I Made a Cake That Tastes Like a Snickers. Mostly.

INGREDIENTS
Units: 1 cup = 240 ml (US); 1 tbsp ≈ 15 ml; 1 tsp ≈ 5 ml.

Chocolate cake
All-purpose flour — 1 cup (115 g)
Unsweetened cocoa powder — ½ cup (40 g)
Sugar — 1 cup (200 g)
Sour cream (full-fat) or Greek yogurt — ⅓ cup (90 g)
Vegetable oil — ¼ cup (60 ml)
Egg (large), room temperature — 1
Milk or buttermilk, room temperature — ¼ cup (60 ml)
Boiling water — ¼ cup (60 ml)
Baking soda — 1 tsp (5 g)
Baking powder — ½ tsp (3 g)
Pinch of salt

One 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) layer

Peanut caramel
Sugar — 1 cup (180 g)
Butter — ¾ stick (3 oz / 85 g)
Heavy cream — ½ cup (120 ml)
Roasted salted peanuts — 1 cup (150 g)
Salt — ½ tsp (2 g)

Peanut ganache
Semisweet chocolate baking bar — 4 oz (120 g)
Heavy whipping cream — ½ cup (120 ml)
Roasted salted peanuts — ⅔ cup (100 g)

Cream cheese frosting
Cream cheese (brick-style), cold — one 8-oz pack (225 g)
Heavy whipping cream, cold — 1 cup (240 ml)
Powdered sugar — ⅓ cup (40 g)

SNICKERS CAKE — 8×8-inch (20×20 cm), 12–16 slices

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder together to break up cocoa lumps.
2. Stir in the sugar and a good pinch of salt (it boosts the chocolate flavor); make a well in the middle.
3. Add the egg, oil, milk and sour cream (room temperature) and whisk just until smooth — the less you mix now, the more tender the cake.
4. Whisk in the boiling water — it blooms the cocoa and deepens the flavor. The batter will be thin — that's correct; don't add flour.
5. Pour into an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan at least 2 in (5 cm) deep, lined with a parchment sling. Tap to level.
6. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45–55 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, the caramel: melt the sugar dry in a heavy, light-colored pan over medium heat. Don't stir — swirl the pan, or it turns grainy. Cook to deep amber, like dark honey (about 340°F / 170°C) — it burns in seconds.
8. Add the butter — it bubbles up hard; whisk until worked in. Add the salt.
9. Slowly add the cream, a splash at a time, whisking — mind the steam. Warm it first — cold cream makes it seize and sputter.
10. Cook over low heat about 1 minute until smooth (if it separates, blitz briefly with an immersion blender).
11. Off the heat, pour into a bowl to stop the cooking and stir in the peanuts. Cool until thick but spreadable, like soft peanut butter.
12. Frosting: whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar until it thickens and holds soft shape — not fully whipped.
13. Add the cold cream cheese (brick only; tub spread turns it runny). Whip to firm peaks and stop — over-whipped, it turns grainy. Transfer to a piping bag and chill.
14. Ganache: finely chop the chocolate (a bar melts smoother than chips) into a heatproof bowl.
15. Warm the cream gently — never boil it or the ganache can split; tiny bubbles at the edges are your cue.
16. Pour it over the chocolate, wait 2–3 minutes, then stir from the center out until smooth and glossy. Stir in the peanuts; let it sit until spreadable.
17. Take the cake out when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs (check from 45 minutes; overbaking dries the cake). Lift it out by the parchment, loosen the edges but leave the bottom on, flip onto a rack, peel off the paper and cool completely.
18. Move the cake to a board and split it horizontally into two even layers with a long serrated knife.
19. Set the bottom layer back in the pan so the sides support it. Pipe on the first layer of frosting and spread it evenly edge to edge.
20. Spread the peanut caramel over it, right to the edges — at room temperature, or it melts through the frosting.
21. Set the second layer on top, pipe the rest of the frosting over it and smooth it — keep it cold so it holds its shape.
22. Finish with the cooled peanut ganache, spread to the edges.
23. Chill at least 3–4 hours, ideally overnight.
24. Slice with a hot, dry knife, wiping it between cuts.
#Food #Cake