SALTED CARAMEL POKE CAKE

Salted caramel poke cake image

This poke cake has the wow factor with holes in the sponge that ensure every bite is drenched in caramel. Finish with cream cheese frosting and more caramel

Provided by Good Food team

Time 1h10m

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

110g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
225g caster sugar
150g firm dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
240g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
240ml milk
200g granulated sugar
90g butter, cubed & softened at room temperature
120ml double cream, at room temperature
1 tbsp sea salt flakes, crushed
75g butter
250g icing sugar
225g cream cheese

Steps:

Heat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas mark 4 and line 2 x 20cm sandwich cake tins. In a bowl or freestanding mixer, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the whole mixture is really aerated (if your mixture looks like it might be splitting, add a little of your flour). Add the vanilla, then mix in the flour and baking powder, alternating with the milk. Divide the mixture between the tins and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the top and edges are golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in tins for 10 minutes before flipping onto a wire cooling rack and peeling off the baking parchment. Allow to cool.
Make the salted caramel sauce by heating the sugar in a medium saucepan over a low to medium heat. Resist the temptation to stir. Instead, when it starts to melt, gently swirl the pan. Cook until amber in colour - this will take 5-6 mins. Remove from the heat and add all the butter. The mixture will bubble up, but let it melt completely before stirring. Slowly pour in the cream and add the sea salt, put back on a gentle heat and warm until it's a smooth sauce. Pour into a jug and leave to cool to room temperature.
To make the cream cheese caramel icing: cream the butter with a freestanding mixer or in a bowl until light and creamy, slowly adding in half of the sifted icing sugar in parts until fully incorporated and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, 100g of the salted caramel sauce and the remaining icing sugar, then whisk until pale and smooth. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Once the cakes are cooled, move them to a flat surface and use a large skewer or thick straw to poke holes across the top of the cakes, being careful not to poke all the way through! Drizzle most of the remaining caramel sauce (reserving some for decoration) into the holes in the cake layers, topping up as they sink in, then spread any overspill across the cake layer. Leave to cool completely.
To assemble, carefully place one layer onto a serving plate and cover with half of the cream cheese frosting. Repeat with the next layer, then use the remaining caramel to create a marbled pattern on top of the cake.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 642 calories, Fat 30 grams fat, SaturatedFat 19 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 86 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 70 grams sugar, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 6 grams protein, Sodium 1.8 milligram of sodium