Baked Sunday Mornings: Sweet and Salty Cake

The recipe on the Baked Sunday Mornings schedule for today is the Sweet and Salty Cake, three layers of chocolate cake with salted caramel sauce and whipped caramel-chocolate ganache frosting. I've made this cake and blogged about it twice before. My first attempt -- all the way back in 2009, and the first time I ever made a layer cake from the gentlemen bakers -- was less than successful. My second effort in 2012 was a significant improvement. When I realized it's been longer than six years since I last made this cake, I decided it was time to make it again.

Since I've already blogged about this cake before, I'm going use this post to share two pieces of advice for anyone who wants to make this recipe (and that I want to remember for the next time I make it!). The cake itself is straightforward and I've never had a problem with it. It's also the exact same chocolate cake recipe used in other Baked layer cakes, including the Wintermint Cake, Grasshopper Cake, Chocolate Coffee Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache, and Mile-High Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream.

However, I have had some serious issues with cake assembly. You spread salted caramel sauce on top of each cake layer before adding whipped ganache and stacking the layers, and I've had problems with the caramel being too runny and seeping out. So my first tip is is to level your cakes before spreading on the caramel. If the top crust of the cake is intact, the caramel tends to just sit on top and it can end up running over the edges of the layers and making a mess, especially under the weight of additional cake layers stacked on top. But if the cakes are trimmed to expose the soft crumb in the cake's interior, the cake will easily absorb the caramel. I used bake even strips around each of my pans and my cake layers actually had perfectly flat tops to begin with -- but I still leveled them, just to help manage the caramel sauce.

Second, I think this ganache frosting is the most tricky out of all of the Baked frostings. The recipe instructs you to make a caramel ganache (caramel + extra cream + chocolate), cool it to room temperature, and then whip it until fluffy. In my experience, this just creates a runny mess. I strongly recommend chilling the ganache -- either before whipping, after, or both. Otherwise, it's completely unmanageable. But with chilling, you get a nice spreadable consistency that will hold its shape, even when the cake is stored at room temperature (although I do think the cake benefits from a quick chill immediately after assembly to set the frosting).

This cake is worth the effort of dealing with the fussy ganache. I don't know why caramel-chocolate ganache isn't more popular -- it is insanely delicious. And whipping the ganache somehow gives you something that is airy and light while at the same time being intensely flavored with the perfect balance of salted caramel and chocolate. If you like salted caramel and chocolate, you will love this cake.

Recipe: "The Sweet and Salty Cake" from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, recipe available here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

Previous Posts About This Cake:

• "What a Difference Three Years Makes: the Sweet and Salty Cake," April 6, 2012.
• "The Sweet and Salty Cake: Chocolate Cake, Salted Caramel, and a Runaway Ganache," February 8, 2009.

Other Great Layer Cakes from Baked (yes, this is a long list -- I think I have baked every layer cake in the four Baked cookbooks except for the German Chocolate Cake from Baked: New Frontiers):

• "Baked Sunday Mornings: The Whiteout Cake," December 31, 2017. 
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Tricolor Cake," March 27, 2017.
• "Hot or Not?: Red Hot Velvet Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream," August 11, 2015.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Everyone's Favorite Birthday Cake," August 2, 2015.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Gonzo Cake (Purple Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting)," July 19, 2015. 
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Strawberry Supreme Cake," July 5, 2015. 
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Baked Ultimate Birthday Cake," May 10, 2015.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Wintermint Cake," December 21, 2014.
• "Frosting with a Soft Touch: Malt Ball Cake," September 13, 2014. 
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Bananas Cake," May 25, 2014.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Mile-High Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream," September 1, 2013.
• "Sweet Pistachio Perfection: Aunt Sassy Cake," January 29, 2013.
•  "The Cake So Nice I Made It Twice: Antique Caramel Cake," January 25, 2013.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Holiday Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream," December 23, 2012. 
• "Good Taste Is Elemental: Oopsy Daisy Cake," September 11, 2012.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Chocolate Coffee Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache," March 25, 2012.
• "My Cake Has a New Set of Clothes: Grasshopper Cake," January 24, 2012.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Stump de Noël," January 1, 2012.
• "Baked Sunday Mornings: Caramel Apple Cake," September 11, 2011.
• "Sunshine on a Plate: Lemon Drop Cake," June 8, 2011.