This decadent chocolate cake is so luxuriously beautiful and delicious, you will feel like it came from a French patisserie!
It’s been a while since I made a proper layer cake…10 months to be exact. I couldn’t believe that the last cake I made was last Christmas/my birthday. It’s very unlike me, but to be perfectly honest this year has carried many ups and downs so I’ve rarely been in the mood.
It started with a with a family tragedy we are still recovering from, so celebrating wasn’t often on our minds. As the year picked up I plunged myself into work and got so busy learning a new job I barely had time to cook let alone bake a multi-layered cake.
But this week has marked the end of something great, something I am proud of and although there is no actual “occasion” – something I can announce to the world – in my heart I know it’s worth acknowledging.
I felt like sometimes you just gotta stop in your tracks in celebrate the moment as someone very wise once said, “We have to celebrate things that are meaningful to us”.
So I spent the day baking this chocolate cake and then another day putting it together. It was a labour of love just like what I’ve been doing for the last 8 months, and just like that it made me feel tired but very accomplished. 🙂 In other words, it was well worth it.
I know I mentioned before it’s incredibly hard for me to choose what cake to make – there are so many options but because this cake was special I wanted it to be about all of our favourite things.
I asked Brad what he loved to eat in a cake and he listed chocolate, caramel and something crunchy. They say all happy couples eventually morph into one, which is apparently true as those things were exactly what I wanted in MY cake.
I started by making a chocolate stout cake, one of my favourite cake recipes. It produces dense chocolate sponge that stands up well to the rich caramel frosting.
The filling for this chocolate cake comes from my childhood, something every Russian child grew up with-caramel buttercream. A pinch of flaky Maldon salt gave it a modern update.
The much desired crunch came from crushed honeycomb pieces, which are hard caramel bits, folded into caramel buttercream.
Then I covered the entire chocolate cake into dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with more honeycomb and salt flakes.
If honeycomb candy is not available in your supermarkets feel free to use Butterfinger bars, although not exactly the same they will be a fair substitute.
Here’s the recipe for homemade caramel or dulce de leche:
* Remove the label from the can of sweet and condensed milk and put it in the pot completely submerged in water. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 3-4 hours. Make sure your can is completely covered in water through the duration of cooking or it will explode. Cool until it’s ready to use. When you open it you will discover that your “ole” plain can of sweet and condensed milk got transformed into glamorous and silky dulce de leche.
The stages of making salted caramel buttercream for the chocolate cake:
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3/4 cup Guinness or any other stout
- 1/4 cup strong black coffee
- 1 cup/ 250 gr unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cups creme fraiche or sour cream
For the salted caramel buttercream
- 300 gr butter softened
- 397 gr Carnation caramel or dulce de leche
- pinch of Maldon salt
- 50 gr crushed honeycomb
For chocolate ganache
- 1 cup whipping cream/double cream
- 1/2 pound dark chocolate chopped
For decoration
- a handful of honeycomb pieces
- a pinch of Maldon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and butter 3 8″ cake pans and dust them with some flour to prevent the cakes from sticking.
- In a large saucepan heat stout, coffee and butter together until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer.
- Add cocoa powder while whisking continuously to avoid lumps until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Blend flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a different bowl. Mix eggs, vanilla and creme fraiche with an electric mixer in bowl no 3.
- Now check on your chocolate mixture and make sure it’s cool enough to continue the process.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and creme fraiche mixture and blend them together. Add flour mixture a little bit at a time and beat on low speed until combined. Divide batter equally among the pans.
- Bake cakes in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. (I baked mine one at a time.)
- Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack. (Once cooled I usually wrap my cakes in a plastic wrap and chill my cakes in the fridge overnight.)
- Make salted caramel buttercream by whipping butter in a bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy and then adding prepared caramel or dulce de leche with a pinch of flaky salt until completely incorporated.
- Wrap honeycomb pieces in a clean tea towel and crush with a rolling pin or process in a food processor.
- Fold in crushed honeycomb pieces into salted caramel buttercream.
- (If Carnation caramel is not available in your supermarkets you can make your own by boiling a can of sweet and condensed milk in a pot of water for 3 hours.)
- Fill the cake layers with salted caramel buttercream, then cover the entire cake with a crumb layer and chill in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make a chocolate ganache. Bring heavy cream to a boil and take it off the heat immediately, then add your chopped chocolate into it and stir until melted! Cool it and whip it with an electric mixer until paler in colour and fluffy.
- Cover the chilled cake with chocolate ganache and decorate with more honeycomb pieces and flaky salt.
Loni says
Where do I find honeycomb?
vikalinka says
Honeycomb is sold in supermarkets in the UK. I am not sure where you are located, so I guess googling it might be helpful. You can also substitute it with crushed butterfingers.
Carrie says
I just made it. Itās very easy and very tasty! Just google honeycomb recipes and youāll find one. Itās basically just honey and sugar and some baking soda
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Thanks, Carrie!
Mr Jeremy P Smith says
How bad would it have been to have just thrown all the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and mixed until smooth then put into the oven? I did just that, partly because i didnt have the patients to rwad your recipe from my phone, cakes came out kind ok, probably could’ve do with a little longer because they started to break ul while i transferred from tin to cooling rack… going to salvage what I can as its a irthday cake for my girlfriend, at the minute I’m not hopeful haha but hey its the thought that counts š
Jackie says
I agree with everyone so far. The cake it’s self is very good it’s a bits crumbly though. And i’d rather have the recipe done by weight, i made 2 batches of this recipe and one was fine the other fell in the center. Havent tried the frosting yet but i’m a little nervouse to try. You say to put the can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of water for 3 hours….wouldnt that be dangerous??? Is there an alternate way to make the s.c.m into carmel??
I dont mean to sound like I’m complaining i’m just very curious/conserned about tbe milk part.
vikalinka says
Hi Jackie, I understand your concern about the process of making caramel. The method of boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk for hours is pretty ancient. My mother and grandmother did ir and so did I for a while. However, yes, there are concerns now about chemicals leaching from the cans into the milk and it’s probably safer to cook the milk a pan. Basically you have to pour it into a saucepan and cook it while stirring until it turns brown. It’s a lengthy process and the caramel easily burns. There are many recipes online for it. However, ready made caramel is also available in supermarkets from Carnation brand.
To answer your questions about the cake itself, yes I would like to update it with weight measurements at some point. It should not have crumbly texture. This cake is dense as many European cakes are but very moist. There are many reasons why cakes fall in the center. It could be wrong temperature, which causes cakes to rise too quickly and not bake all the way through or too much moisture in the ingredients. It’s impossible to know all the reasons but do make sure you have an internal oven thermometer to check that the temperature is correct. Home ovens are often way off.
Jackie says
vikalinka, thank you for the quick response!! I think I was into much of a hury. The next day the cake was less much less crumbly and tasted even better!!
I looked up the caned carmel and yeah, tons of people do it so I tried it lol and it worked like magic. It is a long prosses so i think the next time i make this I will buy the carmel but it was exciteing to try.
Had a few first time things with this recipe. Makeing honey combo was fun and my husband loved it, I have to yell at him to keep him away. I think my mother in law will really like this cake(its for her birthday).
I completly take back my first comment lol
This is a very fun and intersting bake!!!
Thank you for the recipe I think i’ll be making this again.
vikalinka says
You are very welcome, Jackie! Cake baking could be so stressful but so rewarding in the end. There is just nothing better than a homemade cake that tastes amazing!
Carla says
Baked this cake twice in one week. Thank you.
Can I freeze leftover buttercream icing?
Greetings from South Africa
vikalinka says
I am so glad you loved the cake, Carla. Yes, I believe you can freeze the buttercream. When you want to use it again, just let it thaw in the fridge, then whip with an electric mixer to bring back the fluffy, spreadable texture.
Annie says
Can you use this recipe for fondant icing, will it hold up?
vikalinka says
Hi Annie, this recipe is not suitable to use as a fondant. Itās a spreadable icing recipe.
Michelle says
I have the cake waiting in the fridge for tonight and it looks delicious! However I was wondering if it should be serveres directly from the fridge or if it should set for a while before serving it?
vikalinka says
Great question, Michelle. Take the cake out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving for best flavour and texture. Enjoy!
Sarah says
Wow, amazing cake! Compliments from everyone at the table. Looked stunning, tastes great. You wouldn’t know there was stout in there – for anyone who says they don’t like the taste of it! The cake is moist but not heavy, behaves very well. The contrast between butter icing and ganache is just perfect making each component even better when tasted all in one mouthful. As someone else said it’s really useful reading the questions others had raised.. My buttercream was initially fine but on standing did start to separate but you cannot tell when it is sandwiched between the cakes. Having read that it would be fine I didn’t worry but might have ended up making another batch had I not been reassured. I used 54% chocolate for the ganache which was just right and not too sweet 70% would have been a bit too bitter and didn’t crush the honeycome too small as it does soften a bit on standing. Thank you for responding so quickly to my query. This will be my go-to cake for celebrations. I was also amazed that I was able to make, chill and apply buttercream and ganache to the cake (with the aid of several trips to the freezer) and decorate it in less than 3 hours having baked the sponges the day before. Thank you for sharing this gem.
vikalinka says
What an amazing review, Sarah! Thank you for sharing with you. I am absolutely thrilled you and your guests enjoyed it.
Sarah says
Hi can you tell me what % chocolate you use for the ganache? I have dark chocolate in 50% cocoa solids, 70%, 85%?
Thanks
vikalinka says
Hi Sarah, both 50% and 70% will work. I find 85% is a bit too intense for ganache and it won’t be as fluffy when whipped.
Sarah says
Thank you! Another question now ….. The crushed honeycomb which gets added to the buttercream, how finely did you crush? Is it as course as the crumble on top or much finer. I don’t want the crunch inside to be overwhelming. Are we talking the same side as Maldon Salt flakes or finer? Many thanks x
vikalinka says
I crush the honeycomb quite finely. The coarser crumb on top is for decorative purposes. However, the honeycomb also softens once it gets in contact with the buttercream, so you won’t get a large chunk breaking your tooth if you know what I mean. š
Joanne Stokes says
Hi, could you please confirm whether I should be using 2/3 of a cup of creme fraiche or 2-3 cups? Sorry for confusion but don’t want to mess up.
Thanks
vikalinka says
Hi Joanne, that is two thirds of a cup.
Rachel says
A friend of mine pinned this recipe so I made it for her birthday. It was a HUGE hit at the party. Thank you for the recipe and also thank you for all the comments which helped me avoid problems others hadsolved.
vikalinka says
I am so happy the recipe worked well for you and the party guests, Rachel! Thank you for sharing it with me!
Erica says
Julia, Iāve tried several of your recipes and enjoyed them all, but this honey comb crunch chocolate cake is above and beyond! Itās Moist and rich, has a depth of flavour not found in other chocolate cakes that puts it in a league of its own. This is easily my go to cake for special occasions. I made this cake for a dessert auction and it sold for over $600, well done Julia all the credit goes to you!!!
vikalinka says
Wow!! I am thrilled to hear that! $600 for a cake? You are a star baker, Erica!
Sara Noor says
Looks great!! Can i replace the stout with any other non-alcoholic drink
vikalinka says
Hi Sara, you can try and replace it with coffee or non-alcoholic dark beer if you can find it, but as I’d mentioned it to another commenter beer plays as an important role here as it acts as an additional rising agent, so non-alcoholic dark beer would be the best substitute.
Sarah says
Hi!
This cake looks aaaamazing and I can’t wait to try it!
I know you you’ve had a similar question, but any ideas for substituting the alcohol?
I’m making this for someone who doesn’t drink (religious reasons), and I don’t want to be disrespectful to them
vikalinka says
I would just leave it out, Sarah.
Meera says
Hi, when you say leave it out, the Guinness is completely taken out and no other substitute needed like coffee etc as u mentioned in an earlier post? Also since u mentioned th guineas helps in the rise of the cake, any changes to the leavining agents to be done. Looking forward to ur response. The cake looks too irresistible to not try..
vikalinka says
Hi Meera, I just looked at that reply and I am pretty sure it was done in error. I mightāve thought it was another recipe because you canāt just leave an ingredient out in a cake recipe without replacing it with something else. In this case as Iād replied earlier, nonāalcoholic beer is the only substitute that would work here. I do have other chocolate cake recipes on the blog if youād rather not use alcohol.
Meera says
Thanks a lot Julia. I will try with non alcoholic beer or mayb who knows I may even use Guinness.. It’s too good to not try. š
Phult says
This cake looks amazing! Quick question – how cool does the guinness/butter mix need to be before mixing in with the rest? Thanks!
vikalinka says
I usually cool to a room temperature, Phult.
Tzivia says
Omg wow this cake looks stunning and scrumptious Julia a gr8 job outdone darlin must try my gr8 aunt Shirley might like this for shavout (feast of weeks) am wondering does this freeze well
Penny says
Hello!!! I’ve only been baking for the last 18 months or so, some cakes come easy, some less so. This was definitely in the second group!! First off, crumbly layers, breaking as they came out of the pans. That was fixed by some judicious welding with the buttercream (delicious, BTW!). Then THREE attempts at the ganache (the first having curdled and would not come together), including hitting two supermarkets for more whipping cream as the first had everything but. Then attempting a quick melt of more chocolate in the microwave and burning it. Eventually, got it to a stage where I was ready to ice, although it was a little grainy.
I couldn’t face trying yet again – and having to go buy more cream and chocolate – so went with it. Into the fridge after crumb coat, and put the ganache in too, to firm up a little.
Twenty minutes later, it’s too darn’ firm so I loosen it up over a bowl of hot water. It worked, but on the whole looked a bit grainy still.
BUT the main thing is, it is GORGEOUS – even my Fussy Eater B-in-Law & sister enjoyed it.
Loved the addition of the honeycomb.
But I seriously will not be making another chocolate cake for quite some time!!
Thanks though for sharing this gorgeous recipe. X
vikalinka says
Oh Penny you are one determined woman!! I LOVED reading your story!!!!
Penny says
Oh you have NO idea how determined / stubborn!! I once made three loaves of bread over the course of one weekend because something kept going wrong! And yes, it did finally come right!!! X
vikalinka says
I can totally respect that!!
Sarah Jane says
Some of my Mom’s favourite things! This will be our dessert for our Mothers day dinner. Thank you for creating and sharing such a great recipe!
vikalinka says
You are welcome, Sarah Jane, I hope your mom loves it!
Lg says
Dude, I’ve had such an adventure with the cake. First, the layers didn’t release from the pan, despite butter/flour beforehand. Then I made he cake again and read it as 1/2 tsp baking soda (never seen 1/2 tb written, and never seen tablespoon not capitalized). Thin layers. Then I over whipped the ganache and it got grainy. Didn’t know that could happen! Sorta fixed it, but gosh I hope this tastes good. I love the idea of it, but gosh j had an unlucky time of it.
Amanda says
Where do you get Honeycomb? I don’t think I’ve seen it in stores before
vikalinka says
Amanda, honeycomb is sold everywhere in England where I live. It’s also very easy to make. Here is the link to Nigella Lawson’s recipe http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/hokey-pokey-36. If you don’t feel like making it it can be substituted with Crunchie Bar.
Sarah (@tamingtwins) says
I make a lot of cake and read about hundreds more each week, but honestly, this, right here is the actual cake of my dreams. Of all of the thousands of cake I see, this is the exact cake I would choose for my birthday! ABSOLUTELY stunning. Thanks so much for sharing with #CakeClub.
vikalinka says
Thank you so much, Sarah! š That is one of the sweetest comments ever.
Pamela says
I had the pleasure of making this cake and is was truly incredible. Very moist. Thank you for posting your recipe. Yummm!!
vikalinka says
You are very welcome, Pamela. I am so happy to hear your cake turned out delicious!
Cheng says
Hi there,
Was wondering if I have only two 7″ cake pan, how much should I reduce the recipe? Half the amount of the ingredients?
The cake looks fabulous and I’m about to start on it asap!!
Thank you
Cheng
vikalinka says
Hi Cheng, yes I would go with a half. Let me know how it goes!
Cheng says
Hi Vikalinka,
Thank you very much for sharing the recipe.
I ended up making the full recipe and had a 4 layers 7″ cake,
It looked spectacular and was yummlicious!,
vikalinka says
4 layer cake sounds fantastic, Cheng! I am happy to hear you enjoyed it! š
Debra says
I made this cake for a friends birthday. The whole crowd could not stop raving about it. They all declared it the best cake they ever had. Plus it was gorgeous! For some extra dazzle, I sprayed gold mist on the swirl.
In the US most desserts and cakes are too sweet, this one is perfect. I now realize I must like Russian cakes! Any Russian cake cookbooks you recommend?
vikalinka says
Oh this makes me so happy, Debra! I love that cake too and I absolutely have to make it again. There are not many Russian cookbooks published in the States but there are 2 I really like “Please to the table!” and “The Art of Russian cuisine”. They are not exclusively dessert books and they have no photos in them but they do have some cakes in them. One day I will write a cook book with all lovely desserts and photos. š Until then feel free to explore my blog for more cakes.
Emz says
Hello, firstly let me say how amazing this cake sounds. There’s one issue I have though before I can even think about attempting it – the person I want to make this for hates any type or stout, or alcohol in general in things she eats, it doesn’t matter if the alcohol is cooked out she claims she can still taste it, and I can’t express enough how much she hates stout! Tedious I know, but can I replace it with anything? More coffee, perhaps? She doesn’t mind coffee. Thank you in a advance!
vikalinka says
Emz, I would just not tell her, honestly it tastes nothing like stout and an important ingredient. You can try to replace it with coffee but stout does more than just provides liquid in this recipe, the fermentation also acts as a raising agent here. I hope this helps.
Karlee says
Hi, could you please clarify with the cup of coffee? Do you just mean a teaspoon of coffee grounds in a cup of hot water?
vikalinka says
Karlee, it just means 1/4 cup of prepared coffee. You can use instant coffee if you like or you can brew it in a coffee maker. I hope that helps.
Karlee says
Thanks!! I’m making it this weekend I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Cat says
Loved this recipe and decided to try it out… All went smoothly (literally) until I made the buttercream. I’ve made two batches now and they’ve both curdled… None of the lovely silky texture pictured above but a horrible lumpy grainy consistency. I’m so disappointed… Any ideas why this has happened? Followed the recipe and directions to a T.
Thanks
Cat
vikalinka says
Cat, I am sorry it did’t work out. The cream/butter-based frostings separate when they come in contact with liquid and if your dulce de leche was not thick enough (wasn’t cooked long enough) it could react strangely with butter and cause separation. Sometimes the butter itself could be the culprit if it’s not the highest quality. It does happen and it doesn’t look very pretty but you can still use it to fill your cakes. You are covering it with chocolate ganache and no one will be able to see that your frosting separated or taste it.
Cat says
Thanks so much for the swift reply. After googling some home remedies I put the mixer back on and added a little bit of milk and icing sugar.. This seamed to do the trick! I’ve assembled the cake now and it’s waiting to be frosted with the ganache later tonight. š super excited! Thanks also for the explanation- im happy to know the science behind it and will keep that in mind in future.
Cat
vikalinka says
I am so pleased to hear you managed to fix it!! Enjoy and Happy Easter!
Nadya says
Does this cake taste more like an American or Russian cake? I want to make it for a shower next weekend but all my Russian family aren’t fans of American cakes.
vikalinka says
Nadya, it tastes European, it doesn’t taste American at all. I am not a fan of American cakes myself.
Irina says
Is it necessary to put the cakes in a fridge overnight?
vikalinka says
Irina, it’s only necessary if you assemble your cake the next day and wrapping it in plastic wrap and refrigerating keeps it fresh.
Irina says
Thank you! I made it once before the cakes crambeled for some reason but I still put it together and everyone loved it! I making it again and so far it looks great))
Teah says
Amazing! This was the best cake I’ve ever had/made!
vikalinka says
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Teah. š
Tasha says
looks amazing in the process of making it now!
Only point is the ganache is disappointing it’s far too thin
Looking at other recipes this one seems to have double the amount of cream!
I’m going to leave it overnight to see if it thickens but I think I’ll end up remaking the ganach with half cream or double choc
vikalinka says
Tasha, the ganache recipe is always the same-equal amounts of double/heavy cream and chocolate. It’s always thin at first. If you use it just to cover the cake you can use it immediately, it will be runny but will harden very quickly and will look like a glaze. In this recipe, however, you need to cool it completely, preferably in the fridge and then whip it to make frosting.
Tasha says
I take my ganache comment back, the next morning I woke up it was perfect and ready to wip, I just tried to rush it too much.
This cake is great!!! Can’t wait to take it into work today!
vikalinka says
Hahaha, I am exactly the same way! I hate the fact that baking can’t be rushed but learning patience with each cake I bake. Let me know what you think once you taste the cake, Tasha!
Tasha says
AMAZING!!!!
People at work couldn’t stop raving about this and the depth of flavours
Can’t wait to make it again!!
Wouldn’t change a thing next time I remake it which is rare for me!
Thank you for a great recipe š
vikalinka says
Brilliant, Tasha! Thank you for sharing. š
Ihjaz Ahmad says
Oh my goodness, honeycomb crunch chocolate cake looks delicious! Iām definitely making this! thanks for sharing!
Mira says
What a gorgeous cake! I love the salted caramel buttercream! Perfectly done! Pined!
vikalinka says
Thank you so much, Mira!
kristina says
Hi Julia! This cake looks amazing! I was wondering if u can use any other beer or just the one is specified? Or is stout not a beer at all? Sorry for the confusion: )
vikalinka says
Kristina, stout is a very dark and rich beer. Guinness falls into that category but you can get any type of stout available in your store. I wouldn’t recommend using a light beer as the stout has two functions in this particular recipe-fermentation helps the rising process and it also enriches the chocolate taste.
Lucy Parissi says
Wowee! That looks incredible. My kind of flavours and cake (as long as I don’t have to decorate it).
vikalinka says
That was the easiest decorating I’ve done! Didn’t even have to pull out a pastry bag. š
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Honeycomb crunch and chocolate?! Sounds like my dream cake, love those gorgeous layers!
vikalinka says
Thank you! It was sooo good, Laura!
Jaclyn says
Seriously gorgeous cake and beautiful pictures! Well done!
vikalinka says
Thank you for the compliment, Jaclyn! It means a lot. š
Katya @ Little Broken says
Definitely looks like labor of love! Such a beautiful cake.
vikalinka says
Thank you, Katya!
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says
I love caramel sauce on cakes, and remember it well from my childhood in Russia… Your cake would make any Russian baker proud! Thanks for sharing – I think it’s worth waiting 10 months for this cake.
vikalinka says
Thank you so much, Ksenia! I assume by your name we have a similar background. š
Liana says
Hi, This cake looks amazing! But I wonder a 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda, is it really that much? or should it be 1/2 teaspoon? Am afraid if it can cause bitter taste on the cake.
Thank you š
vikalinka says
Hi, Liana, that’s how much I used and there was no bitter taste. 1/2 tbsp=1 1/2 tsp which is pretty standard for a cake this size.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Absolute perfection, Julia! I love everything about this cake š
vikalinka says
Thank you, Jennifer!!
sue/the view from great island says
This cake is magical!!
vikalinka says
Thank you, Sue! You are too kind.