Chocolate caramel cake

Same cake as this, because it's so friggin good. The caramel frosting was a bit hard to work with, with a fine line between too runny and too stiff, but it works out in the end. Overall, the combo makes a rich, sweet, crowd-friendly cake that lends itself to small slices—wedding win!

cake:
make this in one 8" square pan with right-angle corners + one 8" square pan with rounded corners

filling:
Swiss meringue buttercream, with some powdered sugar and finely chopped chocolate whipped in. Spread this in between the layers.

caramel frosting:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
2 c brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 c cream
1 t vanilla
2.5 c powdered sugar

Put 1 stick of the butter in a medium saucepan, along with the brown sugar and salt. Heat over medium until bubbling and you're positive that the sugar is thoroughly dissolved (you don't want it to be grainy or overly sweet). Stir in the cream and cook until bubbling again. Pour into a bowl and beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar, beating until lukewarm. Add the other 1/2 stick of butter and beat until light and spreadable, or at least thickly pourable. Use this frosting to cover the outside of the cake.