Heath Bar Cake (Plain Jane)

Nine Heath Bars go into this cake. Nine. Seven get chopped and folded into the batter alongside chocolate chips and nuts. The remaining two get chopped into the crumb topping that covers the whole thing. This is not a subtle cake.

The base uses a coffee cake method: flour, brown sugar, and white sugar get cut with butter until fine as cornmeal. Half of that mixture gets reserved for the crumb topping before the wet ingredients go in. Buttermilk activated with baking soda gives the batter its rise and a slight tang that cuts through all that sweetness.

As the cake bakes, the Heath Bar pieces partially melt into pockets of buttery toffee while the crumb topping crisps up with bits of chopped toffee and nuts poking through. The chocolate chips add another layer of richness without competing with the toffee flavor.

Let this cool completely before cutting. The toffee needs to set back up or it’ll be a sticky, gooey mess (still good, but harder to slice).

Chef Tips

• Freeze the Heath Bars for 30 minutes before chopping; they shatter cleanly instead of sticking to the knife
• Cut the butter into the flour mixture until truly fine, like cornmeal; large chunks of butter will make the cake greasy
• Use real buttermilk, not a milk-and-vinegar substitute; it makes a difference in the crumb texture
• Don’t overbake; check at 30 minutes since the toffee and chocolate can scorch on the bottom

Variations

• Use Skor bars or Butterfinger bars instead of Heath for a different toffee/candy profile
• Drizzle cooled cake with melted chocolate for an over-the-top presentation
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter; coffee amplifies both chocolate and toffee flavors