Black Chocolate Stout Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream
 
 
A black chocolate stout cake with a slightly bitter, malted caramel flavor gets filled with a sultry caramel cream cheese buttercream.
Yield: 9-inch cake
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups black chocolate stout (Brooklyn Brewery makes a good one!)
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1½ cups dark Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 2¾ cups sugar
  • ¾ tbsp baking soda
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup full fat sour cream
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
For the frosting
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 7 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • ½ cup salted caramel
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
For the salted caramel sauce
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp light corn syrup
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tbsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
  1. To make the cake, heat oven to 350F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with baking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
  2. Bring the stout and butter to a simmer in a large heavy pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs.
  5. Add the stout mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Using a spatula, combine the flour mixture with the stout-egg mixture until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth, scraping down the bottom of the bowl as necessary to incorporate all the dry bits.
  6. Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. For the frosting, combine the butter and 3 cups of the powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the heavy cream and mix until just incorporated. Beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute, or until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  8. Add the remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing on low until the frosting is thick, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 4 minutes or until fluffy.
  9. Add the salted caramel sauce and mix until fully incorporated into the buttercream. Then add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat again to ensure that all the cream cheese is incorporated. Frost and fill the cake as desired.
Caramel Sauce
  1. For the salted caramel sauce, bring half a cup of the cream, the sugars, the butter, the corn syrup, and the salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, whisk a few times to combine. Boil until the mixture is dark tan and the temperature reaches 250F. Remove from the heat and pour in the remaining cream and vanilla bean paste. Whisk to combine. Return the pan to low heat and bring to a low boil, stirring, until no visible chunks remain.
  2. Pour into a glass jar or bowl and allow to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use
Recipe by Joanne Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2017/12/black-chocolate-stout-cake-with-caramel-cream-cheese-buttercream.html