“If you ever see me at the supermarket, chances are I’ll have a caramel mud cake in my basket. It is my favourite massproduced treat and resolutely non-guilty pleasure. Alas, so many attempts to re-create it left me disheartened – until I dabbled with chicory, a caffeine-free coffee substitute. When mixed with dark brown sugar, chicory imparts butterscotch-adjacent notes. The sticky, finger-dipping-good dark caramel ganache really ties the whole cake together so I have allowed more than what this cake needs. Warm any excess to pour over ice cream.” - Natalie Paull

SERVES 8–16

Takes - 2 hours to prep and bake the layers. Best to rest the layers overnight (minimum 3 hours, chilled). Make the ganache early on the day of icing.

Keeps - For a day at room temperature, then chill to keep for up to 3 days. Can freeze for 3 months. 

cooking oil spray

330g unsalted butter, squidgy soft

200g dark brown sugar

75g caster (superfine) sugar

100g vegetable oil

320g soft plain (all-purpose) flour

15g (3 tsp) baking powder

2g (¼ tsp) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

3g (¹heaped ¼ tsp) fine sea salt

150g full-cream (whole) milk

15g chicory powder

5g (½ tsp) vanilla paste

250g egg (approx 5 eggs), room temperature (or warm the uncracked eggs in warm water)

Dark caramel ganache

500g good white chocolate

5g (½ tsp) vanilla paste

6g (heaped ½ tsp) fine sea salt

200g caster (superfine) sugar

50g/ml water

400g/ml cream (35% milk fat)

50g unsalted butter, soft and cubed

Mascarpone whip

250g mascarpone

150g/ml cream (35% milk fat)

Heat the oven to 135°C. Lightly spray the sides of two 20 cm (8 in) round × 5 cm (2 in) deep cake tins with cooking oil. Line the sides with baking paper strips, then line the base with a circle of baking paper.

Put the butter, sugars and oil in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream the ingredients on speed 4 (below medium) for about 4 minutes until the mix is pale malty brown and fluffy. Stop and scrape the bowl side down twice during this process.

Swizzle the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt in a bowl and set to the side with a sieve ready. Lightly whisk the milk, chicory and vanilla together and set aside. Still on speed 4 (below medium), add the eggs in three batches, beating well between each addition and scraping down occasionally.

Adding eggs in batches keeps the base fluffy and not looking like curdled soup. So, add some egg, and don’t add the next batch until the mix has re-fluffed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and push the mix off the paddle into a large and wide mixing bowl. Scrape out the remaining mix, sift over half the flour mix and start folding with a sturdy plastic spatula. When it is almost fully incorporated, fold in half the chicory milk. Repeat with the remaining flour mix then the remaining chicory milk.

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake tins – about 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) in each – and lightly smooth the tops with an offset spatula. Transfer to the oven and bake for 45–50 minutes until the cakes have risen proudly. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean (internal temperature is 95°C).

While the cakes bake, start the ganache so it has plenty of time to thicken. Weigh the chocolate, vanilla and salt into a large bowl and set aside. Boil the sugar and water over a high heat until pale golden. Drop the heat and cook until dark brown and pluming with wisps of caramel smoke (190°C). Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cream carefully, protecting yourself from spatters. Return the mixture to the heat to melt any hardened caramel. Pour the hot caramel cream over the chocolate and whisk slowly to melt. Cool for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, then add the butter cubes one by one until dissolved. Set aside at room temperature to thicken slowly – 2 hours (or accelerate in the fridge), stirring every so often until it reaches a softly spreadable consistency – around 18°C.

If re-warming the ganache, it can appear oily on top. No stress, just completely melt to hot then re-cool, whisking often.

Cool the cakes in their tins on wire racks for 8 minutes, then place a second wire rack or baking tray over the cakes and carefully flip them upside down. Remove the tins and paper carefully, then gently re-invert onto the wire rack so they are top-side up again. Leave to cool for a few hours (up to overnight, ideally) before assembling. Chill them if you need extra layering security. While the cakes cool, make the mascarpone whip by gently mixing the cream and mascarpone together until it holds its form – medium peak. Give it a vigorous whip if it is runny.

On the base cake layer, smooth one-third of the mascarpone and drizzle on around 80g of the ganache. Repeat this for the next layers, then place the top layer on. Smooth enough ganache (you will have spare) thickly over the sides and top, and use the tip of your offset spatula to kick up a little texture on the sides, leaving the top smooth.

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