An elegant four layer caramel fig chocolate cake perfect for special occasions and fall celebrations.
As a classically trained pastry chef, I’ve perfected this caramel fig chocolate cake that brings together deep richness of dark chocolate, elegant sweetness of fresh figs, and silky caramel buttercream.
This four layered cake may look complex, but I assure you, this is a cake any home baker can master! Let me show you how!
Why This Cake Works
If chocolate and figs were humans, I think they’d be best friends. They just get along so well together. Proof: fig fudge popsicles & caramelized fig and chocolate chunk ice cream.
Dark chocolate cake, fig jam, and caramel Swiss buttercream are such a wonderful trio. When eaten together, these flavors are magically delicious.
Cake Components
There are threre components to this cake: chocolate cake, caramel (sauce and buttercream), and fig (jam and fresh fruit).
1. Chocolate Cake
This recipe makes two 6-inch chocolate cake rounds. The two cakes are split in half to create a total of four layers. The chocolate cake gets its flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder and instant espresso powder.
You may use natural cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa powder.
Natural cocoa powder will result in a lighter colored cake. Dutch processed cocoa creates a richer, darker chocolate colored cake.
I have tested the recipe using both cocoa powders. Honestly, I couldn’t taste the difference. The color of the cake layers was the most significant difference.
2. Caramel
Caramel is used to flavor the Swiss buttercream. It also acts as an accent flavor when caramel sauce is drizzled over the assembled cake.
I highly recommend the fleur de sel caramel sauce (salted caramel) from Trader Joe’s. That’s the caramel I used for this recipe.
Stonewall Kitchen sea salt caramel sauce is another great option. And of course, homemade caramel sauce is the way to go when you have extra time!
The slightly bitter yet sweet and silky buttercream just melts in your mouth. Swiss buttercream does take a bit more effort than American buttercream. However, the results as well worth it!
3. Figs
This my favorite component- figs! Top the assembled cake with all the fresh figs your heart desires.
Spread fig jam in between the cake layers. Purchase fig jam at speciality stores and well-stocked supermarkets. Or, easily make it yourself. I’m loving this homemade fig jam from Love and Olive Oil. And my favorite component of this cake is the fig jam.
Figs are generally available from late summer through fall in the United States. Figs have a rather short shelf life, making this the perfect cake to make if you happen to have a ton of figs on hand.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
Store assembled cake in the fridge, preferably in a covered container to keep out unwanted flavors or aromas. Before serving, leave cake out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes for cake and frosting to soften.
Once sliced, keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to three days. Warm to room temperature before enjoying for the best texture and flavor.
Make Ahead: Chocolate Cake
- Bake the chocolate cake in advance. Cool cake to room temperature then tightly wrap in plastic wrap.
- Keep cake in the freezer for up to two weeks.
- To defrost frozen cake, allow to thaw at room temperature overnight.
Make Ahead: Swiss Buttercream
- Prepare buttercream according to recipe instructions. Store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
- Take buttercream out of the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for several hours until softened.
- Revitalized buttercream using a sturdy whisk or beat with a paddle attachment in stand mixer until smooth, light, and fluffy.
- Buttercream may also be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. Defrost at room temperature overnight. Whisk once softened to revitalize.
Caramel Fig Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, (260 g)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (40 g)
- 1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder, (7 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup coconut oil*, (113 g)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, (250 g)
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup whole milk, (150 g) room temp
- 1 cup sour cream, (227 g) room temp
Caramel Swiss Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites, (210 g), about ¾ cup
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, (250 g)
- 2 cups unsalted butter, (452 g) room temp
- 3 Tablespoons salted caramel sauce*, homemade or store-bought
Other Components:
- fig jam
- salted caramel sauce
- fresh figs
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease and set aside.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together coconut oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. On low speed, alternate adding dry flour mixture and milk. Add about 1/3 of flour mixture, followed with half of the milk. Add another 1/3 of flour and remaining milk. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Add sour cream and remaining flour. Mix until combined and there are no longer any streaks of dry flour.
- Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Level batter. Bake for 28-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 3-5 minutes before unmolding. Allow cakes to cool to room temperature on wire rack.
Caramel Swiss Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler. Make sure simmering water does not touch the bowl. Whisk sugar egg mixture until it reaches a temperature of 160ºF. Alternatively, if you don’t have a thermometer, heat until all the sugar has melted. You can test test by dipping a finger into the warm mixture and rubbing it between your fingers. The mixture should be smooth. You should not be able to feel the granules of sugar.
- Return bowl to the stand mixer. With a whisk attachment, beat mixture at medium speed until it cools to room temperature. Reduce speed to low and add butter one tablespoon at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, add caramel. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until buttercream is light and fluffy.
Assembly:
- Once cake is cooled, slice each cake into two equal layers. To build the cake, place one layer on a serving platter or cake turntable. Spread a layer of fig jam over cake. Spread a layer of caramel buttercream. Place another cake layer and repeat until you have the fourth cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of buttercream around the sides of the cake to seal in the crumbs (crumb coat). Place in the fridge and allow to chill for 15 minutes to set the buttercream.
- Drizzle caramel sauce over the edges of the cake. Top cake with sliced figs. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Use either refined or unrefined coconut oil. Or sub in neutral flavored oil such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil.
- Keep in mind: unrefined or virgin coconut oil will have a milk coconut flavor.
- I recommend the caramel sauce from Trader Joe’s.
- You can bake the chocolate cake in advance. Cool cake to room temperature then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Keep cake in the freezer for up to two weeks. To defrost frozen cake, allow to thaw at room temperature overnight.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This was the most wonderful cake. The best cake I’ve ever made in fact! We had it for my dad’s 76th birthday and it was inhaled! Absolutely delicious and thank you for such a beautiful looking cake!
Thank you for making this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you and the family enjoyed it. Hope your dad had a wonderful birthday!
Well, I used two 6” pans, there was to much batter. And, my fault I guess, I shouldn’t have used it all, it turned into a mess. Thank goodness I put a tray under the cake pans. I liked the flavour of some I tasted before I tossed it out. I may try it again, have to toss some or go to a 3 rd 6” pan
This looks amazing. I’ve never had a fig but was thinking of trying this. My one concern is the sweetness level- between caramel buttercream and jam filling, would you say it’s fairly sweet? Thank you!
It’s a dessert, it will be inherently sweet. However, it is not cloying sweet. The use of unsweetened cocoa powder and espresso powder balances out the sweetness of the chocolate cake. I use a minimal amount of buttercream to keep the cake balanced.
Hi, I am making this beautiful cake for my birthday! I’ve made the caramel sauce in advance and I was wondering if you can make the buttercream in advance too (2 days in advance). For the cake I only have 8″ fairly shallow tins – do you think this could potentially work with 3 x 8″ cakes? Thanks for the recipe!
Happy upcoming birthday! The cake batter can baked in two 8-inch cake pans. Adjust baking time by 5-10 minutes less. I suggest making the buttercream a day in advance. Any longer, and you risk the buttercream absorbing unwanted flavors from the fridge.
I just found this recipe and I love figs, chocolate and especially caramel. However, I don’t own 6″ cake pans. Do you think I can use 2 8″ pans?
Yes, you can use two 8-inch cake pans. However, you will have to reduce the cooking time to prevent overcooking the cake.
This is a question regarding the Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream used in your Caramel Fig Chocolate Cake. I made my own Salted Caramel sauce which is pretty tasty but found I needed way more caramel than 3 Tablespoons to get the flavor to come through when making your buttercream recipe. The recipe I used for the Salted Caramel has a pretty intense caramel flavor but ended up using about 8 Tbs.. It’s somewhat risky to add too much of any flavoring as it ends up diluting the buttercream. So I’m wondering if the 3 Tbs in the recipe was correct?
Thank you
Pam
Hi Pam! Yes, the 3 tablespoons of caramel in the buttercream is correct. I used store-bought caramel (from Trader Joe’s) which tends to be thicker and sweeter than homemade caramel.
I made this cake today and the batter was delicious but there is no way this can fit into only two 6″ cake pans. More like 4
I used two 6-inch round cake pans (3-inch depth). Then, I sliced each cake into two layers to end up with a total of four layers.
This looks amazing! I want to make this for a wedding. How many servings do you think this would yield? The wedding will have 26 people. Any advice on scaling the portions up?
Directions say to use two 6-inch cake pans but photo shows four layers. I would love to make the four layers. How would I do that using this recipe?
Under assembly directions: the two cakes are sliced in half, resulting with 4 layers total.
Quick question – in the cake recipe you talk about adding milk. There is no milk in the cake ingredients though. Was there an amendment of some sort?
Thanks for catching that! It’s 2/3 cup whole milk.