A buttery soft vanilla layer cake blanketed with a simple (no candy thermometer needed) caramel icing! This Caramel Cake is a sweet and simple old-fashioned cake recipe that I think you’re going to love. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Oooh, you are going to love this caramel cake. With its layers of tender, buttery vanilla cake that perfectly complements that rich, decadent caramel frosting…
I’m usually more of a chocolate cake person myself, but this recipe has made a convert out of me. Even Zach wanted a second slice, and he hardly has a sweet tooth at all. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet like you might expect. While the icing is definitely super rich, somehow it doesn’t seem overbearingly so when coupled with the cake, which is exactly the balance I was hoping to achieve when I started developing this recipe.
The actual cake layers that I used for this caramel cake recipe are actually adapted from my favorite vanilla cake, only made with the reverse creaming method. Let’s talk a little bit about that, in case you’ve never used this method before…
What is Reverse Creaming?
Reverse creaming simply means that instead of the traditional method of creaming our butter and sugar and other wet ingredients in one bowl and our dry ingredients and another and then combining the two (carefully, of course, so we don’t over-mix), we do things… a little backwards.
We start by combining all of our dry ingredients and sugar in our bowl, then gradually, one tablespoon at a time, beat in the butter until it is incorporated and you have a mixture that looks sandy (see first image, above). We then add our remaining wet ingredients and stir until everything is completely combined. You don’t really have to worry about over-beating our batter the same way we do with traditionally creamed cakes (like the layers in my coconut cake).This method yields a cake with a fine, plush crumb. It was the perfect choice for my caramel cake.
Reverse creaming is not by any stretch my own invention. It’s been around for years and its popularity is mostly attributed to Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Cake Bible. I’ve tried this reverse creaming method on many of my existing cake recipes and it works well. While I don’t prefer it for all cakes, it’s actually the only way I make my vanilla cupcakes anymore!
Caramel Frosting
The cake layers are of course an important part of the caramel cake, but when all is said and done it’s really just vanilla cake. Soft, tender vanilla cake with a moist crumb and brown sugar in the batter for a hint of caramel taste, but still. What really makes this recipe a caramel cake is that glorious crown of caramel frosting.
It’s rich, sweet (much sweeter than my stand-by favorite cream cheese frosting), and has true caramel flavor because we start on the stovetop with a real caramel base (it starts much the same way as my caramel sauce). Melt together brown sugar, butter, salt, milk, and cream. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and then bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Now you have your caramel base (first photo, above).
Transfer this hot caramel to a large bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until you have a spreadable icing consistency (second photo, above). If it’s too thin and dripping off of your cake, just beat it longer. In the video (below the recipe) I was a bit over-ambitious and tried to spread my frosting while it was still just a tad bit too warm, which caused my layers to start sliding a little bit. A little patience goes a long way!
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like:
Are you more of a visual learner? Check out my YouTube channel where I show you exactly how I make this cake and frosting step-by-step in my own kitchen.
Caramel Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour (may substitute 3 ⅓ cups or 375g cake flour)
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
- ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil may substitute vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- 1 ¼ cup (295 ml) whole milk room temperature preferred
- 3 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
CARAMEL ICING
- 2 cups (400 g) brown sugar² firmly packed
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter cut into pieces
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease and flour the sides and bottoms of two 8” round baking pans¹. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using an electric mixer), stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low speed, add butter, one tablespoon at a time, until mixture resembles sandy coarse crumbs.¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- Stir in oil until well-combined.¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil
- In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.1 ¼ cup (295 ml) whole milk, 3 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- With mixer on low-speed, gradually pour milk mixture into flour mixture. Once combined, pause to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then gradually increase speed to high and beat for 30 seconds.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans and bake on 350F (175C) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow cakes to cool for 15 minutes and then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare caramel icing:
CARAMEL ICING
- Combine brown sugar, butter, salt, milk, and heavy cream in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-heat. Stir frequently until brown sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil.2 cups (400 g) brown sugar², 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup (80 ml) whole milk, ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- Once boiling, cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and pour into a large heat-proof bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before proceeding.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and stir with stand mixer or an electric mixer until combined. Increase speed to high and stir until caramel mixture is almost completely cooled and icing reaches a spreadable consistency.2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread over cake. If icing is dripping off of cake (especially when icing the sides), let it cool a bit longer before proceeding.
- Allow icing to solidify completely before slicing cake and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Gigi
My has a birthday tomorrow and he has asking for a caramel cake. He even went to the store looking for a mix! He came home with a couple buttered pecan mixes. Lol. He e wants one in the worst way. I am going to try your recipe. Wish me luck!
Sam
I know it’s going to turn out great! 🙂
Gigi
So the cake was a hit. The icing was amazing! It tasted like my momma’s homemade caramels. It brought tears to a few eyes. We will definitely be making this again. The only thing I would change might the vanilla in the cake itself. Have you tried it with maple flavoring? I may try it.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family loved it, Gigi and that it brought back sweet memories of your mom. I have not tried maple flavoring in the cake but if you do, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Sheryl Santelmann
My husband has requested a “small” caramel cake for his birthday. I thought I would try this one, cutting everything in half and using a loaf pan. Any suggestions for making that work?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Sheryl! That should work fine. Bake it on the same temperature but I am not sure how long it would need to bake. I hope he loves it! 🙂
Sabs
Hi, this cake looks delicious. Do you think I can increase the brown sugar a bit and reduce the white sugar, so that it is a 1:1 ratio of both sugars? Also, would replacing the butter with browned butter work ?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Sabs! I spent months experimenting with this recipe to create the perfect caramel cake. If you wish to adjust the sugar ratios you can, however, the taste will be different. As for the brown butter, I don’t reccomend it. For the best results, I would use room temperature butter. Excited to hear how your cake turns out!
Bobby L Hines
Hi. I need to do a southern caramel cake for a four tier wedding cake. Will this cake hold up and is it dense to stack?
Sam
Hi Bobby! This cake is pretty sturdy and should definitely hold up for you. 🙂
Mercedes
Can this be made into a 13×9 pan
Sam
Hi Mercedes! This will fit in a 9 x 13, but I’m not sure of the bake time. 🙂
Hartley
I’m in the middle of making this and just had to say that I had to trim off the top of my cakes and I CAN NOT stopping eating it…so GOOD…especially when I dipped it in the caramel coming off the stove. Yumm!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Hartley! 🙂
Jessica M Chamberlin
I made this cake for the first time and it turned out AWESOME! I used Cake flour and the 50% light/50% dark brown sugar for the frosting. OMG, it was so good and was a huge hit! The cake was so moist and frosting was amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe. I’ll definitely be making this cake again!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Jessica! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Jada
Can you use crisco and all purpose flour if you don’t have baking spray to greased the pan?
Sam
Absolutely, enjoy!
Peggy
Can you make this in a 13 x 9 pan instead of making it a layer cake?
Sam
Yes that would be fine! I expect it would take about 30 minutes in a metal pan.
Toni
Hi Sam,
This recipe looks amazing and as I’ve never tried the reverse creaming method, I would like to give it a go today.
Do you think I can bake this cake in a bundt pan?
Sam
Hi Toni! As long as you don’t overfill your pan this should work. 🙂
Catherine
This cake was easy to make and absolutely amazing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Catherine! 🙂
Margie
Love this recipe! It worked after many other attempts using different recipes! I do wonder if I could make the icing a little less sweet. How could I adjust the recipe? Worried that leaving out some sugar will throw off the consistency which is great.
Sam
Hi Margie! Unfortunately, I’m not sure how you would do that. 🙁
Mikia Vera
Hi Sam,
I see that your recipe calls for 375 g of flour or 375 g of cake flour. Shouldn’t the amount of cake flour be higher if so what should it be in grams
Sam
Hi Mikia! In weights you use the same weight for cake flour and all purpose flour. If you are using cups you need a little bit more cake flour. 🙂
Marilyn Harrison
The cake is so good but the frosting gets hard before I can complete frosting the cake. What did I do wrong.
Sam
Hi Marilyn! I’m so sorry this happened. It sounds like you may have let it cool just a little bit too long before using.
Shoby
Hi there. I do not have heavy cream. Is there any substitutes for this? Thanks in advance!
Sam
You can just use milk. The icing may be a. little thinner and it may take a little bit longer to cook. 🙂
Hal
Hi! The cake turned out SO YUMMY. It was very moist and honestly even if there was no frosting it would be finger lickin’ good.
The only thing was that both my cakes sunk 🙁 Once you frosted it obviously you couldn’t tell but do you have any idea why that could have happened? I followed the recipe exactly! Also for my personal taste the icing was a bit too sweet.
All in all though, it was REALLY good. We especially loved the consistency and the unique, simply amazing taste. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Hal! I’m so sorry your cake sunk! Was it fully baked when removing it from the oven? Normally if your cakes are slightly under-baked they will sink a little bit when removed from the oven. I’m glad you enjoyed it though! 🙂