Vanilla Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Grease and line two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter with the oil and sugar until creamy on medium speed. This will take about 2-3 minutes, and it'll look a bit grainy and fluffy.
  ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 1 ⅔ cup white sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition.
  4 large eggs
• Mix in the vanilla extract.
  3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder and salt
  2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then mix on low. Add ½ the buttermilk. Repeat once more, then end with the flour mixture.
  1 cup buttermilk
• Pour the smooth cake batter into the prepared pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before removing and letting them cool completely on wire cooling racks.

Make Frosting

• Fill a medium saucepan with an inch of water and bring to a simmer. Combine the sugar and egg whites in a large mixing bowl (if you have a stand mixer, you'll want to use that bowl), set the bowl above the simmering water. Make sure the bowl is completely clean before using, if there is any fat in the bowl then this meringue buttercream won't work!
  1 cup white sugar, 4 large egg whites
• Heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves. The mixture will go from a yellowy, granular substance to white and opaque, this takes about 5 minutes. I recommend taking a pastry brush to brush the sides of the bowl so all of the sugar is getting dissolved. Using a thermometer, it should read 140°F/60 C. If you don't have a thermometer, when you pull the whisk up feel the mix with your fingers - if it is no longer grainy then it is ready for the next step.
• Put the bowl into your stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat on medium-high until you get a glossy meringue with stiff peaks - about 10-15 minutes. Note it can take up to 20 minutes if the weather is hot and humid. You'll want to be beating the mixture until the bowl is completely cool. If the bowl or meringue is too warm it will melt the butter.
• Switch to paddle attachment. Add butter one piece at a time, allowing it to incorporate fully, while still at medium-high speed. This should take 8-12 minutes. When you've added all the butter and the mixture looks smooth, slowly pour in the chocolate, vanilla extract and salt. Give it one final mix using a rubber spatula to make sure all of the chocolate is incorporated.
  8 oz semisweet chocolate, 1 ⅓ cups unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Frost your cake and enjoy!

Make Cake

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter or grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. I find it easiest to make a 'sling' so you can easily remove the cake later.
• Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.
  ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• In a large jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs
• Slowly pour in the ingredients from the large jug and mix until just combined.
• Mix the espresso powder with the hot water (if using). Slowly add the hot coffee and mix. Your batter will be very thin and it makes a lot of cake batter!
  1 cup very hot water, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted
• Let the cake cool completely.

Make Frosting

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until well combined.
  2 sticks unsalted butter, 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes until it becomes very thick.
• Stop the mixer and add the salt and vanilla extract into the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes.
  3 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Turn the mixer to your lowest speed and pour in the milk. Beat until it becomes very creamy and spreadable.
  ¼ cup whole milk
• Spread the frosting on top of the cake. I like to save some of the vanilla buttercream and pipe a shell border around the cake!

• Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Grease and line a 9x13-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter with the oil and sugar until creamy on medium speed. This will take about 2-3 minutes, and it'll look a bit grainy and fluffy.
  ⅓ cup unsalted butter , 1 ⅔ cup white sugar, ¼ cup neutral oil
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition.
  4 large eggs
• Mix in the vanilla extract.
  3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder, cornstarch, and salt.
  2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then mix on low. Add ½ the buttermilk. Repeat once more, then end with the flour mixture.
  ½ cup buttermilk
• Gently stir in the rainbow sprinkles.
  ½ cup rainbow sprinkles
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 33-42 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing and letting them cool completely on wire cooling racks.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand held mixer, combine the room temperature butter with the confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla bean paste on low speed.
  2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, 4 cups powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
•  If the frosting isn't as creamy as you would like, add in the heavy cream or milk and beat on medium speed until spreadable. You might not need all of it!
  ¼ cup heavy cream
• Frost your cooled cake and add more sprinkles - enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 12 cupcake liners in your cupcake.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth
  2 large eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream
• Pour the wet mixture into the flour, stirring until it is just about smooth - we don't want to over mix the batter! Then pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
  ½ cup hot water
• Fill the cupcake liners so they're ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tray, then take them out and place on a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla on medium-low for 2 minutes. The sugar needs to have completely dissolved.
  ¾ cup granulated sugar, 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Increase the speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yogurt.
• Add the cream cheese and the peanut butter. Turn the speed to high, and whip for 3 minutes until smooth.
  1½ cups cream cheese, 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!

• Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil. I recommend having it overhang on the sides so it's easier to remove the brownies once cool.
• Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave until hot and melted. I recommend slicing your butter into smaller pieces so it'll melt faster.
  ¾ cup unsalted butter
• Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the melted butter. Whisk until smooth and place back in the microwave for 20 -30 seconds. Whisk again for 1-2 minutes.
  1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
• Whisk in the salt and vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Microwave for 20-30 seconds. Whisk for about a minute. At this point it's going to look weird and grainy and that's totally normal!
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup dutch process cocoa powder
• Add the eggs and egg yolk. Finish with 2-3 minutes of whisking - sorry if your arm is getting sore!
  2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk
• Stir in the flour. It'll be a shiny fairly thick brownie batter.
  ½ cup all purpose flour
• Fold in the chocolate shards with a rubber spatula. You want them to be chopped quite finely so they'll easily melt in the brownies when baking.
  4 oz semisweet chocolate
• Pour about half of the brownie batter into your prepared 8x8-inch pan. Drizzle over the salted caramel sauce. I sometimes find it easier to do this when the sauce is warm, so you may want to microwave it for 10-15 seconds! Use a small offset spatula to spread the caramel sauce over the brownie batter. Cover the caramel with the remaining brownie batter.
  ½ cup salted caramel sauce
• Bake for 22-30 minutes. You should have a crinkle top and if you stick a toothpick in, it'll come out with some wet crumbs but not raw batter.
• Let the brownies cool completely in the pan before removing and slicing up. I recommend chilling the brownies in the fridge for a few hours if you want them to be extra fudgy!
• Feel free to drizzle over more salted caramel sauce when ready to serve!

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 14 cupcake liners in your cupcake pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.
  2 large eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream
• Pour the wet mixture into the flour, stirring until it is just about smooth - we don't want to over mix the batter! Then pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
  ½ cup hot water
• Fill the cupcake liners so they're ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tray, then take them out and place on a cooling rack.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla on medium-low for 2 minutes.
  ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Increase the speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yogurt.
• While the mixer is running on a low speed, add the cream cheese a tablespoon at a time. Turn off the mixer, and scrape the entire bowl to make sure no cream cheese is left on the side. Add the raspberry powder. Turn the speed to high, and whip for 3 minutes until smooth.
  ¾ cup cream cheese, 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries
• Use the bottom of a large piping tip to core each cupcake. Or, you can use a small knife to cut a circle in the middle of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with the raspberry jam.
  14 tablespoons raspberry jam
• Pipe the frosting on to of the cupcakes, I used a Wilton 1M piping tip and enjoy!

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter a bundtlette pan (I'm using the Nordicware one) and then sprinkle over cocoa powder. Make sure every nook and cranny is greased and has a thin layer of cocoa powder! This will stop the cake from sticking.
• Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.
  6 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder, ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
  ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup vegetable oil
• Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.
• In a mug or bowl, whisk the espresso powder with the hot water. Pour this hot coffee into the cake batter and whisk until smooth.
  ½ cup very hot water , ½ teaspoon espresso powder
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling each bundtlette so it's ⅔ full. I used a large cookie scoop for this and each bundtlette got 2.5 scoops of batter!
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, a toothpick inserted into one of the cakes should come out clean.
• Let the bundt cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes (set a timer!). I like to use a small rubber spatula to gently edge the cakes away from the sides, to make sure it isn't sticking. I then use oven gloves to give the pan a shake to make sure nothing is stuck to the sides!
• Place a wire cooling rack on top of the pan and quickly invert the pan. Gently lift the bundt cake pan off and let the cakes cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
• To make the glaze, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled bundt cakes. If you find your glaze is too thick, you can add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time. If the espresso glaze is too thin, add powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time.
  1 tablespoon freshly brewed coffee, ½ cup confectioner's sugar , pinch kosher salt, 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter or grease a 12-cup bundt pan. Sprinkle over cocoa powder, I like to use a small sieve to do this, making sure every nook and cranny is covered.
• Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.
  ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder
• In a large jug, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup buttermilk , 1 cup sour cream , ½ cup vegetable oil
• Slowly pour in the ingredients from the large jug and mix until just combined.
• Mix the espresso powder (if using) with the hot water. Slowly add the hot water and mix. Your batter will be very thin and it makes a lot of cake batter!
  1 cup very hot water, 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remember, your oven might be different so it might take longer! Or less time if you have a darker bundt pan.
• Allow the cakes to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Invert on a wire cooling rack and remove the bundt pan. Let the cake cool completely.
• Chop up your chocolate and place in a large bowl.
  4 oz semisweet chocolate
• Heat the heavy cream with the corn syrup (if using) in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave until it is simmering. Make sure it does not boil!
  ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir the chocolate and cream mixture with a rubber spatula until completely smooth.
• Spoon over your cooled chocolate bundt cake. For chocolate shards, use a vegetable peeler and 'peel' a chocolate bar on top of the bundt cake!

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C and place 14 cupcake liners in your cupcake pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• In a large jug, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth.
  2 large eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream
• Pour the wet mixture into the flour, stirring until it is just about smooth - we don't want to over mix the batter! Then pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
  ½ cup hot water
• Fill the cupcake liners so they're ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the tray, then take them out and place on a cooling rack.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

• In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, whisk the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla on medium-low for 2 minutes.
  ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Increase the speed to high and whisk for 2 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yogurt.
• While the mixer is running on a low speed, add the cream cheese a tablespoon at a time. Turn off the mixer, and scrape the entire bowl to make sure no cream cheese is left on the side. Add the strawberry powder. Turn the speed to high, and whip for 3 minutes until smooth.
  ¾ cup cream cheese, 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
• Use the bottom of a large piping tip to core each cupcake. Or, you can use a small knife to cut a circle in the middle of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with the strawberry jam.
  14 tablespoons strawberry jam
• Pipe the frosting on to of the cupcakes, I used a Wilton 1M piping tip and enjoy!

Salted Caramel

• I recommend making the salted caramel sauce first since it needs time to cool down! Note, this recipe makes more caramel than required. I recommend keeping it in your fridge (for emergencies like topping vanilla ice cream or pouring over brownies)
• Take a small saucepan and place it on your stove over medium-low heat. Add the sugar ¼ cup at a time, letting the sugar dissolve completely until you add the next ¼ cup.
  1 cup granulated sugar
• Stir occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved and turns a dark amber colour. Turn the heat off.
• Add the butter in a piece at a time, be careful as it may sputter! Stir with a heatproof spatula as you add the butter.
  6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Stir in the cream, salt, and vanilla. Let cool until it is very thick. If you're not using it straight away, pour into a container and let cool completely before placing in the fridge. When you're ready to use, heat up for 15-20 seconds in the microwave until it is pourable.
  ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make Cake

• Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter or grease two 8-inch cake pans and line it with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.
  ¾ cup cocoa powder , 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder
• In a large jug or medium bowl , whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs , 1 cup buttermilk , ½ cup neutral oil
• Slowly pour in the ingredients from the large jug and mix until just combined.
• Slowly add the hot water and mix. Your batter will be very thin and it makes a lot of cake batter!
  1 cup very hot water
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted
• Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Make Frosting

• Melt your chocolate in a microwave, stirring every 10 seconds so it doesn't burn.
  6 oz dark chocolate
• In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar on low speed until well combined
  1 cup unsalted butter , 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• Turn the speed to high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add in your cocoa powder and beat on low, then increase the speed to medium for 1-2 minutes.
  1 cup cocoa powder
• Add your sour cream, melted chocolate and salt and mix once more.
  ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup sour cream

Assembly

• Place one cake layer down on your cake stand or cake plate.
• Place some of the chocolate frosting in a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe a border along the edge of the cake, making a circle. This will help the caramel sauce not leak out!
• Slowly pour some of the caramel sauce into the middle of the cake. I recommend starting off with just a little, if you add too much caramel, it'll leak out when you slice the cake! Use a small offset spatula to spread the caramel up to the frosting border. For reference, I used just under ½ cup of caramel but that was slightly too much!
• Add the second cake layer on top. Use the remaining chocolate frosting to frost the sides and top of the cake. Enjoy!