An Inspired Cook

This lucious chocolate caramel poke cake comes with some big news!  This is my last recipe from Kansas.  After 25 years in the Kansas City area we are finally going home to New Mexico.  For the past several years I’ve been feeling homesick for New Mexico.  Our little family is all grown up; our boys are living their own lives and spreading their wings.  The time feels right to move on to the next phase of our lives.  Joe and I are both looking forward to taking long weekends to explore and travel throughout the state that we’ve missed for so many years.  I don’t know when I’ll be posting again, but eventually when we are settled I’ll be back with some stories to tell for sure.  Hope you’ll come back and visit.  But for now I have one last dessert to share.  From Kansas with love!!

If you don’t have salted caramel sauce on hand, here are the step by step instructions on how to make it.  It’s really simple and only takes a few minutes to make.  Once made let cool or refrigerate so that it will be cool enough to pour over the cake when ready.

You can use a boxed chocolate cake mix if you wish.  I made a chocolate cake mix from scratch using flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

And to the dry ingredients you’l add some brewed coffee, milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla.

Add all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk until blended.

Now that it’s blended, set aside.

In another large mixing bowl whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, vanilla and coffee.

Whisk until it begins to become frothy.

Add the dry mix a little bit at a time whisking after each each addition until you have incorporated all of the dry mix.

Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes.  Test the cake with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.  If it has batter on it, leave in the oven another 5 minutes and test again.

The cake is toothpick tested and done.  While it cooled it fell a little bit in the center, but that’s okay, it will all be covered in chocolate whip cream.

Begin to poke holes all over the cake either with a toothpick or chopsticks or even the handle of a wooden spoon.  The holes will depend on the instrument you use but just make sure your cake is full of holes.

I poured 1/2 pint or approximately 1 cup of caramel sauce over the cake.  Let it sit while the caramel sauce oozes into the holes and absorbs into the cake.

Time to make the chocolate whipped cream.  To a medium bowl add 2 cups of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla.

Whip the vanilla cream mixture with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk just until the mixture begins to form soft peaks.

Mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder.

Whisk the cocoa mixture into the whipped cream until it is fully incorporated.

Whisk together until you have a nice thick chocolate whipped cream.

Use a cake spatula to smooth the whipped cream over the cake.

Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the cake.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.




Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake

1 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 cup Whole Milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Coffee, brewed and warm
Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Whipped Cream

2 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Cocoa Power
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Mini Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with butter and a light dusting of flour.  Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl, set aside.  In another large bowl whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, brewed coffee and vanilla until well mixed and slightly frothy.  Begin to add the dry mix a little bit at a time until incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake approximately 25 – 30 minutes.  Test with a toothpick for doneness.  Let cake cool completely.

Poke holes in cake with a toothpick, chopsticks or the handle of a wooden spoon.  Makes holes all over the cake.  Pour approximately 1/2 pint of caramel sauce over cake.  Let caramel sauce fill holes and absorb into cake.

To make chocolate whipped cream combine 2 cups of heavy cream with a teaspoon of vanilla.  Use a hand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on high until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and continue to mix until stiff peaks form.

Spread whipped cream over cooled cake with a cake spatula.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate cake.