Samoa Cake with Caramel Buttercream
It's girl scout cookie season all year long with this samoa cake aka the best salted caramel coconut chocolate cake you'll ever have. This decadent chocolate cake is layered with a coconut caramel filling and held together with a dreamy caramel buttercream.
Chocolate Cake:
1¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cups Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup strongly brewed coffee
Homemade Caramel:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup cream
½ tsp. sea salt
Caramel Coconut Filling:
½ cup homemade caramel
1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
Caramel Buttercream:
½ cup caramel, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 pinch sea salt
10 samoa cookies (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease and line three 6" cake pans with parchment paper.
For the Chocolate Cake:
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, eggs, and buttermilk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking until no lumps remain. Pour in brewed coffee, mixing until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for roughly 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the Homemade Caramel:
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat the granulated sugar on medium low heat until its completely melted, swirling the pan gently every 20 seconds or so. The sugar will start to form clumps before melting slowly. Be patient and keep an eye on it to make sure it does not burn.
Once melted, remove from heat immediately and stir in the butter. The mixture will violently bubble. You’re doing it right. Next, pour in the heavy cream and ½ tsp. of the sea salt. Stir until everything is combined. Taste a spoonful of cooled caramel. If it needs more salt, feel free to adjust to taste.
Pour ½ cup of the caramel into a medium mixing bowl with the shredded coconut. Stir to combine. Set the other ½ cup of caramel aside to use for the frosting. Make sure that you let your caramel cool completely before using in the frosting.
Make the Frosting:
Place the room temperature butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, salt and ¼ cup (you will use the last ¼ cup of it to decorate the outside of the cake) of the remaining homemade caramel in a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed, gradually increasing to high. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Place the frosting in a large piping bag.
Assemble:
Once the cakes are completely cooled, assemble the layer cake. Place the first cake layer onto a cake stand. Pipe a border around the first cake layer. This will work as a barrier to hold in the caramel coconut filling. Spoon ½ of the coconut filling onto the first cake layer, using a spoon or an offset spatula to spread it evenly over the cake.
Place the second cake layer on top, and repeat with the remaining filling. Place the final layer on top. Use the remaining frosting to frost sides and top of the cake. If desired, top the cake with roughly chopped samoas cookies. Last, take the remaining ¼ cup of caramel and use an offset spatula to add accent of caramel around the edges of the cake and drizzle over the samoas on top.
Makes 16 servings.
Cook's Notes: You can also make this cake as a 2 layer 8" cake. Simply divide the batter between two 8" pans and only use one layer of coconut caramel filling.