Chocolate and salted caramel cake (a.k.a caramel explosion)

Another PhD defense means another celebratory layer cake. This one was absolutely ridiculous, and by ridiculous, I mean insanely good. Two layers of moist chocolate cake with homemade salted caramel sandwiched between the layers and then drizzled over top, then the whole thing topped with dark chocolate glaze. RIDICULOUS!

I nicknamed this cake "caramel explosion" because that was kind of what it looked like by the time it got to McGill. There was caramel everywhere! People ate it up within minutes. The "problem" was that upon transporting the cake by metro, and possibly also with the humidity in the fridge, the caramel oozed out (more than shown in these photos) and the top layer slid off the bottom layer by a good inch.

 If you want to make this cake at home (and I'm sure you do!) and to avoid a "sticky situation", I suggest assembling the cake just before serving, otherwise, you could have a real mess on your hands (like if the cake layers slide off each other in the fridge!). Luckily, each of the recipes can be prepared ahead: the cake layers can be stored, wrapped in plastic wrap (I actually froze them), the caramel can be kept in a jar and is pourable at room temperature, and the chocolate glaze honestly only takes 5 minutes to make. The cake is a breeze to assemble and worth the time required to prepare each recipe. This cake is ridiculously good!

Chocolate and caramel cake

    Makes one 8-inch cake

• Two 8-inch chocolate layer cakes (recipe from Ina Garten found in Food & Wine)
• 1–1.5 batch(es) salted caramel (recipe found within this post)
• 1 batch chocolate glaze (recipe found within this post)

1. Level and trim the cake layers.
2. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate. Top with a thick layer of caramel, letting it drip down the sides a little.
3. Place the second cake layer on top of the caramel. Top with a thick layer of caramel, letting it drip down the sides a little (or a lot).
4. Cool the cake for about half an hour in the fridge, then top it with chocolate glaze, allowing the glaze to dribble down the sides.
5. Serve immediately, or store it (briefly!) in the fridge until you are ready to eat it.