Nutella Caramel Layer Cake

This is the cake I made for Father's Day. I tweaked a few things from the original recipe to make it more affordable, but in the end I doubt there was a highly noticeable difference. It was absolutely delicious! I thought for sure the cookies around the edge would get soggy in our Houston humidity and with the frosting and caramel inside, but they stayed crisp for days. It's a great cake for beginners because the cookies around the edge help keep everything together so if your layers aren't perfect they won't slide around, and the rosettes on top are so easy and also cover any flaws underneath. As a long-time Nutella lover, this cake scored big points in my book!

Recipe adapted from Rebecca's Sweet Escapes

I used my standard chocolate cake recipe for the layers:

Cake:

Mix together:

2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil:

2 sticks butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup water

Pour over the flour mixture and add:

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well and pour batter into two 8-inch round pans lined on the bottom with parchment paper, greased on the sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Caramel Filling:

1 pkg. Kraft caramels

1/4 c. evaporated milk

Melt together in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly before using.

Nutella Frosting:

2 sticks butter, softened

2 c. Nutella (I used the Kroger brand substitute--it's almost identical in taste and much cheaper!)

5 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

pinch salt

evaporated milk

Combine all ingredients and whip until creamy. Add in evaporated milk until it is a good frosting consistency.

To Assemble:

Place one cake on a plate and pipe a wide border around the edge of the top to hold the caramel in. The border should be about an inch thick and about 1/2 inch tall. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to allow frosting to harden, which will create a more sure wall to hold in the caramel. Pour/spread caramel on top of your cake, within the border you created. (If the caramel has cooled down a little bit so it is barely spreadable, it will stay in place better). Place second cake on top and cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting. Pipe a thin border around the bottom of the cake and insert pirouette cookies (cut to size) around border, pressing into the cake (I used 3 tins of pirouline cookies from Dollar Tree--still wonderful, and again, much cheaper!). Secure with another border of frosting around the bottom when cookies are in place. To create rosettes on top, use a large star tip and pipe spirals all over the surface of the cake.