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Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake


I must apologize for the lack of posts.. been a week since we moved to our new place.. been one busy week i must add... hubs was home all of last week... he was sick and so was my little princess.. took both to docs and they are fine now.. has the whole exercise of moving been more hectic than bef or has it always been a tiring experience? ahaks.. sometimes u tend to forget how tiring it can be until u have to go thru the whole moving procedure again.. we took with us like 35 boxes in total and managed to get rid some of the furniture that didnt "fit" into our new concept.. am slowly buying new stuff to decorate my place and knowing me.. i will probably end up buying more when we go to Europe next month..


So anyway .. we are settling in nicely.. I managed to do the unpacking within 3 days which i am proud of.. i never thought that i will get it done this quick.. i also managed to play around with my new found love which is my oven hehe.. at first I was a little worried but when my first cake turned out well.. i knew that i hv made the right choice when it comes to oven..


Salted caramel chocolate cake was the first cake that i had baked in my new oven... last week was moms bday and since everyone would be at moms.. i decided to bake a chocolate cake.. the cake itself was easy to prepare... didnt take that long to get it done and while waiting for it to cool down.. i quickly prepared salted caramel ganache and also the stablized whipping cream.. now.. one thing that i will change is the recipe for the stablized whipping cream.. i found out later that it melts pretty easily.. everything else was just ...oh so perfect :o)

Ingredients
For the Cake
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot coffee, or 1 cup boiling water and 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract




For the Salted Caramel Ganache
9 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 66% valrhona)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 big pinches sea salt, preferably fleur de sel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Bean Filling
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavoured gelatin
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Sea salt for finishing

Instructions
For the Cake
Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line 2, 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add in the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.
Add in the buttermilk, hot coffee, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined. About 1 to 2 minutes.
Divide batter among cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pans about 10 minutes then remove from pans and cool on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

For the Salted Caramel Ganache
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.
In a medium heavy bottomed pot, combine the sugar and water, and stir to combine. Heat the mixture over medium high heat, without stirring, but swirling occasionally if the sugar is colouring unevenly. Heat until the sugar turns amber in colour. Remove from heat immediately and slowly add the heavy cream while whisking. If there are any clumps of sugar, return the pot to low heat and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and fleur-de-sel (or other coarse salt). Pour the caramel over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes, then gently stir until the ganache is well combined. Set aside to thicken, about 1 to 2 hours. *If the ganache becomes to thick, warm it over a double boiler until more workable to in the microwave for 10 second intervals.

For the Vanilla Bean Filling
Add the cold water to a small bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin over it. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes, until it has set.
In a small skillet, add about 1/2-inch of water, and heat over medium-high heat. Place the small bowl with the gelatin directly inside the skillet. Stir the gelatin until it is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the skillet.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean seeds, and beat on high speed until soft peaks have formed. Slowly add in the melted gelatin mixture and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed.

Assembly
Take the first cake layer and place it on a cake board or cardboard round slightly smaller than the cake layers. Spread a layer of ganache (a spreadable consistency) over the cake, about 1 cup. Top with the vanilla bean whipped cream. Top with the second cake layer. Refrigerate the cake for about 2 hours until the filling has set.
Heat the remaining ganache over a double boiler until it is a pourable consistency.
Set a cooling rack over a clean baking sheet. Remove the cake from the fridge and set it on top of the cooling rack. Pour the ganache over the cake so that it covers the tops and sides of the cake. Pour any ganache that has gone onto the baking sheet back into the bowl. If you have enough ganache, give the cake a second coating. Sprinkle the top of the cake with additional fleur-de-sel, or coarse sea salt. Refrigerate cake.

Note: i doubled the recipe of salted caramel ganache and used three 7" baking pan.. i let my ganache thicken bef frosting my cake..




It was a simple affair.. we talked.. we hung out and we laughed.. (pardon me for the pics in this post.. was too lazy to take pics using my DSLR) - Happy bday to mom, Shiela, sis Lyn and also Dafinah!


Last but not least... i thought i'd let u peep into my wet kitchen.. this is where i do my heavy cooking.. my dry kitchen is only meant for baking and today i managed to bake my first batch of macs.. Alhamdullilah..

My unfilled macs


40 comments:

Mas said...

wahhhh...mengancamnya kek tu kak..

cantikk la dapo akak tu...siap ada kabinet tuk sonia lagi...

Nisa-mom said...

oh wow,your new kitchen is awesome! and there is a spot for your little one too, someday she will gonna be a great baker than. Good luck at your new home,Rima..
*tag your recipe too :D

Rima said...

Ty Mas.. It's big enough for me to place her kitchen in it.. Iher cabinet used to be in her room n now with ample space.. I decided to place it in the wet kitchen.. Can keep an eye on her at the same time bila am busy cooking..

Marsita Yahya said...

Hi Rima,
salam kenal, nice kitchen. Kalau saya ada dapur cam ni rasanya nak tido kat dapur terus ha ha.
http://my-mintroom.blogspot.com/

Rima said...

Ty Nisa for the doas.. There is a certain calm in our new place n am praying for all the good things... For good health.. :)

Dewi said...

Kak Rima...!!!!!!!! Like finally a post from u... Hahah.. Windu se windu windu nye.... Heheh...
I really really love ur kitchen.. Besar nye!!!! Hahaaaa

And OMG..!! the mac..! Ehemmmmm... So kira da test run ur oven for macs la nie? Heheh.... I really really want (or should i say neeeeeedd) to order from u la kak.... For my special day.... Remember?? :))

Rima said...

LOL Marsita.. Memang boleh tertido pong.. Angin bertiup kenchang hahaha

Rima said...

Am sorry Dewi.. I know... I wanted to but when ever I wanna update.. Ku tertido.. Penat unpacking.. Penat jadi nurse.. Penat jadi bibik hahaha

Oh now that u mentioned.. When will it be again? SMS me ok.. Tks!

Hesti HH. said...

Selamat tuk pindahan rumahnya ya kak Rima. Dapurnya keren dan sangat luas...semoga rumah barunya penuh dengan keberkahan.

The cake looks so moist...aku tergodaaaa ^^

rahel said...

Tak sabar nak rasa kek salted caramel tu...

izahdaut said...

tu la, bila tengok kak rima update ni, wahh so fast kak rima mengemas.. dah setel dlm masa 3 days gitu.. tepuk tangan tepuk tangan.. hehehe...

best ruang dapur yang besar, like kampung style kan, dapur diorang luasss sebab kat situ best lepak n kenduri kendara ..mcm rumah kg saya :-)

Unaizah said...

Whoa!!!! Your new kitchen looks awesome & spacious! Nanti sure lebih bersemangat nak baking :-)

Puan Eka said...

lapar terus bila eka tengok kek akak tu,....

dapo akak cantiknyaaaaaaaaaaa

Ummu Madihah said...

Rima, kek u as usual, mengancam! Besarnya wet kitchen, every wife's dream!

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious

sabrina 莎莎 said...

Hi~~
Fisrt time comment here.. love ur blog so much~~ wit a lot delicious photo~~ ^^n love ur new kitchen~~ nice!!!

inahar ali said...

fuiyooooooo...mmg pengsaann terjelepuk pn doc kt pintu dapur rima ni haa..adehhh!!

Anonymous said...

NI MACAM I PUN SELALU RAJIN MASAK KAT DAPUR.HAHAHA.REALLY LUUUUUV THE KITCHEN
SABARIA

Liasari said...

Salam Rima,

Hi... i'm a silent reader. Oh Em Gee... ur wet kitchen is sooo spacious u can run a restaurant here... bestnya! I always admire ur passion for baking.

Jules said...

Your sis haircut's like Emeli Sande. I love love love Emeli Sande...a truly remarkable singer....your sis is a big fan too I'm sure ;)

Rima said...

Alhamdullilah Hesti.. semua nya sudah selamat.. tinggal mau buat doa selamat saja.. ty for the doas.. moga diberi keberkahan .. Amin

Bake it ok.. memang moist :o)

Rima said...

Rahel
for some reason.. i am so into salted caramel .. will hv to stock up my fleur de sal hehe

Rima said...

Alhamdullilah.. semua sudah settle.. tinggal nak menyopping ajer hehehe.. pindah rumah ni memang betul betul penat but kan bila tengok rumah baru.. barang baru.. hati byk senang muahaha

Yes like kampung .. got udara semula jadi.. tak yah on aircon hehe

Rima said...

Unaizah
big kitchen for cooking.. if nak bake kena lah pi kat dapur yg kecik sikit.. still semangat ku membara ahaks

Rima said...

Eka
lucky u see it waktu siang.. sempat nak pi cari cake if tak sempat nak bake one hehe

Rima said...

Ummu
so true! every wife dream

Rima said...

Ec
yes it was :o)

Rima said...

Aww ty Sabrina for leaving footprints.. am happy to hear fm u...

Rima said...

hahaha puan doc.. u ni kan.. nanti if u jatuh.. i will carry u ok oP

Rima said...

I love my new kitchen too Sabaria hehe

Rima said...

Ty Liasari.. i love it too cos semenjak pindah.. setiap kali waktu masak.. terasa macam chef di dapur sendiri hahaha

Rima said...

Jules
hahaha u kmow what.. i dont even know who Emeli is ahaks

Anonymous said...

Rima..alhamdulillah..settle sudah and alhamdulillah you and the oven agree with each other...haha...Congratulations Rima and I hope the house has a good 'vibe'..oh,and happy shoppingggg...
From:KNur-Trg

p/s:happy dpt tgk Sonia:-)

Bakericious said...

Rima, you got a dream kitchen leh... so can conduct baking class liao ar lol!

sugarmummy said...

Hi Rima!

Am trying out this chocolate cake recipe of yours for the first time. I have a few questions, if you mind, regarding this cake which I have just cooled on the rack ;-)

1) my usual choc cake recipe that i used is too dense for some of my friends' liking and I find the texture of this cake rather soft and a bit crumbly. Will it be suitable to be used below fondant?
2) you mentioned that this cake requires refrigeration after assembly. Will the texture of cake firm up and become very dense when I take out from fridge?
3) does this cake need to be in the fridge all the time in between serving too? Is it becos of the whipping cream filling? If I use normal buttercream or ganache as filling, can it be left at room temp after chilling in fridge for a while to firm up?

Sorry for the many questions but am looking forward to you reply!! In the meantime, can't wait for the cake to be ready for me to eat it...lol!!!! Michelle

Rima said...

Hi Michelle
Sorry for my late reply..

1) i hv not tried using it as base cake but i hv baked one bowl chocolate cake and the texture is abt the same as this one.. so yeah... i think its ok

2) yes it will of cos

3) if ur using buttercream or ganache... its ok.. i had to cos of the whipping cream

Ida said...

Hi there
Tat is one gorgeous cake!!
Can i know if coffee can b omitted in the recipe? If so, do i still have to add the water?
Thks
Ida

-<@ * Liana * @>- said...

As Salam kak Rima, memang teruja nak buat kek ni.
Semalam abru buat kek dia. hari ni akan buat salted caramel ganache dan vanilla cream.
seriously cake mmg senang sangat nak buat. Sampai I memang malas pakai mixer. Just kacau sumer (but follow step) hanya guna hand whisker tu je. Whisk..whisk..whisk..gaul semua, dan sukat dalam setiap loyang. Walah! mmg senang. Tekstur kek mmg cantik dan nampak lembap. Suka sangat :-)

-<@ * Liana * @>- said...

As Salam Kak Rima :-)
Update: Buat kek ni last weekend. The cake sooo perfect! Saya guna nescafe utk part coffee tu. Memang tak rasa langsung bab coffee tu. Tekstur kek memang lembut dan tak begitu manis. Just nice. :-)

Anonymous said...

Kak Rima,
Memang jodoh tak lari kemana... I'd bookmarked this recipe, had planned to bake it for my kid's birthday.. Alahay by the time nak buat; your blog privatised.. huh.. I "terpaksa" google..and buat juga.

As you deprivatised-kan blog ni (aka today).. I went to this page and nak save this recipe .. baru perasan that you also used recipe dari portugesegirlcancook juga!! - and funny thing, I also commented the same thing about ganache.. LoL.. Perhaps because I learnt abt baking from u.. you are my baking idol, Kak Rima!:)

ps. here is my post about the cake.. https://mysweetjournals.wordpress.com/2015/01/22/salted-caramel-ding-dong-chocolate-cake/

About Me

My photo
Hi.. I am a SAHM to 2 kiddoes..19yr old boy n 2 year old girl.. met my Austrian hubby here in Singapore and hv been living here all my life... my love for baking started when i was 6mths preggie to my daughter, Sonia... my addiction to baking has not stop eversince.. I hope to learn as much as i can abt baking and decorating and then share it with u along the way..