If you love dark chocolate, buttery caramel and crunchy toffee, you’ll love this chocolate caramel toffee cake. Imagine three layers of soft, moist and fluffy chocolate sour cream cake. I soaked each layer of cake with bourbon, which is totally optional, so feel free to leave the bourbon out if you prefer. Then I filled each delicious layer of chocolate cake with toffee bits and drizzles of sweet caramel sauce. Lastly, I covered the whole cake with fluffy chocolate caramel buttercream. The piped ruffles of chocolate buttercream are such a pretty way to finish the cake, but rustic swirls all over would be gorgeous. This decadent cake makes a perfect dessert for any occasion!
Looking for more recipes like this one? You’ll love this chocolate caramel tart, chocolate truffle cupcakes and homemade salted caramel sauce.
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Ingredients
Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
- All-Purpose Flour. While I prefer using cake flour for my white cakes and vanilla cakes, all-purpose flour works great for chocolate cake.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture
- Cocoa Powder. Be sure to use unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, not “natural” cocoa powder.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. Leavens the cake, making it rise light and fluffy.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Eggs. Add structure and richness.
- Milk + Sour Cream. Whole milk and full fat sour cream adds richness, flavor and acidity, for a light, tender cake crumb.
- Vegetable Oil. Keeps the cake moist and light.
- Vanilla Extract. Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Chocolate Caramel Buttercream
- Unsalted Butter. Butter is fat, and when it’s whipped with the powdered sugar, it makes the buttercream silky, light and fluffy.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
- Cocoa Powder. You don’t have to use a Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the buttercream, but use a good-quality cocoa powder that tastes great, since your chocolate buttercream will only taste as good as the cocoa powder.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Meringue Powder. Stabilizes the buttercream and improves the texture.
- Caramel Sauce. A little caramel sauce whipped into the buttercream adds a lovely, complementary caramel flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Use a good-quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Half n Half. Just use enough to thin the buttercream as needed to the desired spreading/piping consistency.
Bourbon, Toffee and Caramel Filling
- Good-Quality Bourbon. The bourbon is for brushing over the cake, just to add extra moisture and flavor, but it’s totally optional, and the cake is fantastic with or without the bourbon. I’m no bourbon connoisseur, but for baking and flavoring, I prefer to use bourbons that aren’t too smoky. My husband keeps a few different bourbons on hand, so I usually reach for Jim Beam or Elijah Craig.
- Toffee Bits. Adds crunch and texture between each cake layer.
- Caramel Sauce. Make your own, or just grab a jar online or at your grocery store. Both are delicious in this cake!
Instructions
Bake the Cake.
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for about 30 seconds until well combined and mostly free of lumps.
- Divide the batter between the pans, and bake the cakes on the center rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it, and the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Make the Buttercream.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for one minute until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, and mix on low to combine. Add the caramel sauce and vanilla. Whip on medium speed, adding only as much half-n-half as needed to thin out the consistency, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
Fill and Frost the Cake.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one cake on a cake board or cake pedestal. If using the bourbon, brush one tablespoon of bourbon over the cake, letting it soak in. Frost with a layer of the buttercream. Sprinkle with half the toffee, then drizzle with half of the caramel sauce.
- Repeat with the second layer of cake, brush with bourbon, more buttercream, toffee and caramel, and the last layer of cake. Brush the top layer of cake with the last of the bourbon.
- Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill the crumb coat. Frost the top of the cake with a final layer of buttercream.
- Fit a piping bag with a medium rose tip (#104) and fill with the buttercream. Lightly score vertical lines around the cake using the tip of a knife to mark even rows. Pipe vertical rows of ruffles, starting at the bottom and ending at the top, all the way around the cake.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading my comprehensive post on making Perfect American Buttercream.
FAQs for Chocolate Caramel Toffee Cake
What kind of bourbon should I use?
For baking and flavoring, I prefer bourbon that isn’t too smoky, like Jim Beam or Elijah Craig.
Can I use store bought caramel sauce in my chocolate caramel toffee cake?
Of course! When I don’t have time to make my own caramel sauce, I look for a good-quality salted caramel sauce that I know will taste delicious.
What piping tip did you use for the ruffled buttercream?
To pipe the buttercream ruffles, use a medium rose tip #104.
Can I make the chocolate cake in advance?
Yes, you can make the cake in advance. After baking and cooling the cake layers, wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze until needed, up to 3-6 months. You can also freeze the fully frosted and assembled cake for up to 1 month, in an airtight container.
How should I store the leftover cake?
Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
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Chocolate Caramel Toffee Cake with Bourbon
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 2 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch-processed)
- 1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ cup prepared caramel sauce (either homemade or store bought)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup half n half
Filling
- ½ cup prepared caramel sauce (either homemade or storebought)
- ½ cup toffee bits
- 3 tbsp good-quality bourbon (optional)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then whisk until completely combined.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk for about 30 seconds until well combined and mostly free of lumps.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Tap the pans lightly on the counter a few times to pop any large air bubbles. Bake the cakes on the center rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean or with moist crumbs clinging to it, and the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for one minute until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder and salt, and mix on low to combine. Add the caramel sauce and vanilla. Whip on medium speed, adding only as much half-n-half as needed to thin out the consistency, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy.
Assembly
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one cake on a cake board or cake pedestal. If using the bourbon, brush one tablespoon of bourbon over the cake, letting it soak in. Frost with a layer of the buttercream. Sprinkle with half the toffee, then drizzle with half of the caramel sauce.
- Repeat with the second layer of cake, brush with bourbon, more buttercream, toffee and caramel, and the last layer of cake. Brush the top layer of cake with the last of the bourbon.
- Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill the crumb coat. Frost the top of the cake with a final layer of buttercream.
- Fit a piping bag with a medium rose tip (#104) and fill with the buttercream. Lightly score vertical lines around the cake using the tip of a knife to mark even rows. Pipe vertical rows of ruffles, starting at the bottom and ending at the top, all the way around the cake.
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