar and stir gently to incorporate. This frosting has a high proportion of fat and can sometimes get a slightly oily appearance. Be as gentle as you can while mixing in the chocolate as being vigorous can cause the fat to separate quickly.
- Let the frosting rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. It will thicken up a little (adding more icing sugar will help thicken it faster but it's already very sweet so I wouldn't recommend it!). Place in the fridge, stirring it occasionally for another 20 to 30 minutes till it's thick but still of a spreadable consistency.
- Now slice the cake in two horizontally using a long serrated knife or cake cutter. Lift the top half off carefully with a large metal spatula and set it on a plate nearby. Spread half the frosting on the lower half of the cake in an even layer, letting it come to the sides. Gently place the top half back on it, then spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides. Add sprinkles! You can eat it immediately but I recommend refrigerating for 20 minutes before slicing.
- Store the cake in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer for longer. It tastes best at room temperature as butter cakes tend to harden in the fridge, as does the caramel frosting, so leave individual slices out for a bit before you enjoy them. Happy baking!
Notes
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Hi Gayatri. I’ve made some of your breads with great success and with my own fillings etc. This cake u mention is almost identical to one I’ve been making for the past 40 years or more. Devil’s food cake. A simple recipe from Cadbury cook book. It’s super soft. The differences are slight between the recipes, yours and mine. I use plain dahi instead of milk or sour cream and usually ice with simple. ganache. But thank you for the recipes u send on.