Making Martha: EPIC Chocolate Caramel Cake

Epic sized picture for EPIC cake

So - let me say this, this is not a cake for the weak of heart (seriously - the amount of sugar and cholesterol alone - WOAH). Let's start by its stats:

Weighing in at:

1 POUND of chocolate
7 (count em SEVEN) cups of sugar
4 sticks of butter
a good 6 hours of work
and costing about $30 to make

...this is not a cake to make lightly. Really for about the same price you could get a pretty darn good chocolate cake from a bakery. Why, praytell, would you make such a thing then?

1. Bragging rights. There are serious bragging rights involved here
2. To tell someone you really REALLY REALLY love them
3. Your archnemesis is a diabetic with a titchy heart

or

4. Because its friggin delicious.



This is my husband's favorite cake and he gets it three times a year: Thanksgiving, his birthday, and Father's Day.

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart and adapted it slightly. You can read about my love/hate relationship with Ms. Martha here (link coming soon). You can find the link to the original recipe at the bottom of the page. Consider this my tutorial on Making Martha - and watch for DYMs (Damn You Martha moments).

Special Equipment:
- Kitchen Aid Mixer
- 3 standard round cake pans
- Large heavy-bottomed pan
- Candy Thermometer 
- wire cooling racks
- Double Boiler (or metal bowl over a simmering water pan)
- a cake board (it really helps)
- a turning cake decorating stand (if you have one - not necessary)

Ingredients:
(DYM! beware on the mobile web site the ingredients aren't broken up into sections. So long iPad, hello laptop on kitchen table)

This is the cocoa powder I like to use. HEB is awesome.

For the Cake:

1. 3 cups granulated sugar
2. 1 1/2 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3. 1 tablepoon baking soda
4. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon Coarse salt
6.  4 large eggs
7. 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
8. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons safflower oil
9. 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
10.  1 1/2 cups warm water (DYM! this is not listed in ingredients list)

For the Caramel:  

1. 4 cups granulated sugar
2. 1/4 cup light corn syrup
3. 2 cups heavy cream
4. 2 sticks cold salted butter, cut into tablespoons

This is the type of chocolate I use. I really wouldn't try using semi-sweet chocolate chips.

For the Icing:

1. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2. 2 sticks unsalted butter
3. 2 cups confectioners' sugar
4. 1 pound semisweet chocolate

Directions

* You can make the cakes and caramel ahead of time,  but not the icing because it will harden. In fact, if you are making this for a special occasion, I really suggest making it in steps over a series of days. If you can assembled the caramel and cake and let it chill overnight it makes it much easier to frost.

Make the Cake

1. Set up your mise en place (i.e. measure out all your ingredients and set it up). Normally my 'mise en place' is a 'mess in place' but for a complex cake like this it really helps.

I'm so proud of me right now, I even beat my eggs.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease and flour your pans. DO NOT USE PAM - really, it tastes funky. You're about to spend $30 and at least 5 hours of your life on this...do it right.

3. Put flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons course salt into a bowl. Whisk and then sift into your mixing bowl. Whisk one more time to blend.

DYM: Unless you have a huge sieve there is no way all those ingredients are going to fit in there so I find using an extra bowl helpful.

4. Set mixer to medium and add eggs, buttermilk, 1 1/2 cups warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.

5. Divide the batter across the 3 pans. I always guesstimate and they have never come out exactly even but it's never matter in the end for me.

6. Bake until set for about 35 minutes. Do the toothpick test.
7. Set the cakes (still in the pan) on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then use a knife to loosen the cake and leave them to cool completely out of the pan on the cooling rack. Don't rush this - if you try to take your cake out too soon it may crumble, also - make sure you set the cake pans on the wire rack because otherwise your cakes could get soggy. 

Now to start the caramel:

WARNING:  Make sure you can do this without distractions (see How Not to Make Caramel) because caramel goes from awesome to burnt awfulness in about 20 seconds flat...

1. Measure your cream and set it aside somewhere near your stove (you'll be glad you did) Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a fairly large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until the ingredients are just combined (DYM! She suggests using a medium sized pan - that was a nightmare, it boils up quickly and lets just say check out 'How Not to Make Caramel'. Also she says high heat, but because caramel gets ugly fast - I suggest going down a notch.)

Small pan (left) bad. Big pan (right) good. Also the left is a good picture of what the mixture will look like combined and the one of the right shows what it looks like when it starts to cook.

2. Cook - WITHOUT STIRRING - (really, I know it is SUPER DUPER hard but resist the urge to stir!) until mixture is dark amber. It can take 9 - 15 minutes. Watch this like a hawk.  Like I said it goes from awesome to offal in a matter of seconds. 

This is roundabout the color it needs to be

 3.  As soon as it reaches the correct color immediately (but carefully) remove from heat and pour the cream in slowly. IT IS GOING TO SPLATTER A LOT. Be VERY careful you don't get burned. When the cream hits its going to look like its clumping but that's ok so long as you're stirring while you pour. (DYM! Martha warns 'mixture will spatter' like its like bacon. Heck no, be prepared. Hence the larger pan)  Stir until smooth.

4. Return to heat and cook until the candy thermometer reaches 238F (maybe 2 minutes). It is going to bubble up so watch out. Also - there is no fudging on the temperature, you need a candy thermometer and it needs to be 238F precisely.

5. Then pour caramel into a medium bowl, but don't scrape the bottom because it can throw off the consistency. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Then stir in the cold butter one tablespoon at a time. Confession: at the end I wind up putting 2 or 3 in at a time because I get bored. It still came out great. Just saying. Let cool completely.

Assemble the Cake

1. Cut each of the three cakes in half to create 6 layers. Again, I guesstimate here and its come out fine.

2. Choose a layer with a flat bottom (i.e. the part that was in the bottom of the pan) and set on the cake board. Scoop caramel onto the top.

Beginning layer

3. Repeat with the rest of the layers.

Here are all the layers smooshed together with caramel

4. Before you can ice the cake it needs to set. I find it very helpful to wrap in saran wrap. Let still in the fridge at least one hour, but preferably overnight.

 Make the Icing: (I really changed her recipe here - just a head's up)

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly. Don't have a double boiler? Use a bowl over simmering hot water but use a potholder!  Set aside to cool.

2. Whisk together cocoa and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water in a measuring cup until cocoa dissolves.

I used a measuring cup rather than a bowl.

3. Beat butter and 1 cup of confectioners sugar until its light and fluffy. Once the chocolate has cooled (not so it is totally cool because it will harden - but rather not piping hot). Gradually beat in chocolate and then cocoa mixture until combined. Add the 2nd cup of confectioners' sugar. Note: If its not thick enough add confectioners' sugar until you get the desired consistency, but bear in mind it will harden as it sits.

The finished icing

Ice the Cake!

1. Grab an offset spatula, or a spreader knife and begin to ice the cake in swoops. Its very easy because to get the textured look it doesn't have to be perfect. Just keep adding more in swoops using the icing to fill in gaps. To clean up the edges I piped little stars using the star tip and a pastry bag around the bottom. Piping stars is easy, you just squeeze and lift.

And voila!

6 layers of chocolately caramelly goodness

Note: the recipe belongs to Martha Stewart, I make no claims to content this is only my advice on how to prepare this recipe.