If you can resist eating it, this quick and easy all-in-one chocolate cake with layers of salted caramel and a luscious cream cheese frosting gets squidgier and more delicious the longer it's stored for.
tub full-fat cream cheese (we used Philadelphia), at room temperature
1Tbsp.
Carnation caramel
1tsp.
golden syrup
Small handful pretzels
45g
bar Cadbury's Caramel, broken into pieces
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Grease and line base and sides of a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment, making sure that the parchment comes up a bit higher than the sides of the tin.
Step 2
Make the cake. Stir the caramel and sea salt together in a small bowl. Set aside. Put the butter, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together with an electric hand whisk for about 30sec until the mixture is smooth and combined (don’t overwhisk).
Step 3
Spoon a third of the cake batter into the prepared tin, spread to level, then use a teaspoon to dollop half the caramel mixture in blobs on top of the batter. Repeat with half the remaining cake batter over the top, and the remaining caramel, then finish with the rest of the cake batter. Bake for 50-55min until the cake is risen and feels springy to the touch.
Step 4
Remove from the oven, cover the tin tightly with foil. Leave to cool completely.
Step 5
Once the cake has cooled, make the frosting. Put the butter in a small mixing bowl and beat in the icing sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Beat in the cream cheese until combined. In a separate small bowl, stir together the caramel and golden syrup.
Step 6
Remove cake from tin, then peel off the paper and put on a board or serving plate. Spread the frosting on top of the cake, then use a spoon to drizzle the caramel sauce over the frosting. Push the pretzels and Cadbury’s Caramel pieces into the frosting so they stand up, lightly sprinkle over some sea salt flakes and serve.
To store
Keep the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, but allow slices to come up to room temperature before serving.
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurstis our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
