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Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Crunch Cake is salty, crunchy, caramel-y, chocolatey heaven in the form of a butterscotch devil's food poke cake with butterscotch chocolate ganache and butterscotch buttercream | www.thebatterthickens #butterscotch #pokecake

Dark Chocolate Butterscotch Crunch Cake

Ingredients

Butterscotch Sauce

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon scotch or whisky (optional)

Dark Chocolate Cake

  • 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 and 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee

Chocolate Butterscotch Ganache

  • 1/4 cup butterscotch chips
  • 1/3 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Butterscotch Frosting

  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch sauce

Additional

  • 1 cup caramel corn, chopped

Instructions

Butterscotch Sauce

  1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot over high heat. Add the brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt and stir. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook sauce for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and scotch, if using. Set butterscotch sauce aside to cool.

Dark Chocolate Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray two 9 inch round cake pans with non-stick spray. Alternatively, grease with oil or butter.
  2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
  3. Using a handheld or stand mixer on high speed, mix the buttermilk, oil, room temperature eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
  4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low. Add the coffee.
  5. Pour the batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 23-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

Butterscotch Ganache

  1. Melt chocolate, butterscotch chips, and butter together in a double boiler. Stir until completely smooth. Remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes.

Butterscotch Buttercream

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the 1/2 cup butterscotch sauce until completely combined and frosting achieves a fluffy texture, about 3 minutes.

To Assemble

  1. While the cakes are cooling, poke holes in them using a toothpick. Pour 1/2 cup butterscotch sauce evenly across surface of each and allow to soak in to the cake.
  2. When the cakes are entirely cool, spread a thin layer of the ganache on one of them. Sprinkle generously with chopped caramel corn. Stack second cake on top.
  3. Frost with butterscotch frosting. Garnish with extra caramel corn.

Notes

  • Butterscotch sauce and frosting adapted from Half Baked Harvest; cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Find it online: https://www.thebatterthickens.com/dark-chocolate-butterscotch-crunch-cake/