Chocolate Caramel Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 14 ounces caramels
• 1/2 cup butter
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

Recipe

• 1 cake:.
• 2 preheat over to 350 (this is standard but in my electric oven 335 is better).
• 3 grease and flour two 9" round pans.
• 4 melt chocolate in microwave until smooth (about 2 min) allow to cool to lukewarm.
• 5 in a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. with each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. bake for 30-40 minute remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
• 6 caramel topping:.
• 7 while cake is baking, prepare the caramel topping. melt the butter and caramels in saucepan over low heat. once melted, add condensed milk. stir completely. keep on low heat until ready to use, stirring regularly.
• 8 chocolate frosting:.
• 9 chop semisweet chocolate.
• 10 place in saucepan with butter over low heat until melted. cool to lukewarm.
• 11 beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy.
• 12 add chocolate to cream cheese. mix.
• 13 add vanilla extract. mix.
• 14 gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well blended and smooth.
• 15 once cake has cooled, frost bottom layer with chocolate frosting. once frosted dribble hot caramel over bottom layer. add top layer of cake. frost with chocolate frosting. dribble caramel over top layers.
• 16 prepare for sugar high.
• 17 delicious warm but if you aren't serving within a couple hours you will want to refrigerate due to the cream cheese.