Chocolate Snickers Cake
Dark chocolate layers, marshmallow nougat, homemade caramel the color of old pennies, and salted peanuts on top. This candy-bar-inspired layer cake is Nora's birthday request three years running, and no actual candy bars are involved. It takes about three hours start to finish, most of it cooling and chilling, and it tastes like a celebration.
Equipment
- Three 8-inch round cake pans
- Hand or stand mixer
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Wire cooling racks
- Offset Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Serrated Knife
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake layers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola is fine)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling-hot coffee
For the nougat filling
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
For the caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
For the ganache and assembly
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups roasted salted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round metal cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment rounds, and butter the parchment.
- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix on medium speed until just combined. Pour in the hot coffee and mix on low until smooth. The batter will look like a thin milkshake - that is the right look.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and the top springs back when pressed gently. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.
- Make the nougat. Beat the softened butter and marshmallow fluff together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, then beat until smooth and spreadable.
- Make the caramel. Melt the granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling gently, until it turns the color of old pennies and smells faintly bitter. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter pieces, then the warm cream, then the vanilla and salt. Let cool until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still pourable.
- Make the ganache. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes. Stir slowly until smooth and shiny.
- Assemble the cake. Place one cooled layer on the serving plate and spread half the nougat over it, leaving a small border. Drizzle with a third of the caramel and scatter a third of the peanuts over the top. Add the second layer, spread the remaining nougat over it, and drizzle with another third of the caramel and scatter another third of the peanuts. Place the third layer on top.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the assembled cake and let it run down the sides, helping it with an offset spatula. Drizzle with the remaining caramel and finish with the remaining peanuts.
- Chill the cake for at least 45 minutes before slicing. Use a warm knife, wiping it clean between cuts, for clean bakery-style slices.
Notes
Don't rush the caramel. Wait for the deep penny color and the faint bitter smell underneath the sweetness. If it seizes, pour the smooth caramel off the top and leave the grainy bits behind. Chill the cake for 10 minutes after each caramel layer during assembly. Store the finished cake in the fridge for up to 3 days; bring it to room temperature for an hour before slicing. You can freeze the layers separately for up to 3 months or the assembled cake for up to 2 months, but hold the top caramel drizzle until after thawing. For a nut-free version, swap the peanuts for crushed toffee bits.