White Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cake

Happy New Year! There’s no better way to start the new year than with a new cake recipe! So, let me fill you in on something, when I originally started this cake, it was just going to be a white chocolate and caramel cake. Just after Christmas, I made the first batch of cake layers and I burned them. I’m known for under cooking things, but never over cooking. It was very frustrating!After that frustrating start to the cake, I decided to call it for the rest of the year and hang out with my family and pick up after the new year. During that time I was thinking about my cake and how I could take it to the next level. Then it hit me, PRETZELS!  I knew I wanted to incorporate pretzels in my recipe, but how? I went back to the kitchen and decided to try making a pretzel crust for my cake. I made it and then baked the cake layers onto it. It still wasn’t quite right, but I knew what I needed to do to fix it. It needed to be a pretzel cluster, not a pretzel crust. I did some research and found a few ideas and eventually, after a lot of trial and error, I created the most perfect white chocolate pretzel cluster for the filling of this cake. 

Tips for making the most perfect cake layers. 

• Use fresh ingredients, including fresh baking powder. 
• Use high quality cake pans. I have tried many cake pans over the years, and my favorite pans are fat daddios that you can find here
• Cream your butter and sugar. Don’t just mix, cream your butter and sugar, on high, for about 5 minutes. This helps incorporate air and makes your cake rise.
• Use room temperature ingredients, unless specified otherwise. 
• Don’t over mix your flour. Low and slow baby! 
• Let your oven pre heat for 15-20 minutes to ensure it’s hot and ready (just like Little Caesar’s ;))

How to prevent chunks in your buttercream

I get this question all the time. “What can I do about the chocolate chunks in my buttercream?” When making buttercream, you always want to make sure your butter is chilled, but sometimes when you add warm melted chocolate to it, it instantly hardens on the butter, causing chunks. To prevent that, I make a ganache by heating my cream and pouring it over my white chocolate chips and then pouring that over the chilled creamed butter. It works like a charm! 

More tips for successful buttercream

• Beat chilled butter, I leave mine out for about 30 minutes before I start beating it.
• Use good quality, heavy cream.
• Beat with a rubber spatula before using to get the air bubbles out. 

Tips for a successful cake 

• This cake can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer. Just make sure you tightly secure your cake in plastic wrap.
• Freezing your cake will help keep the crunch in the filling. I don’t recommend refrigerating your cake overnight. It won’t hurt the cake, but you run the risk of the crunch being a little soft.
• Each part of the cake can be made ahead of time. Store the cake layers in the freezer and the filling and buttercream in the fridge in airtight containers.

Tender and fluffy white chocolate cake layers with a pretzel filling, caramel drizzle, and a white chocolate ganache. 

Happy Baking! 

Xoxo, 

Molly 

Recipe

White Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Cake

Molly Murphy

Light and fluffy white chocolate cake layers, sweet and salted pretzel filling, with a caramel drizzle, and covered in a a white chocolate buttercream.

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Ingredients

  

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For the White Chocolate Cake layers

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 4 whole eggs room temperature
• 3 egg yolks room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk room temperature
• 6 ounces white chocolate melted and cooled

For the caramel sauce

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 3 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 Tablespoons butter

For the pretzel filling

• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 ½ cups milk powder divided
• 1 ¼ cups crushed pretzels mostly pulverized, but some chunks are okay
• 4 teaspoons corn starch
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces white chocolate

For the white chocolate buttercream

• 2 cups 452 g unsalted butter, slightly cold
• 6 cups 750 g powdered sugar, measured and then sifted
• 8 ounces 150 g white chocolate chips, melted and still warm
• ¼ cup 57.75 g heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

 

For the White Chocolate Cake Layers

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray three 8-inch round or four 6-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
• In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate in 30 seconds increments, stirring between each 30 second increment.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
• In a stand sized mixing bowl, beat the butter on high until light in color. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes.
• Turn the mixer to medium-low. Add in the whole eggs and egg yolks one by one until mixed. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and beat on medium high for 3 minute and then add the vanilla and the melted white chocolate. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix again on medium-high for another 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on the lowest speed, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients followed by half of the buttermilk, then add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the buttermilk, and then add the last part of the dry ingredients. Mix just until there are no more streaks of flour.
• Pour batter into prepared pans (about 17 ounces in each 8-inch pan, and 12 ounces in 6-inch pan) and bake until slightly golden on top, 28-30 minutes. Test the cake by inserting a toothpick and look for little to no crumbs when removed.
• Let the cake layers cool for about 10 minutes in the pans. Remove them from the pans and transfer them to a cake rack.
• When the cake layers are room temperature, level each layer (if needed) with a cake leveler. Wrap each layer with plastic wrap and freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.

For the caramel sauce.

• Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
• Start boiling the water and sugar mixture on medium high heat. This is the part when you do not want to stir. Let it boil until the mixture becomes caramelized and looks golden brown.
• Put the cream in the microwave for 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat on the sugar mixture and add the cream, being careful that it doesn’t burn you. Mix the caramel mixture until evenly combined.
• Pour mixture into a bowl. Add the vanilla, salt, and butter and let it sit until the butter melts. Stir once the butter is melted.
• Let it cool down to room temp.

For the pretzel filling.

• Heat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk 1 cup of the milk powder, pretzel crumbs, corn starch, sugar and salt. Using a rubber spatula, add the melted butter and toss until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
• Spread the clusters on the prepped baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes. The crumbs should appear sandy at that point. Cool the crumbs completely.
• If there are any bigger crumb pieces, just break them up to prevent large chunks in your cake.
• Pour the melted warm white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are covered. Then continue tossing them every five minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters are no longer sticky. If not using right away, store in an airtight container and place in the fridge.

For the buttercream

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and the pour it over the white chocolate to melt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and silky. This helps prevent chunks. If there are still small chunks, heat it up in the microwave in 15 seconds increments until smooth. Don’t worry if it looks thick.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed for about two minutes.
• Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix for another minute.
• Add the white chocolate ganache, followed by the vanilla extract, and salt. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 3 to 5 minutes, until light in color and texture.
• With a rubber spatula beat out the air pockets to ensure a smooth buttercream.

Assembly

• Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board and evenly spread about ¾ cup of the buttercream over the cake. Sprinkle about ½ cup of the pretzel filling over the frosting and press down lightly with your fingers to create a level surface. Drizzle a generous amount of caramel sauce.
• Repeat these steps with the second cake layer. Place the final cake layer top-side down.
Apply a thin coat of frosting around the cake to lock in the crumbs and chill for 10 minutes in the freezer to set.
• Finish frosting the cake with the remaining buttercream and top with remaining pretzel filling. Serve the extra caramel on the side. Serve room temperature.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!