Chocolate madeira cake with whipped caramel buttercream
Caramel sauce can be a little tricky to make as the temperature is important. If you are nervous there are quite a few good brands available to buy, you can add this to the buttercream and drip it over the cake.
SERVES
10
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
15
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
30
MINUTES
Ingredients
450g soft butter
420g golden caster sugar
8 eggs, lightly beaten
440g self-raising flour, sieved
2 tsp baking powder, sieved
100g cocoa powder, sieved
For the caramel:
125g golden caster sugar
2 tbsp water
25g soft butter
120ml cream, at room temperature
2 pinches sea salt
For the buttercream:
100g icing sugar
100g soft butter
1 tbsp caramel sauce
Method
Preheat your oven to 180°C and line the base of four 8-inch sandwich tins with parchment and grease and flour the sides. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Alternate adding the eggs and a spoon of flour and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add in the remaining flour, the baking powder and cocoa powder. Use the wooden spoon to make sure everything is well mixed.
Scoop the mixture between your four tins. If they do not fit in your oven, you can bake two batches. Bake for about 30 minutes until they bounce back once you press the centre of the cake. Once cool enough to handle transfer onto a wire rack and take off the discs of parchment. Allow to cool completely.
To make the caramel sauce heat the sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan. You will need to heat it on a medium heat until the sugar dissolves then turn the heat up high and allow it to bubble until it turns golden. Keep a close eye on it as it can burn quickly. Remove it from the heat and gently stir in the butter and cream until smooth. Stir in the salt and set aside to cool.
When the caramel is cold whisk all of the ingredients for the buttercream until light and fluffy.
Put a thin layer of buttercream onto three of the cakes. Stack these on top of each other with the supports in the centre, placing the top cake upside down to get a smooth surface on top and a sharp edge on the corners. With a pallet knife put the buttercream on the top and sides of your cake. Drip some of the caramel sauce over the top and decorate it as you wish.
