Name: Amarula, Chocolate & Caramel Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 175 ml Vegetable oil; 2 Eggs (large); 150 ml Milk; 150 ml Amarula; 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 250 g Caster sugar; 350 g Self raising flour; 50 g Cocoa powder; 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda; 250 g Butter (softened, unsalteed); 500 g Icing sugar; 4-5 tbsp Amarula; 100 g Caramel sauce (good quality shop bought or homemade); Grated dark chocolate, flake bar or chocolate sprinkles

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If you like Baileys, then you will most likely love Amarula! It's a cream liquor, but it's made with a fruit from South Africa called the marula fruit. It gives the creamy sweet drink a slighty fruity hint. It's so tasty as a drink with ice and in this Amarula, Chocolate & Caramel Cake of course! The sponge is a chocolate fudge cake sponge, which is laced with Amarula. I've filled and topped it with an Amarula buttercream and caramel sauce, then added some chocolate flakes on top. It's indulgent chocolate heaven with a grown up kick!

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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used unsalted butter for the buttercream.
If you need a caramel sauce recipe, try my Homemade Caramel Sauce.
You can use any cocoa powder for this cake, of course the better quality it is, the better flavour it will have. Also do make sure you are using cocoa powder and not a hot chocolate powder.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Amarula, Chocolate & Caramel Cake

In a mixing bowl whisk together the vegetable oil and caster sugar, then add the eggs and whisk well. Next, pour in the milk, vanilla extract and Amarula.

In another bowl, stir together the self raising flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk everything together.

Then divide the mixture between the cake tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

To decorate, place one of the sponges on a plate and spread over the buttercream, then a layer of caramel. Add the second sponge, more buttercream, a generous drizzle of caramel and some grated dark chocolate to decorate.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

What caramel sauce should you use?

My favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce, it's rich, smooth and absolutely divine! You can also easily add salt to it to make it into a salted caramel sauce. If you don't want to make your own, it's quite easy nowadays to find a good quality ready made caramel (or salted caramel) sauce in the shops or online. I have used Tesco's Finest, Bonn Maman and Carnation Caramel in the past with great results.

Can you make this cake with Baileys instead?

Yes! Just replace the Amarula drop for drop with Baileys if you prefer.

Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?

Yes! If you would like to make this cake in different size tins, please check my Conversion Guide to find out how to adjust the recipe.

Can you make the cake with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can this cake be made gluten free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add additonal baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour. You may also like to add xanthan gum for better texture. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Can this cake be made dairy free?

For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for both the cake and buttercream. I recommend Flora Plant or the Stork Baking Block for the buttercream, as they give the best texture. You will also need to use the dairy free Vegan Amarula liqueur. Please do check the labels for everything you use to make the cake if you are serving it to someone with an allergy or intolerance.

Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

While you can absolutely make this recipe with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, I do recommend using an electric mixer for the best results. The cake will be lighter and fluffier when made with an electric mixer. The buttercream will also be smoother. You don't have to use an expensive stand mixer either, you can get electric hand whisks for as little as £10!

More tips for making the Amarula, Chocolate & Caramel Cake:

I decided to spread the buttercream on the cake with a palette knife, but you could also pipe it on with the nozzle of your choice.
I used a potato peeler to grate the dark chocolate onto the cake. You could also use chocolate sprinkles, or crumble up a flake bar.
If you would like to make this cake in different size cake tins, check my Conversion Guide to find out how.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

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