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This Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge Cake is the definition of the word “indulgent”. It is an ultra moist and chocolatey cake covered in an unbelievable chocolate caramel fudge frosting, with more salted caramel between the layers. It is the perfect centerpiece for any dessert table, and will be wiped clean before you know it (seriously, as one of my taste testers said, “this cake just changed my life”)!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THIS RECIPE
You need to try this recipe if…
- You love chocolate cakes, but want something a little different. The salted caramel adds a new dimension and depth of flavor and texture to this cake, making it stand out from regular chocolate cakes
- You love caramel. If you’re a fan of caramel, you will be obsessed with this cake! The caramel flavor comes through, even with all that chocolate
- You want to impress. Looking to bring dessert to a party or gathering this holiday season? I can guarantee there are few options better than this cake! It looks and tastes absolutely spectacular and everyone will love you for it
ELEMENTS OF THIS SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE
This cake has three main components:
- The chocolate cake. This is the same cake I use in my Best Matilda Chocolate Cake recipe, which needs absolutely no changes (as they say, don’t fix what’s not broken). It is very easy to make, super moist, rich and chocolatey, and comes together with just 10 minutes of work
- Salted caramel sauce. A delicious and silky homemade salted caramel sauce is used to make the frosting and added between the cake layers. It is my tried and trusted recipe, and you should check out this blog post for all my tips, tricks and photos to help you perfect it!
- Chocolate caramel fudge frosting. This frosting is my pride and joy. It is a unique frosting made with lots of dark chocolate, cream cheese, heavy cream, and the salted caramel sauce from above. It is silky smooth, rich and creamy, and remains the perfect soft texture even when refrigerated. It will truly blow your mind!
TIPS TO PERFECT THIS RECIPE
Let’s go over a few of my best tips to help you perfect this recipe.
For the cake:
- Weigh the dry ingredients, especially the flour, for the best results. I love this inexpensive scale from Amazon
- Use Dutch Processed cocoa powder – it tastes way better!
- Never overmix the cake batter. Always whisk slowly and only until the ingredients are combined and you don’t see big lumps
- Don’t overbake the cakes. Check with a toothpick around the 20 minute mark, you want it to have light, moist crumbs on it
- Let the cakes fully cool down before you handle and frost them. They are quite soft and delicate, and can break if you try to work with them when they’re warm
For the salted caramel sauce:
Check out my detailed blog post which goes in depth on how to easily make the perfect salted caramel sauce.
For the frosting:
- Use high quality dark chocolate; I have the best results with Lindt 70% chocolate bars
- Pass through a sieve to remove any lumps! This will ensure your frosting is perfectly smooth
- Use temperature to your advantage. If the frosting feels runny, refrigerate until it becomes a spreadable consistency. On the other hand, if you see any solidified chocolate or the frosting becomes too stiff, remove ~1 cup, microwave for 20s to warm it up, and gently fold it back in the remaining frosting
PROCESS WITH PHOTOS
The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let’s go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
For the cake, whisk together the wet ingredients except the water until smooth:
Sift and mix all the dry ingredients except the cocoa powder and coffee in a separate bowl, and gently whisk them into the wet ingredients:
Separately, mix the cocoa powder and instant coffee with the boiling water. Add that mixture to the cake batter and gently fold until combined:
Divide the batter between 3 8″ cake pans and bake:
Make the salted caramel sauce and let it fully cool down:
For the frosting, whisk together the cream cheese, cocoa powder, powdered sugar and salt:
Then mix in the salted caramel sauce, heavy cream, and melted dark chocolate one by one until a smooth, shiny frosting forms:
Let everything cool down. To assemble, trim off the dome from the cake, and cover in frosting:
Pipe frosting around the edge and pour salted caramel sauce in the middle. Repeat with all layers, then cover the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate with more caramel sauce:
Serve & enjoy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, you can, but you will get the best results with Dutch processed cocoa powder.
I do not recommend skipping the coffee as it enhances the chocolate flavor. You won’t taste it!
You can make buttermilk by mixing whole milk and vinegar. I’ve added this to the recipe below.
I don’t recommend substituting the sour cream. If you can’t find it anywhere, you can make it at home. See my homemade sour cream recipe!
You’ve either added too much flour, overmixed the batter, or overbaked the cake causing it to become dry and crumbly. Measure the ingredients carefully and follow the instructions closely for best results.
Since melted chocolate is a main ingredient in the chocolate fudge frosting, it’s consistency will change with temperature. If it is runny, you need to chill it. If it is hard, you need to let it warm up at room temperature. I find it best to use after chilling for just 15-20 minutes.
This cake is best kept and eaten at room temperature. You can keep it in an airtight container in a cool place for 2-3 days. If you need to keep it for longer, transfer it to the fridge and keep for a week. If refrigerating, I recommend letting the cake come to room temperature, or microwaving each slice for 10-15 seconds before eating.
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all purpose flour (260g), sifted
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar (135g)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, ideally room temp
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil (133g)
- ⅓ cup buttermilk (80g) – mix ⅓ cup whole milk (80g) + 1 teaspoon vinegar to make your own
- 1 cup sour cream (240g), ideally room temp
- ¾ cup cocoa powder, Dutch Processed preferred (75g)
- 2 tsp instant coffee
- ¾ cup boiling water (180g)
Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter (70g)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed up (120g)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Caramel Fudge Frosting:
- 200g dark chocolate (70%)
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temp (226g)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (33g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (100g)
- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce from above
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold (240g)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F (no fan) and prepare 3 8″ pans with parchment paper and butter
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and salt. Whisk together until no lumps remain
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and sour cream until smooth
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 additions, and gently whisk and fold until they are just combined and no big lumps remain. Do not overmix
- In a separate small bowl, add the cocoa powder and instant coffee. Pour over the boiling water and whisk until a smooth shiny mixture forms
- Pour the cocoa mixture onto the remaining batter, and gently fold until a chocolate cake batter forms
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake pans
- Bake for ~22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with light moist crumbs attached
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then carefully remove them and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely (I recommend refrigerating for 1 hour covered in cling wrap)
Salted Caramel Sauce:
- Add the sugar to a wide bottomed non-stick pan. Place on the stove on the lowest heat setting and cook until the sugar has melted. This can take ~10-15 minutes. Once the sugar starts to melt, use a clean spoon to lightly stir to encourage all of it to melt evenly. If any hard sugar lumps appear, do not worry and keep cooking as they will melt
- Once the sugar has melted, continue to cook for a couple minutes on the lowest heat until it form a deep golden color, then turn off the heat
- Add the room temperature butter and vigorously stir until combined. It’s ok if the mixture looks slightly separated. Then add the warmed up cream and stir vigorously until a smooth caramel sauce forms
- Stir in the salt and vanilla
- Pour the sauce into a bowl or jar and let cool down at room temperature for 1 hour. It will thicken up as it cools
Chocolate Caramel Fudge Frosting:
- Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave (in 15-20s increments). Set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature cream cheese and sift in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Use the paddle attachment and whisk on medium speed until the mixture becomes creamy (1-2 minutes). Scrape the bowl
- Add ½ cup of the cooled down salted caramel sauce and whisk on low speed until combined. Scrape the bowl again
- Add the melted chocolate (it should still be quite warm) and whisk again on low speed until combined
- Lastly, add in the heavy cream and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. The frosting should be smooth but slightly runny in consistency; do not overmix. If you see any hardened lumps of chocolate, remove a small amount of frosting, microwave it for 20 seconds, and mix back into the remaining frosting
- Let the frosting cool down until it becomes spreadable, about 15-20 minutes in the fridge
Assembly:
- Once the cakes and frosting have cooled down, it’s time to assemble. Use a large serrated knife to carefully trim off the domes from the cakes
- Place the first cake layer onto a turntable. Spread on a layer of the frosting, then use a piping bag to pipe some frosting around the edge to create a “dam”. Pour 3-4 tbsp of the salted caramel sauce inside the dam and spread it out; the piped frosting will prevent it from flowing over the edges. Repeat with the next layer, then top off with the third cake layer
- Cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Then slather on the remaining frosting all over. Drizzle over any remaining caramel sauce however you want to
- Serve & enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Notes
This cake is best eaten at room temperature.
If you like this recipe, also check out these!
Comments
K
This was DIVINE!
Maria
Hii! I just bought ingredients for this cake and my cream cheese is salty, it said it was fully natural, so I assumed no seasonings were added. ;( Can I still use it? Or should I buy another one like Philadelphias cream cheese?
Zoha
I’d recommend philadelphia cream cheese for the best results!
Christine Clark
made this for my granddaughters birthday. was a big success. very dark, delicious cake. only problem was the caramel seeped through one layer but that was my fault. the frosting dam was not secure all the way around. will make again for sure.
Devaki Hingorani
what cn we use as replacment for eggs
Hifza
Hey Zoha love the recipe. Because of your recipes I am now known as the pro baker in my friend‘s circle! 🙈 Thank you so much.
Just a small question, can I double this recipe? I want to bake this for my friend‘s birthday but I am not sure if I can double the recipe for sponge?
Cecile
The flavors are wonderful. Super moist! I followed the recipe to a tee but the frosting didn’t turn shiny like the cake in the post.
Anyway, delicious cake!
Kristina
Made for my son’s birthday today and we all loved it!!! I was so proud that I made my own salted Carmel. I would add to the recipe- don’t stop mixing the sugar and be confident that it will melt. I added butter too soon and had to start over, but this cake is worth it!!!!!! Yummmmmm
Zuhaa
Hi Zoha!
I’ve tried a couple of your recipes now and they are all great!
I’m planning on making this recipe, day after, and was slightly confused about the sugar. You’ve used dark brown sugar on the video but the written recipe asks for light brown sugar. Could you please clarify which one brings out the flavor of the cake better?
Tia
This May sound silly but can I leave out the icing sugar
Samra Shaikh
Hi Zoha ! Made the salted caramel chocolate fudge cake following your recipe and it turned out amazing ! One of the yummiest cakes 💕 stay blessed I love your recipes have tried 3-4 of them so far and all have been a hit 😘
Sitara
Hello please could you tell us what we can substitute eggs with
Anastasiya Gorodnicha
Hi Zoha! I will make this cake tomorrow or the day after for my fiancé’s birthday. I won’t have enough time to do everything in one day so I planned to do the cake tomorrow and the frosting/assembling the next day. I also only have one mould. I saw in an earlier comment you said to use two and cut into four, but what solution do you have if I only have one mould? And what advice do you have for preservation / making it in two days? Thanks a lot!!
Zoha Malik
Hi there! You can prepare the cake layers beforehand. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then carefully take them out of the pans, wrap them in cling wrap, and refrigerate. You can also prepare the caramel sauce and frosting the day before and just leave them at room temperature. Then assemble the day of.
1 pan is definitely going to be tough with so much batter. So what you can do is bake half the batter at a time, so you bake in 2 layers, then divide each layer into 2 after cooling.
Zoha
Thank you so much, Samra! This means the world to me!
Nupur Misra
can we use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
May xiong
Hi, can we make this recipe in cupcakes?
Zoha
You sure can!
Noni
Hi zoha
thankyou so much for the lovely recipe. we love this cake and I made it before for my son’s birthday and everybody asked for recipe and I shared ur link.
but tomorrow is My other son birthday I made it but the frosting becomes too soft and layers start to loose it’s shape like it’s dragging towards one side. I put in the fridge it becomes fine but as soon as I take out it drags to one side. not holding it’s shape. It’s 30 degrees here please help.
Zoha Malik
Hi Noni! Sounds like it’s just really hot where you are. I recommend keeping the cake refrigerated. Wrap it in cling wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight to allow everything to set, then take out only when you’re ready to serve.
Paru
I’m so hyped to make this cake for my best friend’s birthday tomorrow! I just have a small question — how long can the cake stay outside of the fridge once all the icing is done? Will it melt? Would be great if you can reply .
Zoha
Hi Paru! In a cool room it can stay out for 1-2 days covered in cling wrap. But the frosting will become very soft
Zoha
Should be fine!
Aaliya
If you’re looking for an easy chocolate cake recipe, this is not the recipe for you. BUT all the work you put in 1000% worth it! 🫣
I wanted to bake a cake for someone and I picked this recipe because where else would I go if not here?
I got all the ingredients and started making it, working with caramel is tricky some of mine turned into “candy” and more than half of it was a proper caramel sauce.
So i definitely did something right but also something wrong 😂
I also didn’t let the cakes cool in the pan as she instructed, and guess what one of the three cracked as I was taking it out of the pan I then tried to assemble this cake with this broken sponge, which is unbelievably soft! And of course my cake fell apart 😭😭
So I assembled the rest of it in the cake mould because I still want to use it and I didn’t know what else to do.
The best thing you can do is follow this recipe to the T.
Because if I had just done that it would’ve even looked perfect!
But it tastes amazing is sooooo worth the effort!
10/10 would make it again ❤️
Thanks Zoha!
Zoha
AW thank you for your kind review, and I am so sorry to hear about all the trouble you had! Yessss, it is important to follow instructions in baking as it can be finicky at times, but I am glad you persevered and ended up in a good spot <3
Zoha
Aaliya, you are so kind and sweet! I am so sorry for the mistakes / obstacles you faced, I know how frustrating that can be. But you’re right, baking is an exact science so it’s always best to follow the recipe exactly. Best of luck for next time and thank you for the love!
Zoha
Haha I would have to agree!
Rahmah
what can I substitute sour cream with?
Diana
I used strained Greek yougurt!
Zubin
Love love love your recipes 💕
Zoha
THANK YOU :’)
Maheen
I mean just please bring out your own book already. so well explained. not gonna lie, I was first intimidated to attempt this cake…and it’s not the easiest ake because it has many steps and also I struggle with ratio of cream while decorating BUT I made and you explained each step so well that the making this beauty was actually manageable. my family loooved it! jazaakillahu khairan Zohaa!
Zoha Malik
Maheen, ily! Thank you for such a kind review! Come back and bake more! <3
shahzeb
delicious!
Liesa
Can I make the caramel a day before I want to frost the cake and if so, do I keep it in the fridge please?
Zoha Malik
Hi Liesa! Yes, that is totally fine. Just reheat in the microwave. I recommend 10 second increments, gentle stirring in between, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Juweria
This cake turned out amazing! Easy to make, so moist, perfect level of sweetness. The frosting is delish!
Zoha
SO glad, Juweria! Thank you
Giorgiana
Hi Zoha,
I tried your recipe and I have to admit, is not difficult to make and it turns out absolutely fantastic. I held on a bit of the chocolate fudge and piped on half of the top and decorated with fresh mint leaves. it looks spectacular.
I do have 1 question: you mention dividing the batter in 3 and pouring it in 3 different pans, but do you bake them all at once or is it safe to let the other 2 sit while baking?
I don’t have 3 pans of the same size and divided ingredients before mixing and mixed 1 by 1.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and suggestions. the caramel sauce is perfect!!
Ismahan
Thank you !!
I can’t wait to try it !
Sarah Hussain
hi zoha. I have the same question!
Eisha
hey zoha.
can you tell me if we can use semisweet choclate instead of dark choclate in this recipe. and what alterations we gave to mske for that
Zoha
Hi Eisha! Yes, semisweet works — it’ll give you a slightly sweeter, milder chocolate flavor. The cake will still be absolutely delicious! 😊
Zoha
Ideally cake batter should not be left out as it can start to deflate. If you have 2 9″ pans, you can divide the batter into 2 and bake for a few minutes longer, and then turn into 4 layers 🙂
Addy
but will i have enough caramel and frosting for 4 layers
Zoha Malik
Yes you should!
Zoha
Thank you!!
Rebecca Crasto
hey Zoha!
I tried this cake and when all the components were put together it turned out amazing. however my cake was slightly dry and the sugar partially hardened on my whisk and only had half that was usable.I had to make this a day inadvance, any tips for future to keep cake moist.
Zoha Malik
Hi Rebecca! Could you explain the super hardening again? I am confused what exactly happened here.