This is my version of Oscar night Cake. Pop corn and Coke for the traditional movie night atmosphere and the golden caramel looks like the statue itself. This cake stood well up to the occasion!

For the cake….

• 120g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
• 250ml cola
• 250g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 120g caster sugar
• 80g cocoa powder
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 200ml buttermilk
• 320g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the chocolate frosting…

• 400g good quality 70% chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100ml cola
• 100ml water
• 250g unsalted butter, diced
• 50g dark muscovado sugar
• Cocoa powder to dust (optional)

Salted Caramel sauce…

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (90g) salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces1
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream2
• 1 teaspoon course salt

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C/355°F. For the sponges, butter and line 2 x 20cm, deep cake tins (preferably loose bottomed – see tips) with baking paper.

In a jug, stir the 250ml cola and 250g brown sugar until the sugar has more or less dissolved. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the 120g butter and caster sugar for 3-4 minutes until pale and light in texture. Sift in the cocoa powder and beat again to form a brown paste.

In a separate jug, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk until smooth, then slowly pour into the cocoa paste, beating constantly. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda over the mixture and beat in. Pour the cola-brown sugar mixture into the bowl and beat to a smooth, fairly loose batter.

Divide the batter equally between the prepared cake tins and bake for 25-35 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool the sponges in the tins for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

Make the caramel sauce…

Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.

Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.

Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.

Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.

When sauce is still hot add ¼ cup to a cup of salted popcorn. Stir to cover the popcorn. Set aside to cool.

You can make this caramel in advance. Make sure it is covered tightly and store it for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe. This caramel is OK at room temperature for a day if you’re traveling or gifting it.

Putting everything together…

For the frosting, put the chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Heat the cola, water and butter in a pan until the butter melts completely and the mixture starts to boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Leave the mixture to rest for a minute so the intense heat of the liquid melts the chocolate, then bring together with a balloon whisk until smooth and glossy. Cover the frosting with cling film and allow to cool completely, then chill, stirring occasionally, until stiffened to a spreadable consistency – it should take around an hour.

Once the sponges have cooled completely, evenly slice each in half horizontally with a large bread knife (or see tips) so you have 4 sponges. When the frosting has thickened, place one sponge onto a cake stand. Using a palette knife, spread with a thin layer of frosting, then swirl some caramel sauce over the frosting before repeating with the nesxt sponge. For the top sponge, cover the entire cake, swirling and smoothing as you go.

Decorate top with caramel coverd popcorn.

Serve, or leave somewhere cool or in the fridge until ready to serve