Crunchie Cake is a moist chocolate cake made extra fudgey by using brown sugar. It's filled and topped with a golden buttercream, infused with sticky golden syrup. It's also got crushed Crunchie bars between the layers and plenty of them on top too! If you're not familiar with a Crunchie bar, it is a very popular chocolate bar in the UK. It's a bar of honeycomb (also known as hokey pokey or cinder toffee) coated in milk chocolate. It's very simple when described, but they are so tasty.
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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 a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- 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.
- I used golden syrup for the buttercream, you could use honey instead if you prefer.
- 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 Crunchie Cake
To make the cake, mix together the butter or baking spread and light brown soft sugar until fluffy, then mix in eggs and milk.
Next mix in self raising flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Divide the mixture between the cake tins. Bake them for 35-40 minutes until risen and a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.
For the buttercream, mix the butter until creamy, then add the icing sugar, golden syrup, vanilla extract and milk, and mix until smooth. Place one of the cake layers on your serving plate and pipe or spread over some buttercream, then sprinkle over chopped Crunchie. Add the second cake layer and pipe on the remaining buttercream. Decorate with chunks of Crunchie.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How long does the cake last for and can you freeze it?
The cake will keep in an airtight container for 3 days in a cool place. You can freeze the sponges either alone, or decorated. Once the sponges are fully cool, wrap them well with cling film or put them in an airtight container with some baking paper between them. You can freeze the buttercream on it’s own in a tub, or you can decorate the cake and freeze it fully assembled. To do this and avoid damage to the decoration, freeze it in an airtight container. Or let it freeze solid on a cake board or plate, then wrap in cling film. Remove the cling film when you take it out to defrost it, if you don’t it could damage the appearance of the decoration as it defrosts and softens. You can also freeze slices of the cake, again well wrapped in cling film or in airtight containers.
Can this cake be made in different size cake tins?
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. So for this recipe you'd need to add 3 additional teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
Can this cake be made into cupcakes?
Yes, check out my Crunchie Cupcakes for details.
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 additional baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 3 additional teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ½ tsp 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 decorate the cupcakes with a dairy free alternative to Crunchie bars, such as Buttermilk Honeycomb Blast Choccy Bar, or plain honeycomb without a chocolate covering is usually dairy free. 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 Crunchie Cake:
- You can spread the buttercream onto the cake if you don't want to pipe it.
- The Crunchies will go slightly soft after a short while once the honeycomb inside is exposed to the air, so add them as close to serving as possible.
Troubleshooting
My number one tip for getting the best results is to read through this whole page of tips and recommendations before starting, and follow the recipe exactly. 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!
Recommended equipment & ingredients
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- 8" cake tins
- Round cake tin liners
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Piping bags
- Crunchie bars
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More Crunchie recipes...
Crunchie Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 350 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
- 350 g Light brown soft sugar
- 6 Eggs large
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 300 g Self raising flour
- 50 g Cocoa powder
- ½ tsp Baking powder
For the buttercream
- 250 g Butter softened, unsalted
- 500 g Icing sugar
- 100 g Golden syrup or honey
- 2-3 tbsp Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For decoration
- 4 Crunchie bars 32g each
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line two 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
- Make the sponge by mixing the baking spread and light brown soft sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy (around 3 minutes), ideally using an electric mixer. Or mix in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment
- Add the eggs and milk, and mix until fully incorporated
- Add the self raising flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder, and whisk or fold in gently
- Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy if you like. Bake them for 35-40 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tins and place on cooling racks
- To make the buttercream mix the butter on it's own until it's smooth and creamy, for 2-3 minutes. Use an electric whisk or stand mixer with the paddle attachment for best results
- Add the icing sugar, golden syrup, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can add a little more milk
- If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a sharp knife
- Put one of the sponges on your plate or cake stand and pipe or spread some of the buttercream onto it. Then sprinkle over some crushed up Crunchie bar
- Add the other sponge on top and pipe or spread the remaining buttercream on top
- Decorate with the Crunchie bars, chop some into chunks and crush up the rest. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 3 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- 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.
- I used golden syrup for the buttercream, you could use honey instead if you prefer.
- 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.
Nutrition
If you like this, check out more of my Cake recipes!
Please note: this recipe is NOT in anyway sponsored by Crunchie, I just love their product!
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