Instarecipe! Toffee Cake

I've been making loads of cakes recently, everyone's birthday appears to be at this time of year and I know what you're thinking - duh, surely this happens every year so you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but turns out no! It somehow always ends up creeping up on me and then all of sudden I'm whipping up cakes in a frenzy. Then to add to that I've got others panicking about their friends/family birthday and at last minute I've got cake orders coming out of my ears. (I've never quite got that metaphor but I'll go with it anyway!) While I bake my way through this cake marathon I try to keep things interesting and make something new (when allowed)....like this toffee cake. It makes an awesome birthday cake, or equally good at any old time with a cuppa of course. 

I can't believe how devilish and naughty looking this cake turned out to be! I mean come on... this defo has to be borderline food porn!! What's not to love about the cheeky dulce de leche dripping and oozing down the sides and crushed chocolate toffee pieces (aka Rolos) scattered over the top. It really is a treat though, not to be eaten in mass consumption shall I add?! Or is that just a given?  Anyway here's my recipe for it, with the base cake recipe adapted from my cake bible ( that's Cupcakes from Primrose Bakery to you). 

Toffee  Cake

Makes an 8 inch two layer cake (or three layered if preferred)

Ingredients:

For the cake 220g unsalted butter, softened 240g light brown sugar 240g dark brown sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 250g self raising flour 240g plain flour 150ml dulce de leche, ready made ( I use Nestle Carnation Caramel) 100ml double cream
For the buttercream 150g unsalted butter 300g icing sugar 3 tbsp dulce de leche, ready made ( I use Nestle Carnation Caramel) May need 1-2 tsp milk

For the topping 2-3 tbsp dulce de leche, ready made handful of fudge/chocolate/toffee/caramel pieces, roughly chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C/350°F/ gas 4. Line and grease two, or three, 8 inch cake tins (depending on preference). 
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars together until pale in colour and smooth, this should be about 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer. Add in the eggs, one by one, mixing after each addition. Pour in the vanilla extract. 
Combine both flours in a separate bowl and add one third of this to the creamed mixture. Mix well until everything is combined. Next add the caramel sauce. Mix again. Add another third of the flour mix to the creamed mixture and stir. Add in the cream. Finally, stir before adding in the final third of the flour and beat everything well until just combined together. 
Evenly distribute the cake batter between the cake tins and level off the mixture. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until golden brown and springs back to touch. If using the three tins, the cakes will take less to cook so check them after 35 minutes. To check if they are cooked insert a skewer and it should come out clean. 
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool in their tins for 10 minutes. Turn them out onto a wire rack and peel off the baking paper. 
To make the buttercream beat the butter, half the icing sugar and dulce de leche in a mixer and once smooth and creamy beat in the remaining icing sugar. You may need to beat in 1-2 tsp of milk if too thick to spread. 
Once the cakes are completely cool, ice the middle and top of the cake with buttercream generously. Spoon the dulce de leche for the topping into a disposable piping bag and cut a small hole. Pipe in lines over the cake to create a drizzle effect, this doesn't have to be neat and may drip down the sides. Sprinkle over chopped chocolate/caramel pieces to finish. This cake should be stored in an air tight container at room temperature.