Deep, rich, chocolate cake with a shortbread crust baked right into it. Luscious caramel dripping down the sides and as a filling inside the cake. Caramel Shortbread buttercream, and pieces of Twix on top. This cake is EVERYTHING for even your most Twix candy bar obsessed friends and family. I tried to incorporate every piece of the beloved Twix candy bar into this cake, and I think we definitely have a winner!

Shortbread for days

This recipe has been a few years in the making. I have a version of my Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake in my Cake Confidence cookbook, but I knew I needed one that goes FULL TWIX by adding on some of my favorite shortbread elements. Just like my Lemon Bar Cake I posted recently, this cake has a lovely shortbread cookie crust baked right along with my dark chocolate cake (which is just divine!). Why? Twix just isn’t Twix without that tender shortbread crunch on the bottom. I used Sandies again as my shortbread cookie, but feel free to use whichever shortbread cookie you can find. You’re going to pulse shortbread cookies with butter to make the crust, press it into the bottom of your cake pans or cupcake tins, and bake your cake batter right on top of it. That takes care of our shortbread and chocolate element of our Twix cake. You’re ALSO going to use the shortbread cookies as decor on the sides, but also RIGHT into your buttercream! More on that in a bit.

Caramel mess?

The times I’ve used caramel as an element in my cakes, I’ve run into the problem that many bakers have come into – caramel that’s too runny and does NOT hold a shape we’ve come to know and love from our drips and filling. I’ve made homemade salted caramel more times than I can count, and I absolutely love it. However, using the Wilton Salted Caramel Candy Melts was a SLAM DUNK, I must say. Here’s a photo of what they look like:

I was skeptical at first, thinking there’s no way this will taste as good as using homemade salted caramel throughout the cake, but they tasted totally fine and they drip much better than a caramel drip that goes straight to the bottom . LOVED how they turned out. I used the same recipe for the drip as the filling on the inside. It’s goopy, but holds it’s shape when needed. So I’d call that a win-win for these little guys. No mess, no fuss, good taste, we’re in business!

Buttercream WIN!

I wanted to create a caramel buttercream that held up it’s shape really well. So instead of using caramel sauce right in the buttercream, I used a touch of caramel extract. You can find it at your local grocery store (I found mine at Walmart!), and all it takes is a little to make the buttercream sing to the caramel heavens! Now, in order to take it to the next level, I pulsed my shortbread cookies into a fine powder and added it right into my buttercream. My gosh, it tasted divine! Make sure to pulse the shortbread cookies really fine (think sugar-fine), so that you can easily pipe and spread the buttercream to your heart’s content without running into any crumbly problems.

I left the sides naked. I don’t make a lot of naked cakes, but I felt like this cake really looked gorgeous with just a crumb coat and drip! The drip was gorgeous, and then I added on a few little piped shells on top with the Wilton 1M tip, and then went a little Twix crazy.

Let’s take a look at the inside above! Isn’t that absolutely mouthwatering?! Those luscious cake layers are everything we dreamed about with this cake, and when we devoured every last morsel over a week, it was well worth it.

I know so many of you have been waiting so long for this recipe, so I’m happy to release it to the public instead of hoarding it away. This one would have been well worth the wait, but it’s certainly something we’re all glad we don’t have to wait another second longer to taste! I cannot wait for you guys to devour this one. It’s definitely in our top 10 for sure.

As always, make sure to tag me on INSTAGRAM @bakingwithblondie so I can see your beautiful creation! Enjoy,

xo,

Mandy

Get the Recipe: Twix Cake

Chocolate Cake with a shortbread crust, salted caramel drizzle filling and drip, caramel shorbread buttercream, and Twix pieces on top.
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Ingredients
 

Shortbread Crust

  • 20 Sandies or other shortbread cookie , 11oz if using a different brand
  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Cake

  • 2/3 Cup sour cream , room temperature
  • 3/4 Cup buttermilk , room temperature
  • 1/3 Cup vegetable oil
  • 3 Whole eggs , room temperature
  • 1 white egg, room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon caramel extract , optional
  • 1/2 Cup dark chocolate cocoa, sifted
  • 1/2 Cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 Cup all purpose flour , sifted
  • 1 Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix , or similar brands

Caramel Filling and Drip

  • 1/4 Cup heavy cream
  • 1 Cup Wilton Salted Caramel Candy Melts, (see blog post for the link)

Shortbread Caramel Buttercream

  • 10 Sandies shortbread Cookies , 6oz if using another brand
  • 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter , 3 sticks, left out of fridge for 10 minutes
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon caramel extract
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 6-8 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Garnishes

  • 6 bars Twix candy , chopped
  • 10 Sandies cookies , halved

Instructions
 

Chocolate Cake with Shortbread Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Convection bake or 350 degrees traditional bake. Prep three 6" cake rounds OR two 8" cake rounds with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour, or 24 cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • In a food processor, add in the shortbread cookies and butter and pulse until a crumble forms. Divide crumble evenly between cake pans or cupcakes and press down firmly to make the crust. (Tip: I use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to make an even crust). Set aside while making the cake batter. No pre-baking required for the crust.
  • In a medium bowl (not a stand mixer for this step), hand whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, egg white, and vanilla (also the caramel extract, if using) until uniform throughout.
  • Sift in the cocoa, flour, and cake mix, toss in the chocolate chips. Don't overmix – just whisk until the ingredients are barely combined. Divide evenly between cake pans or cupcake tins and bake for 27-30 minutes for cakes, and 12-15 minutes for the cupcakes. Let cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack until room temperature. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least a couple hours or overnight until you're ready to stack the cake.

Caramel Filling and Drip

  • In a medium glass microwave-safe bowl, add the heavy cream and salted caramel candy melts. Add to the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Place into a squeeze bottle when you're ready to assemble your cake or add your drip.

Shortbread Caramel Buttercream

  • Pulse the shortbread cookies in a food processor until a thin powder forms. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add in the shortbread crumbs, salt, vanilla, caramel extract, and heavy cream. Whip up again until it's all combined.
  • On low speed, add in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thick, add in a touch more heavy cream. Set mixer to high speed and whip up for 2 minutes to add volume and lighten in color. Taste. Add a touch more salt if you want it to taste more like salted caramel.

Assembly

  • If making cupcakes, hollow out the inside of the cupcake and add in about 2 tablespoons caramel filling. Frost with a piping tip and top with more caramel drizzle and a Sandies cookie or Twix candy for garnish.
  • If stacking a layered cake, using a cake turntable, add on a touch of buttercream to act as glue, then place down the first layer of cake onto a cardboard cake round. Add on a touch of buttercream, then pipe a dam around the outside rim of the cake round. Add in about 1/2 cup of caramel filling. Place the next cake round on top and repeat with remaining cake layers.
  • Crumb coat the cake, then place into the freezer for 5 minutes to set. Add on your drip, then freeze again for 5 minutes. With a Wilton 1M piping tip, pipe a shell design (pulling the ends towards the center of the cake) around the top rim of the cake, then place the Twix pieces on top. Line the bottom of the cake with halved Sandies cookies. Enjoy!
Course: Dessert
Author: Mandy Merriman | Baking with Blondie