Whole Foods has many popular treats in their bakery section including the Berry Chantilly Cake (be sure to check out my copycat version of that too) , their Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and now their Brown Butter Cookie Carmel Crunch Cake! (thats a mouth full!) I found their version to be very sugar forward, with not much chocolatey flavor or the right balance of salty and sweet. With that being said, I decided to make my own version for you all! Layers of a moist, sour cream chocolate cake with a fluffy vanilla buttercream speckled with chocolate chip cookie crumbs and of course a luscious and salty caramel sauce that you may just want to drink it’s so good. The final product is gorgeous, decadent and a real celebratory show-stopping dessert!

Chocolate Cake-Layers (3 layers)

3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/2 cups Water

3/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I prefer Guittard Rouge cocoa)

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)

2 1/4 cups of white granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine table salt

5 large eggs

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup sour cream

Salted Caramel sauce- (Makes about 2 cups of caramel)

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons water

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3/4 teaspoon fine table salt

Brown Butter Cookie Buttercream-

3 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened, room temp

5 tablespoons of vegetable shortening (crisco)

1/4 teaspoon fine table salt

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4-5 tablespoons milk

1 3/4 lbs powdered sugar

4 Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (I used Whole Foods but you can make them homemade or really use any chocolate chip cookie) (you will crumble 3 and cut one cookie in half for garnish

Step 1- Caramel Sauce-

Salted Caramel Sauce (Do this step first so it can cool properly)

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan and place it over medium heat and stir frequently with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon just until the sugar has dissolved.
Once the sugar dissolves, stop stirring and just gently swirl the pot every so often to ensure it cooks evenly. If sugary crystals start to form on the sides of the pot you can take a wet pastry brush and brush the sides of the inside of the pot.
Turn the heat up to medium high and cook until it turns a medium amber color. Do not walk away, or you can burn it! It should take about 4-6 minutes. Once you reach that dark amber color immediately add in the cream and butter (be careful steam will release). Stir over low heat until the butter is melted and you don’t see any lumps. You want to be left with a very thin caramel sauce. Once its ready, whisk in the vanilla extract and the salt and then chill the caramel in the fridge or over an ice bath. The caramel will thicken in the fridge to be the right consistency. (Can store any extra in a jar in the fridge for a couple weeks.

Step 2- Cake Layers

Steps-

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter (spray with nonstick spray) 3, 9 inch round cake pans and then line the bases with parchment paper.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until the butter melts and the mixture just starts to boil. Remove from the heat to cool slightly.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or by hand with a whisk, stir together the white sugar, dark brown sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Add the eggs, vanilla and sour cream and mix until blended. Add the cocoa mixture on low speed and mix just until blended.

5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans, and place them in the oven on the middle rack and top racks of the oven.

6. Bake about 25-27 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Keep the cake in the pan and place the pan on a wire rack to cool 5 minutes then carefully flip the cakes out onto the rack and remove the parchment paper. While the cake is cooling prepare the frosting.

Step 3- Brown Butter Cookie Buttercream-

Steps-

Using a food processor, your hands or a mallet, crush 2 to 3 of the brown butter cookies until they are finer crumbs. Set aside.
Beat the butter in a stand mixer until it is creamy about 3-4 minutes (scripting down the sides of the bowl periodically. Once it is creamy add in the shortening and beat until combined.
Stir together 4 tablespoons of milk, the salt and the vanilla. Add it to the butter mixture and blend until smooth.
On low speed add in the powdered sugar in 2 installments, scraping the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Once the sugar is added beat the frosting on medium speed until light and fluffy about 5 minutes. I fit feels too thick and not pipe-able, you can add a tablespoon or 2 of more milk. At the end beat in 3/4 cup of the cookie crumbs until combined. Now its time to assemble the cake!

Assembling the cake-

Once your cakes are cooled you can ice your cakes! Note: If you’d like you can trim the domes off the cake layers to help them stack more cleanly but I don’t! I do place a plastic or wooden cake dowel un the center of the cake once the layers are stacked to keep them centered and to keep them from moving around. Put the frosting and the caramel sauces in two separate large pastry bags. Cut a small tip at the end for the caramel and a larger one for the frosting.
Place the first cake layer down with the dome or trimmed side up. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake and then pipe a 2 inch thick ring around the perimeter of the cake about 1/2 inch from the edge. Fill the center with some of the caramel sauce (probably about 1/2 cup or so) and the sprinkle a generous about of cookie crumbs on top of the caramel in a single layer. Place the next cake layer on top, dome side down. Repeat the frosting, caramel and cookie crumb steps and then top that layer with the final cake layer (dome side down). Place the dowel in the center now if you have one. Carefully frost the top and sizes of the cake with the remaining frosting. Pipe or pour about 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce on top and use an offset spatula to pus it gently to the edge of the cake allowing it to gradually drip down the sides. Finally decorate the top of the cake with extra cookie crumbs and the halved cookie you reserved and you are ready to enjoy! You can refrigerate about 30 minutes to allow the caramel to set more if you would like.
Store the cake in a sealed cake saver or sealed container in the fridge but take it out about 1-2 hours before serving.

Brown Butter Cookie Caramel Crunch Cake (Whole Foods Copycat!)