Hooray for Girl Scout cookie season! This is the first of three posts where I feature a recipe made with these classic cookies. I can never decide which one is my favorite—it’s a toss up between Thin Mints and Samoas (although I guess these are also called Caramel deLites). Chocolate and mint is always a winning combination, but chewy coconut and caramel is hard to pass up, too. The Girl Scouts at our grocery store were actually sold out of the Samoas last weekend! Insert horrified emoji. Luckily I got my hands on a box earlier in the season to make this delicious cake! You actually don’t need the Samoas to make this cake since it’s just inspired by the flavors and uses the cookie as garnish. Start by making the cake layers (I used this buttermilk recipe but any vanilla or yellow cake recipe will work). I have found that the easiest way to make a layer cake is with this set of five 6-inch pans. The smaller size is much more manageable to assemble and frost, plus you don’t have to worry about cutting a thicker cake in half. For the frosting I used the New & Improved Salted Caramel recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I didn’t want it to be salted for this cake though, so I only used a pinch of the salt. Also, make sure you let the sugar fully dissolve into the heavy cream and melted butter. On my first attempt I was working too quickly and the frosting ended up being a little gritty, but if you make it correctly it tastes AMAZING and has a great consistency.
And now for the chocolate ganache! I hope you guys like the look of drip cakes because they are my new favorite! They look so pretty and are surprisingly easy to create. This was my first attempt ever and I would say it was a success. I did some research beforehand and found this article to be really helpful, especially since it has a step-by-step visual tutorial. Here is what I learned about decorating drip cakes:
- Chill the cake before dripping the ganache. I was about to start dumping the ganache on top before I realized that there might be a technique to this. Thankfully I did a quick Google search and learned that you should put the frosted cake into the freezer for about 15 minutes before adding the ganache. A cold cake is ideal because it helps slow down and set the ganache. This way you avoid creating a runny mess.
- Start with a few purposeful drips over the top edge of the cake. Rather than sitting back and hoping your ganache drips into a pretty pattern, use a spoon to make evenly spaced drips.
- Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to evenly spread out the remaining ganache. Once you have your main big drips, pour the remaining ganache on top (in the middle) and gently spread it towards to edges. This will allow a little bit more ganache to spill down the sides, but it won’t be as drastic as the initial drips.
Easy peasy, right? I dare you to give it a try!
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| Servings |
8 people
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- 2 1/3 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup butter room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 5 Tbsp. heavy cream divided
- pinch of salt
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chopped or chips
Ingredients
For the buttermilk cake
For the caramel frosting
For the ganache
For the garnish
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- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cake pans and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bow, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar and continue mixing on medium for 2 – 3 minutes. Gradually add egg mixture and mix for an additional 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then one third of the buttermilk. Alternate and repeat until both ingredients are fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so that everything is evenly combined.
- Pour batter evenly into the pans and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. I only used 4 of the 5 layers for the cake so if you're tempted to sample a bite, go for it while it's nice and warm!
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, whisk until sugar is dissolved (very important!). Add the pinch of salt, then let the mixture bubble for about 2 minutes, whisking about every 20 – 30 seconds. Remove from heat and pour the bowl of a standing mixer. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Once cool, add 2 cups of confectioner's sugar and 3 Tbsp. of heavy cream into the bowl. Use the whisk attachment to mix. Slowly add additional powdered sugar or heavy cream until you reach desired consistency.
- When the cake is completely cool, assemble layer by layer and place in the freezer for 15 – 20 minutes.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Allow ganache to cool and thicken for about 30 minutes. Then follow my tips in the post above to drizzle the ganache on top.
- If you want to add toasted coconut, preheat the oven to 350F (or do this right after the cake is done). Spread coconut flakes into a thin layer on a small baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until it starts to lightly brown. You may want to stir them around a little bit halfway through. Once cooled, sprinkle on the top or bottom edge of the cake.
- I topped my cake with Samoas by cutting the cookies in half and placing them on top.
The Comments
Atsuna Matsui
The cake looks soo delicious haha and I’m drooling just seeing the photos like the rest.
http://www.atsunamatsui.com
Treats and Trends
> Atsuna Matsuihaha thank you!!
Dominique
YUM! This looks absolutely amazing xx
http://www.thatnewdress.com
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> DominiqueThank you!
Lindsey Simon
My mouth is watering. This cake looks delicious!
Love, Lindsey
http://www.thenomisniche.com/
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> Lindsey SimonThanks, Lindsey!
WhatWouldVWear
OMG! I am literally drooling over your cake! You definitely need your own bakery!
xoxo, Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.com
Treats and Trends
> WhatWouldVWearhaha maybe one day :) Thanks, Vanessa!
Yasmin Hussein
This is so gorgeous! I always make a regular vanilla cake but will try to experiment more! The photos are breathtaking and so well shot. Thanks so much for sharing this yummy cake recipe!
xo,
I AM YASMIN
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> Yasmin HusseinThanks so much, Yasmin!! Have a great weekend!
Jalisa
WOW! You are truly gifted and amazing at baking, girl! Everything you share always looks so delicious. I’ve bookmarked this post because I would love to attempt to make this for one of our family gatherings in the spring! Thanks so much for sharing and I hope you’re having a great week so far!
XO,
Jalisa
http://www.thestylecontour.com
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> JalisaAw thank you so much, Jalisa! Let me know how you like it :)
Candice Petersen
OMG i need!! doesnt help that I am currently on a diet
Candice | Beauty Candy Loves