Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe

This chocolate, coffee and vanilla layer cake is made up of three sponges that have been sandwiched together with salted caramel, covered with a chocolate glaze and finished with a flourish! If you are making this cake for a special occasion, keep in mind that it's best enjoyed on the day that it's baked and that the glaze is more forgiving than the ganache!

Bakers of any level can easily make this cake for your next dinner party- you might have a little more washing up to do than any other cake, as you'll need to separate the mix into three separate bowls to add the flavouring, but other than that, it's super simple and you use the same mix for it. This recipe is perfect for Christmas, it's special and indulgent and a real showstopper!

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE, COFFEE AND VANILLA LAYER CAKE

Ingredients

• 225g butter, softened
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 225g plain flour
• 3tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1tbsp coffee extract
• 2tsp vanilla bean paste
• 200g dulce de leche
• Chocolate stars (ours are from Dr Oetker, widely available) or similar, to decorate

For the glaze:

• 200g dark chocolate, in small pieces
• 30g butter
• 2tbsp cocoa powder
• 4tbsp coffee extract (or very strong coffee)
• 6tbsp syrup

You will need:

• 3 x 20cm sandwich tins, buttered and the bases lined with baking parchment

Method

1. You will make 1 basic cake that you’ll then divide up to add the flavourings. Heat the oven to 160C fan, gas 4. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and baking powder in turn with gently whisking in the eggs. Once smooth, take out a third and add the coffee, then add the vanilla to the remaining mix. Spoon into the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

2. For the glaze, put all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water. Leave until melted, then whisk together and set aside to cool. Add 1tsp sea salt to the dulce de leche. Put a vanilla cake on the bottom of your cake stand, spread with half the caramel, put the coffee cake in the centre, spread with more caramel and top with a vanilla cake. Once the glaze is cool but not fully set, using a small palette knife, cover the top and sides. Do it little by little, going round a few times to build it up. Allow it to set until tacky, then add the stars as in our picture (opposite) and scatter over the glitter.