Chocolate Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Whats a birthday without a to-die-for cake?

This recipe is a hodge podge and mish mash of many many recipes. I think I tweaked and pulled from enough places to call it my own. LaineyP gave the the backbone of this recipe, which I adapted with tips from many other places.


Caramel whipped cream

Make in advance, preferably the day before.

~1/2 cup sugar
~1/4 cup water
~3 cups heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup of it at room temp)

Mix sugar and water in a 2 or 3 qt saucepan on medium heat. Do not stir once it starts to boil. Swirl the pan occasionally to move the liquid around. Boil on high until the liquid starts to turn a light brown. Remove from heat and add the 1/2 cup of room temp cream. It will bubble up like crazy. Be careful. Stir and pour into heat safe bowl. Cool to room temp and add the rest of the cream. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Once ready to whip, pour into an ice cold bowl and use ice cold beaters/whisk (put in freezer for 15 minutes. Whip on high until stiff peaks form


Chocolate Cake


Can be made the day before. Just wrap tightly and leave on the counter

~2 cups Sugar
~1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
~3/4 cup cocoa
~1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
~1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
~1 teaspoon salt
~2 eggs
~1 cup buttermilk
~1/2 cup canola oil
~2 teaspoons vanilla extract
~1 cup fresh strong brewed coffee still pipping hot.

Preheat oven to 350. Rub butter all over the insides of two 9 inch round cake pans. Flour the pans and tap out the excess.

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Once combined, add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes on medium. Add hot coffee.

Pour the very thin batter equally into the two pans.

Put in preheated oven and cook until it passes the clean toothpick test. Start checking around 28 minutes.

Cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Allrecipes

~4 one oz squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and let cool
~1 8oz package 1/3rd fat cream cheese
~3-4 cups powdered sugar
~1 tsp vanilla
~Salt
~small can evaporated milk

Cream chocolate and cream cheese until well combined and fluffy.
Add 3-4 cups of powdered sugar until desired sweetness.
It will be crazy clumpy and thick
Add vanilla and a few tbsps of evaporated milk.
Stir on low speed and add enough evaporated milk until its the consistency you want frosting to be


Assembly  


Put about 1/2 cup of the frosting into a small ziplock and smush into one corner. Snip the tip off. Use it to pipe a small amount of frosting around the top of one cake, right up against the edge. This will act like a dam and keep the whipped cream from smushing out when you put the next layer on.

Put desired amount of whipped cream in the center of the cake and smear around. Top with the other cake, upside down.

Put all the frosting on the top of the cake and use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread the frosting gently to the sides. Then drag the extra frosting down and frost the sides.

Slice and enjoy. Refrigerate the leftovers.