These are beautifully light and fluffy enough to serve as dessert but certainly great with a cup of strong coffee as an afternoon treat. I find that they go down a treat over the festive period when we are looking for warming and decadent treats!
If you don’t have a tin for individual small cakes, use a lined 12 hole cup cake tin instead. I also sprinkled some broken cocoa nib tuilles on my cakes but you may omit these or substitute with chopped nuts or other toppings you enjoy.
Ingredients (makes 12 small cakes)
For the cakes
- 75g dark chocolate
- 100ml whole milk
- 125 soft brown sugar
- 75g unsalted butter, soft
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125g plain flour
- 20g cocoa powder
- 8g bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch of salt
For the whisky buttercream
- 125g butter, soft but holding its shape
- 250g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp whisky
- 3 tbsp full fat milk
For the whisky caramel
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 40g butter
- 50ml double cream
- 1 tbsp whisky
- A pinch of salt
To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and dust with flour a 12 individual cake tin.
Put the chocolate and milk in a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool.
In a bowl whisk to combine the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt.
Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add a spoonful of the dry ingredients and an egg and whisk to incorporate. Add the second egg and repeat. Finally add the cool chocolate milk and whisk again to fully incorporate. Spoon the mixture into the cake holes or use a piping bag for ease. Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean, approx. 25 minutes.
While the cakes are in in the oven make the buttercream.
In a bowl, whisk the butter for 5 minutes until light, fluffy and pale in colour. Add half the sugar and beat again for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining sugar and repeat. Finally add the whisky and milk and whisk again for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer to a piping bag with your preferred nozzle.
To make the salted caramel, put all the ingredients, apart from the whisky, in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Increase the heat and let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce the temperature again simmer for a minute. Leave to cool completely, add the whisky and stir to mix.
When the cakes are cooked, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Cut in half horizontally, pipe some of the buttercream on the bottom halves, top with the top halves and pipe again. Drizzle with the whisky caramel and serve extra caramel on the side.