Samoa Cookie Cake with a shortbread crust, caramel chocolate cake, toasted coconut caramel filling, ganache drizzle, and caramel buttercream. Just like the girl scout cookie, but better!
Servings 20servings, more or less depending on how you slice it
Equipment
9x13 sheet pan
1M Piping Tip
squeeze bottle
angled icing spatula
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie Crust
3cupsshortbread cookie crumblespulse the shortbread cookies into a powder and then measure the three cups
5Tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
Chocolate Caramel Cake
1cupbuttermilkroom temperature
2/3cupsour cream room temperature
3whole eggsroom temperature
1/3cupvegetable oil
1Tablespoon vanilla
1teaspooncaramel extract/emulsion
1/4cupcocoa powder
115.25ozBox Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Dark Chocolate Fudge from Duncan Hines)
Toasted Coconut Caramel Filling
3cups toasted coconut
14ozcansweetened condensed milk
2/3cupcaramel sauce (either homemade or store-bought)
Caramel Buttercream
1 1/2cup (or three sticks)unsalted butterleft out at room temperature for 10 minutes
1pinchsalt
1Tablespoonpure vanilla
1teaspoon caramel extract/emulsion
1/4cupheavy cream plus more to thin it out if needed
7-8cups powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache Drizzle
1cupchocolate melts
1/2cupheavy cream
Instructions
For the cake & crust:
Preheat the oven to 325 F, and prep a 9x13 sheet pan with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour. Set aside.
In a food processor, pulse the cookies into a powder and then measure out 3 cups of cookie powder/crumble. Stir the cookie crumbles with the melted butter until it's evenly distributed. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside, no pre-bake required for the crust.
In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the cocoa and cake mix. Sift in the cocoa and cake mix, then gently stir to combine (don't overmix). Pour the cake batter onto the crust, then bake for 27-30 minutes until the center is baked through. Let cool completely before decorating.
For the Filling:
Stir together all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
For the Buttercream
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the salt, vanilla, caramel extract, and heavy cream. With the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly start to add in all the powdered sugar, about a half cup at a time. When it's fully incorporated, you may need to add in a Tablespoon or two more of heavy cream if needed to thin out the buttercream. Flip the mixer to the highest speed and whip up the buttercream to lighten the texture for about 2 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to stir and beat out the air bubbles.
For the ganache:
Stir together the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stir. Heat 30 seconds again and stir again until smooth. Add to a squeeze bottle and set aside.
Assembly
Fill a large piping bag with the caramel buttercream and a 1M tip and set aside (enough buttercream for the entire border - so about 2-3 cups).
Spread a layer of buttercream in a flat layer with the angled icing spatula. Carefully spread on the filling, then drizzle on the chocolate in straight lines diagonal. With the reserved buttercream in the piping bag, pipe on a braid pattern around the outside border.