Homemade Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake

Happy #NationalPopcornDay!

Here's a cake that is truly decadent

INGREDIENTS

• Vanilla cakes:

• 200g caster sugar or very fine sugar by blending t until it is smooth

• 200g softened butter

• 200g self-raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 4 med eggs

• 2 tbsp milk

• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

• Chocolate cakes:

• 200g caster sugar

• 200g softened butter

• 150g self-raising flour

• 50g cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 4 eggs

• 2 tbsp milk

• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Salted Caramel: You can use a jar sauce but if you have time, make your own. You'll become famous in your own home.

• 400g granulated sugar

• 180g butter

• 240ml double cream

• 2 tsp salt

• Buttercream:

• 250g butter, at room temperature

• 600g icing sugar

• Half of your salted caramel (200g salted caramel and 1 tsp salt)

• Toppings and filling:

• Half of your salted caramel (200g salted caramel and 1 tsp salt)

• Salted caramel popcorn

• 100g dark chocolate, melted

INSTRUCTIONS: I don't know about you but, I love music while I am creating in my Kitchen laboratory. What genre of music do you cake too?

Salted caramel:

1. heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the sugar has melted, add the butter and use a whisk to combine the two.

2. Add the double cream in a slow drizzle, stirring with a whisk constantly, then allow it to come to the boil for one minute - it will rise up so make sure you are using a big enough pan.

3. Remove it from the heat, stir in the salt, and allow it to cool before you use it.

Sponges: preheat the oven to 325 degrees

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand whisk.

2. Add the eggs one by one, mixing them in fully before adding the next one.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, and milk - then cocoa powder if it’s the chocolate cake, vanilla essence for the vanilla cakes.

4. Beat until the mixture is combined then divide it between two greased and lined 8 in pans.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the sponges rise and a skewer comes out clean.

6. Let the cakes cool in their tins for 15 minutes then remove them to a wire rack to cool fully.

Buttercream:

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat together the butter, icing sugar, and salted caramel (or caramel and salt) until light and smooth.

1. Put half of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle.

2. Cover the remaining icing with cling film and put it to one side.

3. Assembly: use a bread knife to level the top of each sponge. Use a 5cm biscuit cutter to cut a circle out of the middle of one chocolate cake, and one vanilla cake.

4. Pipe a small dot of buttercream onto your serving plate or stand, then place the whole vanilla cake on top of it and press down gently to secure it.

5. Fill this layer with piped buttercream, but leave a 5cm gap in the middle of the cake.

6. Add the layer of chocolate sponge with a circle cut out, then pipe another layer of filling.

7. Add the vanilla sponge with the missing middle, then fill the cavity with salted caramel.

8. Pipe buttercream filling over this layer, then add the remaining chocolate sponge.

9. Coat the whole cake with the remaining buttercream and pile salted caramel popcorn on top of the cake.

10. Put the melted chocolate into a piping bag - wait until it is quite cool but still liquid - then cut off the end and then use it to drizzle thin lines of chocolate across the top.