Name: Chocolate and burnt butterscotch layer cake
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients: 200g dark chocolate; 200g butter, cut into small pieces; 1 tbsp mixed with 120ml water instant coffee; 3 medium eggs; 2 tbsp buttermilk; 100g self-raising flour; 100g plain flour; ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 300g golden caster sugar; 25g cocoa powder; 200g golden caster sugar; 100g soft light brown sugar; 90g butter; 400ml double cream; 250ml mascarpone; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur

Chocolate Cake Recipe with Burnt Butterscotch Frosting

200g dark chocolate
200g butter
cut into small pieces
1 tbsp mixed with 120ml water instant coffee
3 medium eggs
2 tbsp buttermilk
100g self-raising flour
100g plain flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g golden caster sugar
25g cocoa powder

BURNT BUTTERSCOTCH CREAM

200g golden caster sugar
100g soft light brown sugar
90g butter
400ml double cream
250ml mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur

Method

step 1
Butter and line the base of a 19cm x 7cm deep springform cake tin. Break the chocolate into a pan, add the butter and coffee mixture and warm through over a low heat until it melts together. Beat the eggs in a bowl until they slightly thicken, then stir in the buttermilk. Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and cocoa into another mixing bowl.
step 2
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Pour the chocolate and egg mixtures into the flour mixture, and stir until everything is mixed and smooth. Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for 1½ hours in the oven, or until a skewer pushed in comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut horizontally into three discs.
step 3
For the butterscotch cream, melt the caster sugar in a small saucepan until it starts to caramelise, then leave a little longer until it starts to turn a ruby red colour. Watch it carefully – you don’t want it to burn. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the brown sugar and butter, followed by 100ml of the cream in a thin stream, while still whisking. Return to the heat and bring to a foamy boil for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved and there are no lumps. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
step 4
Beat the remaining double cream with the vanilla extract and coffee liqueur to soft peak stage, then fold in the mascarpone and ¾ of the burnt butterscotch mixture.
step 5
Spread each layer of cake with butterscotch cream and sandwich them together. Heat the remaining butterscotch really gently in a pan (or in the microwave) until it’s just runny enough to drizzle, but not too warm or the cream will melt.
step 6
Top the cake with the reserved burnt butterscotch sauce, allowing some to fall down the sides.