How To Make A Chocolate Caramel Celebration Cake 

Ingredients 
- 200g plain flour
- 300g brown sugar
- 50g cacao powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 70ml vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1 tpsp vanilla extract 
- 200ml milk of choice (I use almond)
- 200ml boiling water mixed with 2 tsp instant coffee powder 

Decoration
- 380g / Jar caramel sauce – Bonne Maman is my favourite 
- Caramel popcorn, maltesers, crunchy bars, oreo biscuits, sparklers. 

Method
1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Lightly grease a 20cm round cake tin with coconut oil and line with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cacao powder, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Whisk together oil, egg, vanilla and milk, before adding to the flour mixture. Beat well to combine and then stir in the hot coffee. The cake batter should be thin in consistency.
4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the chocolate cake comes out semi-clean with just a small amount of cake (not runny batter) on it due to the fudgy texture.
5. Place a baking sheet on the shelf below the cake pan (or the bottom of the oven) to catch any stray drips. 
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Transfer cake from the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.
7. If you are feeling adventurous, before decorating, use a serrated knife and cut the cake in half horizontally. Place a base layer of cake, cut-side up, on a cake stand or plate and spread with half the caramel, top with the final layer of cake, cut-side down, and spread the remaining caramel on top. The caramel will naturally fall over the sides, which makes it look extra tasty. Decorate with caramel popcorn and a mish mash of your favourite chocolate and biscuits. Finish with sparklers and let the celebrations begin. 

Alternatively, skip out the cutting in half and just spread the caramel evenly all over the cake and decorate with caramel popcorn and a variety of chocolate, biscuits and sparklers. 

Whisked Away is a series by food writer and enthusiast Georgia Bateman. Unable to travel like she used to, Georgia is dreaming of places and food from around the world. Her recipes are inspired by these destinations but not intended to be true representations of local dishes.