Caramel Cake with Caramel Mascarpone Buttercream, Salted Caramel Sauce and Toffee Almond Crunch

 So today is my birthday. And if I can't overdose on caramel on my birthday, when can I?

Caramel Cake with Caramel Mascarpone Buttercream, Salted Caramel Sauce and Toffee Almond Crunch
adapted from Trish Deseine's Caramel

For the Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup caster sugar
30ml water
60g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Toffee Almond Crunch:

1/2 cup blanched almonds
60g unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar 

Pinch of salt

For the Cake: 
250g plain flour
150g brown sugar
115g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Caramel Mascarpone Buttercream:

340g icing sugar, sifted
170g unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons of the salted caramel sauce
2 tablespoons mascarpone 

Pinch of salt

Make the Salted Caramel Sauce:

Put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and stir together before placing on medium high heat. Let it boil. Do NOT stir or touch it. It will bubble and boil for a few minutes, then begin to turn golden. Don’t stir! When it is beginning to turn amber, take it off the heat and whisk in the butter and salt. Then whisk in the mascarpone. Set is aside.  

Make the Toffee Crunch:

Spread almonds on a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees C for 8 minutes until they start to turn golden. Let cool. When almonds are cool, chop them roughly and put them onto the centre of the baking tray in a single layer.

Stir together the butter, salt and sugar in a frying pan over medium heat. Continue to stir until mixture thickens, and then turns a caramel colour (10-15 minutes). Pour the hot toffee over almonds, and immediately press down and flatten with a spatula, covering the circle of almonds. Let it cool in fridge for at least an hour. Then break toffee into small pieces. 

Make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Spray a 23cm round cake pan with cooking oil spray and line the bottom with baking paper. 

Put all cake ingredients into bowl of mixer and mix until you have a smooth, creamy batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth with spatula. Bake for 40 -45 minutes, or until golden brown. Toothpick or tester should come out clean. 

Make the Caramel Mascarpone Buttercream:

In the bowl of electric mixer, beat the icing sugar, salt and butter until smooth. Add the caramel sauce and mascarpone and beat together until smooth and creamy. Allow to set up for a few minutes in the fridge.

Assemble the Cake:
Cut the cake in half horizontally to make 2 layers.

Spread half of the buttercream on the top of one of the halves. Pop the top layer of the cake on top and spread the remaining frosting on the very top of the cake. Let frosted cake chill. 

Before serving, heat caramel sauce, and drizzle over top, letting it run down the sides.

Top with small pieces of toffee crunch.