The ultimate Twix Cake is here! Two layers of moist chocolate cake covered in a creamy chocolate caramel buttercream with plenty of Twix Bars and extra caramel sauce.
Calling all Twix lovers! 💜
The ultimate Twix Cake is here. We’re talking two layers of super soft and super moist chocolate cake covered in a thick chocolate caramel buttercream, with chopped Twix bars both in between the layers and on top.
It’s a truly choco-licious treat!
If you’re on the hunt for a chocolate layer cake that will wow a crowd but is actually surprisingly easy to make, this is for you! Let’s talk chocolate cake. This is one of my all-time favourite chocolate cakes because of it’s buttery flavour and stick-to-your-fork texture.
It’s actually a spin-off of my popular Chocolate Fudge Cake. It uses buttermilk for it’s light and soft texture and plenty of cocoa for its sinfully rich chocolate flavour. You could use it as a base for any special chocolate layer cake, but I think covering it in Twix and caramel is a very good choice 😉
Next, we have that luscious chocolate caramel buttercream. Not only does it have butter, sugar and cocoa in it, but a large helping of caramel sauce. You could make your own from scratch or simply buy your favourite kind from the shops. A nice, thick, store bought caramel sauce will work perfectly and save you oodles of time.
Once you cover the first layer of cake in buttercream, it’s time to scatter over some chopped Twix bars. Remember to buy a few extra because, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have eaten half of them before you’ve had a chance to decorate.
Frost the sides and tops of the cake, scatter over more Twix bars, and drizzle a little bit of extra caramel sauce. It’s makes one messy but oh-so-beautiful Twix Cake, perfect for birthdays, parties and the like!
TIPS FOR MAKING PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE
- I’ve made chocolate cakes with both oil and butter. Both work just fine but I do think butter gives this cake a beautiful, rich flavour.
- The recipe begins by creaming the butter and sugar together, so you will need an electric mixer. Just make sure your butter is at room temperature and not too cold.
- Buttermilk is an important ingredient in this recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own but adding 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup of whole or regular milk. Leave for a few minutes and then use as normal. This substitution works just fine in this recipe.
- When you add the dry ingredients, try not to over mix the cake batter. This will ensure your cake is soft and tender.
- The hot water is important – don’t skip it! It helps the cocoa powder to bloom and makes a perfectly moist chocolate cake.
- The cakes will be ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely before stacking and frosting.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
- Temperature is everything. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. Cold butter won’t yield the same results. Your butter needs to be softened so it whips easily. But make sure it’s not too soft or melty by any means. It should be soft to the touch but still hold its shape.
- Beat the butter. The foundation of this chocolate frosting is making sure you beat the butter properly. Take your time and beat your butter until pale and creamy and smooth.
- Sift your sugar. I’m guilty on more than one occasion of not sifting my sugar but if you want the perfect buttercream, you HAVE to sift the sugar. It’ll ensure it’s light, fluffy and mixes well with the butter – no lumps. And same for the cocoa powder!
- Use your milk sparingly. The perfect buttercream has just the right ratio of butter, sugar and milk. Too much milk will make your buttercream too wet and runny, while too little, will make it too thick. Add a tablespoon at a time to ensure the correct consistency.
- Use good quality caramel sauce. You can use caramel sauce you’ve made from scratch or just buy your favourite brand at the supermarket. Try go for a thick, quality caramel sauce as the cheaper, runnier stuff won’t have that deep caramel flavour that you want in this dish.
- Don’t over beat the frosting. Once you add the chocolate, beat only until the frosting is melted and smooth – don’t over mix.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Twix Cake
A gorgeous two layer chocolate cake covered in Twix bars.
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 230 gram (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 280 grams (2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 60 grams (3/4 cup) cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) hot water
- 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk*
Chocolate caramel buttercream
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 375 grams (3 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 level tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 120ml (1/2 cup) salted caramel sauce, store bought or homemade
- 1–2 tablespoons full fat or whole milk, room temperature
To decorate
- 300 grams (roughly 2 cups) Twix bars, roughly chopped
- Extra caramel sauce, for drizzling
Instructions
- Chocolate cake
Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottom with baking or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. - In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugars and beat with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.
- Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until mixture is combined and creamy. Boil the kettle and pour out 1/2 cup water and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and lightly whisk.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet, along with the hot water and gently fold with a spatula. Finally, add the buttermilk and fold until the mixture is completely combined and smooth.
- Divide chocolate batter into prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Chocolate caramel buttercream
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. - Add one cup of sugar, along with a tablespoon of milk, to help loosen up the mixture. Beat until combined. Add remaining sugar, cocoa powder and caramel sauce. Beat until the frosting is nice and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon of milk.
- Spread a third of the frosting on top of one layer of chocolate cake. Sprinkle over some Twix Bars. Then add the second layer of cake on top (upside down).
- Cover the sides and top of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Spread Twix bars all over the top. Drizzle over caramel sauce.
Dina says
If I wanted to use a box cake, which would be best to use?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dina, I have limited experience using box cake mixes, but in the past I have tried Betty Crocker.
Carm says
Hi Jessica you had me at Twix cake 😋. How much oil would I put in instead of butter? Same amount as butter? Thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Carm, I would guess about 180 ml (3/4 cup) oil, similar to my Mint Cake.
Amy says
This was one of the best cakes I’ve ever made!!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Yes Amy! That makes so happy!
Aggy says
Hi, I’ve tried making this cake but for some reason the dry ingredients didn’t combine very well with the wet ingredients and I could see lots of little lumps of cocoa powder even after adding the buttermilk. Any idea what went wrong?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Aggy, did you sift your cocoa powder?
Erin M says
Hi Jessica – can this recipe be used in 3 6in pans?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes definitely!
Ariel says
Any thoughts on how to adjust the recipe/cooking time when using 6 in pans? I’d love make a 2 layer 6 inch cake. Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Ariel, this recipe will make three 6-inch cakes. So you could make two 6-inch cakes and use the remaining batter to make a couple of cupcakes?
Sonia says
Hi, this looks amazing! I would like to try this recipe however I do not eat eggs, do you know what I could use to substitute the eggs at all?
Thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sonia, I’m sorry I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs. I do have an eggless chocolate cake recipe coming on Monday though – stay tuned!
Joanne says
Made this cake for my brother’s birthday, I adjusted the icing sugar in the frosting as my family and I try to reduce the amount of sugar we eat and it was fine! The cake was super soft and tasted amazing! This was a massive hit , thank you!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love that Joanne! Thank you for the kind feedback!
Erin Roberts says
Hi Jess,
My son wants this cake for his 10th birthday in a couple of weeks! I’d like to make the caramel sauce myself, do you have a recipe or any suggestions for it? I normally make caramel using condensed milk, butter and brown sugar, sometimes golden syrup too, not sure if it would be too thick for this recipe though?
Thanks!
Erin
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Erin, I’m so excited you about going to make this cake! Your condensed milk caramel would be totally fine – if its a bit thick, just heat it in the microwave for a few seconds and give it a good stir before using in the frosting to loosen it up. Otherwise I have a caster sugar caramel recipe you could try. Hope you love the cake!
Rawan says
How deep are your pans?
I have 2 1″ deep 8″ pans and 2 3″ deep 9 inch pans, which should I use?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rawan, I use two 2 inch deep 8 inch pans. If you are worried about overflow, you could use your 9 inch pans and just adjust the cooking tin as the cakes will be a bit thinner!
Josh says
This cake was amazing! It was so soft!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Josh!
Sarah says
Can this cake be made in advance.. if yes how can it be stored
Jessica Holmes says
Definitely! You can make the cakes ahead of time and either freeze them, or wrap them in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature. Then just frost them when you’re ready to serve.