Southern Caramel Cake
Shut the front door. This Southern Caramel Cake is to die for, people! As you can probably tell by my blog, I kind of like baked goods. If "kinda like" meant a FULL-ON passion for baked goods kind of thing. I am also pretty picky about my cakes. I play around with my cake recipes until I get them just right and then never look back.
This Southern Caramel Cake is made with my homemade moist, tender, fluffy yellow cake made with a secret ingredient. I am so glad to hear that people love this cake recipe! It has been pinned almost 100,000 times and still has a 5-star rating with 90 comments (and none of them are from my Mom!) 🙂
The cake, of course, is highly important as the crumb has to be just right. But, the frosting should never ever be overlooked. Without a doubt, this can make or break a cake. The Sea Salt Caramel Frosting on this cake is sinful and decadent.
So if you read my blog, you know that I am also obsessed with the weather. When I was a kid, before I wanted to be a sportscaster, I wanted to be a weather woman. I was like 9 years old and would beg my Mom to stay up for the 10:00 pm forecast.
As I became older, I begged to stay up for the weather and then the sports forecast. I am not sure if it was a stalling tactic but needless to say, I developed a real fascination with weather and sports. Go figure.
Around this time of year, I have a conversation that goes like this with my husband, "how is it still 97 degrees in the middle of October." I reply, "honey, remember that we are still in shorts and flip-flops on Halloween. We are lucky if we can wear the thinnest sweater on Thanksgiving." Every. Single. Year. Such is life in Arizona.
It is supposed to be Fall but we are stuck with May temps. However, we are just pretending it is fall and making all kinds of salted caramel and pumpkin foods to imagine what it would be like to have those crisp Fall temps.
I made this cake recently and went crazy over the salted caramel frosting. It is sweet yet salty and pairs perfectly with this moist and fluffy yellow cake. To make the salted caramel frosting, you use butter, dark brown sugar, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and sea salt. It creates the best caramel cake recipe!
My favorite baking tools for baking homemade cakes are the 8-inch Wilton Cake Pansand USA 9-inch Cake Pans and an angled spatula is a must to frost cakes. I keep mine a little rustic but you can also pick up a bench scraper for really smooth frosting. Don't forget the Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.
Click HERE to find all of my favorite essential kitchen products in one place.
Find more CAKE RECIPES from MODERN HONEY:
Yellow Birthday Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting
Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake
Southern Caramel Cake
Ingredients
Southern Caramel Cake:
- 4 Large Eggs
- ⅔ cup Whole Milk or Buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups Flour
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Butter softened, cut into cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- ⅓ cup Vanilla or Butterscotch Pudding Mix instant
Salted Caramel Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons 1 ½ sticks Butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened
- 2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla.
- In a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat the butter into the flour mixture, one cube at a time. Continue to beat until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the ½ of the egg-milk mixture and oil and beat the batter is light and fluffy. Add remaining egg-milk mixture and vanilla pudding and mix just until combined.
- Take a spatula and scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Spread into greased pans and smooth tops with spatula.
- Bake for 16-22 minutes, depending on the depth of pans. If the cake layers are thin, they will cook for less time than the thicker layers.
- Let cakes cool. Run a knife around edge of cake pan and flip over. Frost with salted caramel frosting.
- How to make Salted Caramel Frosting:
- Heat 8 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edges of pan, about 4 - 8 minutes.
- Whisk in cream and cook until bubbles reappears, about 1 more minute. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla.
- Transfer hot frosting mixture to mixing bowl and with electric mixer on low speed, gradually mix in powdered sugar until incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat until frosting is pale brown and just warm, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 4 Tablespoons of butter, 1 piece at a time, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Frost cake immediately.
- *Frosting recipe adapted from Cook's Country recipe.
Let me know if you LOVE this Southern Caramel Cake with Sea Salt Caramel Frosting. If you are searching for the perfect chocolate cake, click HERE for the ultimate recipe.
Lillian
I had trouble frosting the cake. I cooled my cakes I'm the freezer & since it said it needed to be warm, I couldn't do a Crumb coat. My frosting was all over the place.
Claire
20 minutes is not right. I used 2 9 inch pans and they took 40 minutes. Cake came out good.
Deanne Lestelle
I made this Southern Carmel Cake for friends on game night. We all LOVED this cake. I especially loved how the salt pared with the sweet frosting. One couple went nuts and insisted I make it every year for his birthday. His new favorite, best cake ever. So a new tradition has been set. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Next I’m trying your Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake and expecting the same reaction.
And you have such a lucky family, not only are you a great cook, you are beautiful! Really!
Carolyn
I used white flour
Shay
Does that mean you used all purpose white flour or cake flour? Not sure why the author failed to answer the questions. I have made several of her recipes and she always responds.
Ashley
Hello! I’ve seen many people ask and I too am wondering what kind of flour is used in this recipe?
Sherry
Do you stir butter and brown sugar while it is heating?
Dani Keller
My husband found this recipe and asked I make it for his birthday this weekend. It sounds amazing! Quick question…Does it matter whether or not you use cake flour for this recipe or would you recommend using all purpose flour?
Elizabeth Sikora
This cake is amazing!! The cake itself is moist and delicious, and the icing is a perfect texture and delectable!! My whole family loves it! My daughter and her best friend say it’s the best caramel cake they’ve ever had, and I’d have to agree!!!
Sue
I wanna try this caramel cake from right here in Nairobi, Kenya (haha you can google). Yes, I follow you from this part of the universe.
I am certain I won't get the sea salt flakes. What can be the substitute.
Bonnie Banters
Do you whisk the caramel frosting constantly? Thank you!
Jen
Hi, what flour did you use? Thanks!
Jen
Is there to make this without a stand mixer?
Molly Swanson
Hi! Can light brown sugar be used instead of dark?
Sarah
Have you ever added food coloring to this frosting? And would it be stiff enough to pipe flowers?
lisa
hello and happy holidays i know that you give us a preference but in this photo in this picture did you use buttermilk or regular milk, because depending on the type of milk can give you a different texture and fluffiness when it comes to the cake.. . thank you
Modern Honey
Hello, Lisa! Happy Holidays to you as well! I would suggest using buttermilk. I am such a huge fan of buttermilk and it makes such a tender crumb. If you have it, go with buttermilk!
lisa
Thank you so very much!!!!
Candace
Hello,
What type of flour did you use? Cake or All Purpose?
Thank you,
Candace
Deborah Linker
This is the winner for the Grooms Cake, after many tastings and 10 more pounds. This recipe makes three layers, 8 inch cake pans. I did a few changes, you knew I couldn't leave it alone. Sugar: 1 cup white, 1/2 cup brown sugar. Baking Powder increase to 3 teaspoons. Bake at 340 with wet baking strips. Baking strips help to make the cake level, and no dome effect, to be cut off.
I tried to post a picture, but it wouldn't let me
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1992042930855492&l=753843282c
Libby
What type of flour do you use (self-rising, cake, sifted, not sifted)?
Lillian
That seems to be a common question. She didn't specify like she does in other recipes so I used regular all purpose.
Carley Iwai
Do you use the instant pudding mix (powder) or are you supposed to make the pudding first and use that?
Melissa
Just add the powder to the other ingredients.
Karly
I'm crying tears of deliciousness. From my mouth. Okay, I'm drooling, but this looks SO BEYOND AMAZING I JUST CAN'T HANDLE IT!!!
Modern Honey
Hi Lori! Oh boy, it is SO good! My Mom made it for the family last night so I had a big ol piece of it. You can buy the sea salt flakes online or pick them up at the grocery store. This is what to look for -- https://www.amazon.com/Maldon-Sea-Salt-Flakes-ounce/dp/B00017028M?th=1. I hope that helps! 🙂
Lori
YUM! I'm want to make this cake NOW! But I've never used sea salt flakes. Just wondering, where do you get them??