Samoas-Inspired Layer Cake with Chocolate Drips
Servings
8people
Servings
8people
Ingredients
For the buttermilk cake
For the caramel frosting
For the ganache
For the garnish
Instructions
For the buttermilk cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease cake pans and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a small bow, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
For the caramel frosting
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. When the cake is completely cool, assemble layer by layer and place in the freezer for 15 – 20 minutes.
For the ganache
  1. 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.
For the garnish
  1. 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.
  2. I topped my cake with Samoas by cutting the cookies in half and placing them on top.