It's fall, and in the (more-than-I'd-care-to-admit) instance that I'm not eating food of actual substance, I'm eating chocolate, cinnamon, or salted caramel. Who's with me?!
Moist cinnamon chocolate cake with a rich cinnamon salted caramel filling and a sweet chocolate frosting. Yes, I'm serious.
Mix up your batter, and it will be thin. I think one of the most important steps in getting perfect cake layers is to take a little extra time to trace around the bottom of your cake pans on parchment paper to create circles you cut out to line your pans. Guarantees no breakage when you flip your cake out of your pans!
To help get flat cake tops, I lift the cake pan filled with batter a little off the counter and drop it, so the batter settles into the pan and hopefully pops any air bubbles. Also, resist the urge to open the oven door, especially during the first 20 minutes of baking.
Make your cinnamon vanilla bean salted caramel filling. You might want to double the recipe and use half for the filling and save the other half in its virgin form for late night ice cream, caramel apple ciders or steamers, pumpkin pie, coating your finger to lick off, you know, whatevs. But I'll leave that no-brainer decision up to you. This is the melted sugar that turned amber, right as you add the cream and butter.
Fill the cake. Lick the bowl. Not the cake.
Put some frosting in a plastic bag, snip a little hole at one tip, and squeeze a line around the perimeter of each layer to prevent the filling from being pushed out.
One trick I've learned (except I didn't do it here) is to cover the perimeter of your cake stand with saran wrap before you start frosting the cake. That way you can be as messy as you like, then when you're done frosting the cake, take away the saran wrap and you have a perfectly clean cake stand!
You guys, this cake is rich. I've made it countless times and have yet to finish a slice in one sitting. Or have somebody ask me for the recipe.
Cinnamon Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¾ c flour
- 1 ¾ c granulated sugar
- ¼ c brown sugar
- ¾ c cocoa sifted
- 1 ½ Tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 c buttermilk room temperature
- ½ c canola oil
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 Tablespoon vanilla
- ¾ c boiling water
Cinnamon Salted Caramel Filling
- 1 c sugar
- 6 Tablespoon butter
- ⅔ c heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ Tablespoon coarse salt
- 2 c powdered sugar
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 stick butter
- ⅔ c cocoa
- 3 c powdered sugar
- ⅓ c heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- seeds of 1 vanilla bean pod optional
- ¼ Tablespoon coarse salt
- garnish with cinnamon sticks
- *cake and frosting adapted from Hershey's
Instructions
cake
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three 8" cake pans then line with circles of parchment paper.
- Sift together sugars, flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in mixer. Add buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Slowly add in boiling water.
- Divide evenly among three cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until inserted toothpick is clean when removed. Cool in pans 10 minutes, flip over, remove parchment paper, and let cool completely on cooling racks.
caramel filling
- Melt sugar in large, sturdy saucepan over medium-low heat until completely melted and amber in color. To slowly heat and melt the sugar will take a bit, about 15-20 minutes.
- Warm cream and butter in microwave, about 45 seconds.
- Quickly stir in butter and heavy cream, being careful as it will bubble up. Stir until all melted and mixed together.
- Stir in cinnamon, vanilla extract, and coarse salt.
- Pour into heatproof container and refrigerate until completely cool.
- When completely cool, pour into mixer. With whisk attachment, whisk caramel until it begins to lighten in color and gain a fluffy consistency. Add powdered sugar and continue whisking until filling is fluffy and creamy.
frosting
- Melt butter, whisk in cocoa until dissolved.
- Alternately add powdered sugar and heavy cream until spreading consistency. Mix in vanilla, vanilla bean seeds, and coarse salt.
to assemble cake
- Spread half of caramel filling onto first layer of chocolate cake.
- Repeat with next two layers of chocolate cake and remaining filling. Top with third layer of chocolate cake.
- Frost. Garnish with cinnamon sticks
Andee Bott says
I am wondering how far in advance I can make this cake? I am not an experienced cake maker. Can I make the cake base a few days early and store them somehow?
Kadee says
You can make the cakes and freeze for up to a month before frosting.
Emily Kemp says
Drooling over this cake, that filling sounds incredible!
Elaine Moon says
Steph made this for Layla's birthday cake--SOOO GOOD.