Chocolate Rolo Cake
If you’re looking for an indulgent chocolate cake – rich, extravagant, impressive yet easy – you’ve found it. I was asked to create a chocolate Rolo Cake for the Good Food Channel and this is it. I’ve made it a few times since it’s original incarnation and it has definitely become something of a request cake! The cake feeds a large crowd, so it’s perfect for a fundraiser, or a coffee morning or perhaps a birthday celebration or a family gathering. Two layers of chocolate cake filled with caramel sauce, covered in a chocolate fudge frosting and topped with a cascade of Rolo caramels and even more caramel sauce. It’s certainly not for anyone observing a Lenten fast or diet! But I can promise you, it is good!
Here’s the recipe
This recipe first appeared here on the Good Food Channel.
Chocolate Rolo Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate sponge:
- A little butter for greasing
- 225 g/ one cup soft brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 250 ml/ one cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175 g/ 1 & 3/4 cups self-raising flour
- 75 g/ 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tbsp buttermilk
- A can of dulce de leche or Carnation caramel
For the fudge icing:
- 100 g/ 2/3 cup good quality dark chocolate
- 150 g/ 2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 450 g/ 2 & 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 2 x 126g packet of rolos to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease two 18cm sandwich tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.
- Using an electric whisk or a stand mixer, beat the soft brown sugar and eggs and together for about four minutes until pale and creamy. Slowly add the vegetable oil and the vanilla bean paste and mix again.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and stir together well with a metal spoon. Add a pinch of salt and stir in the buttermilk, mix well.
- Divide the mixture equally into the prepared baking tins and bake for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked, take the sponges out of the oven. Leave to cool in the tins and then turn the sponges out onto a wire rack.
- For the fudge icing: Over a pan of gently simmering water in a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate and set to one side.
- Whisk the butter until light and fluffy and gradually add the icing sugar. Add the melted chocolate and keep mixing until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk to loosen the icing slightly, if needed.
- Once the cakes have cooled, spread ¾ of the can of caramel sauce over the bottom layer of the cake, reserving the rest for the topping. Place the second cake on top and spread half of the fudge icing all over the cake. Smooth with a palette knife and then continue icing the cake until covered all over.
- Gently heat the remaining caramel sauce to make it easier to pour. Leave to cool slightly. Pile the Rolo’s onto the middle of the cake and drizzle over the caramel sauce with a spoon.
Ren Behan is a freelance contributor to the Good Food Channel – Styling, photos and recipe author’s own.Â
Let me know in the comments box below if you are brave enough to give this wonderful chocolate Rolo cake a go!
I might actually be crying over this deliciousness. Okay, well my mouth is crying. So yes, I’m drooling. This looks INCREDIBLE!
I made this cake for my brothers birthday and I was disappointed, it was dry and honestly lacking in flavor. I followed the recipe exactly. Sad.
Wish I saw this recipe before my birthday 🙂 But on the other hand, now I can surprise someone from my family 🙂 I hope I will make it at least similar to yours
This looks crazy good! Will make it for my boyfriend so I might score some massage :p Thanks for the recipe!
This is so pretty that I am too scared to make it – plus if I do make it I would not want to eat it but rather show it off.
It’s a really easy recipe, Bintu! Too easy to make AND eat!
An amazing cake, quite a showstopper Ren!
Thanks Nazima! x
This cake looks incredible! It has also reminded me that I have not had Rolos in ages…a problem that definitely needs to be rectified soon.
Rolos, a big pile of smashed up Easter eggs, mini eggs – anything can go on top – it’s all good!
That’s an amazing cake, it would go down a storm with the Glams. The plate you photographed with it was lovely too, where’s it from? GG
Thanks GG – the turquoise plate is from Apostrophie 🙂
This is a real “show stopper” of a cake. Love those rolos they would have to be my favourite little treat. Great cake for Easter celebrations coming up.
Thank you so much, Denise, pleased to hear you can buy Rolos in Oz?!
I made a chocolate rolo cake once. It didn’t look anything like that! Although I did also top mine with tunnocks snowballs, which were rather glorious.
Ooh I haven’t heard of those, anything would be nice on top of this chocolate cake, Mini Eggs, too!
This would be totally worth breaking a Lent fasting for! Delicious recipe Ren!
Thanks Kate, lovely to hear from you!
That’s quite a cake, Ren! My daughter loves Rolos, and her 18th birthday is coming up (am I really that old??) . This has gone to the top of my list for her birthday bake. I’ll go over to GFC and nab the recipe right now. (You know one of my own healthy-as efforts would not really be suitable on this occasion ;-))
It would break all your rules, Kellie, but I think your daughter would like it :-)))
only slightly indulgent then…
A tad, perhaps!
My goodness! Well, I am just waiting for my invitation to tea!
That sounds like a good idea 🙂
Wow Ren, that cakes looks utterly fabulous. I made a Rolo cake once for a child’s birthday, but it didn’t look half as good as this!
Thank you Choclette – so pleased you approve!
This is exactly what I want for my birthday which is coming up next week. I am a huge chocolate cake fan and this is divine 🙂
Oooh hope you get to make it, Laura!
Perfect for Easter, or any other time of indulgence! What’s it like trying to eat the topping? You would have to be careful not to end up with a mouthful of toffee!
Some of the rolos roll off… the caramel sauce is more like dulce du leche so it’s soft caramel rather than hard toffee and if you leave it to get to room temperature it’s pretty soft!
Goodness – that’s a celebration cake and a half!
Feeds a lot of people…!
Wow, look at those pictures. I love the idea of this cake, mouthfuls of smooth cake with oozy caramel after a crisp crunch…all indulgent, fun and a bit naughty. wonderful Ren! x
It is naughty but sometimes that’s allowed!
Oof! This looks properly indulgent – brilliant!
It’s full on!
This cake looks super drool worthy and so chocolicious.
Thank you Nayna x
This looks AMAZING! It’s going straight on my post-Lenten to cook list!
Ha ha thanks Emma – chocs away!
Love it! Rolo is one of my favourite <3 Cake looks scruptious!
Thank you Sylvia!