Caramel Cake

While there’s nothing wrong with chocolate or vanilla cake, sometimes limiting yourself to those two options can be boring. Enter caramel cake, a sweet alternative for whenever you need a standout dessert. Brown sugar adds caramel notes to the fluffy, tender yellow cake and to the rich frosting. Whether you dress it up with chocolate, nuts or bananas, or serve it as-is, this layer cake recipe is perfect for birthday parties, family celebrations and holidays.

Caramel Cake Ingredients

• Butter: Butter adds moisture and rich flavor to the cake. It is best to cream room-temperature butter with the sugar. If you forget to remove it from the fridge, there are a few ways to quickly soften butter.
• Canola oil: Canola oil ensures the cake is moist without affecting its flavor.
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar gets its color and deep flavor from molasses. It also contributes to a softer, fluffier cake texture. Light brown sugar is best for this cake.
• Eggs: Combining whole eggs and egg yolks contributes to the cake’s yellow color, rich flavor and tender texture. Separate the yolks and whites while the eggs are still cold, but use room-temperature eggs for baking. Save the egg whites for meringue or other desserts.
• Sour cream: Sour cream adds moisture and a rich flavor to cakes and contributes to their tender texture. Stick with full-fat sour cream for the best results, although reduced-fat works just fine.
• Vanilla extract: Use real vanilla extract for the best flavor.
• All-purpose flour: Regular AP flour is all you need here. For a gluten-free version, use your favorite gluten-free baking flour blend.
• Baking powder: Baking powder helps the cake rise as it bakes.
• Salt: A little bit of salt enhances all the flavors in the cake.
• Caramel frosting: The frosting combines confectioners’ sugar with a rich caramel made from butter, brown sugar and heavy whipping cream.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the cake pans

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of three greased 9-inch round baking pans with parchment.

Step 2: Make the cake batter

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In a large bowl, beat together the brown sugar, butter and oil at medium speed until they’re smooth. Beat in the whole eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until the mixture is fluffy, two to three minutes. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

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Evenly divide the batter among the three prepared pans.

Step 3: Bake the cakes

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Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool completely on the wire racks.

Editor’s Tip: Allowing the cakes to cool completely helps will help the frosting set. Once the cakes have completely cooled, trim off any domed tops with a serrated knife.

Step 4: Make the caramel frosting

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In a heavy saucepan, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil. Cook them for two minutes, stirring consistently. Remove the pan from the heat. Slowly stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.

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Transfer the caramel to a large mixing bowl and beat in the confectioners’ sugar.

Step 5: Frost the cake

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Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread it with a third of the frosting. Repeat the process with the other layers. Top with the remaining cake layer, and frost the top with the remaining frosting.

Editor’s Tip: An offset spatula is one of our favorite frosting tools. It makes spreading the frosting a breeze.

Step 6: Chill the cake

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Chill until frosting is set, about 30 minutes, then serve.

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Caramel Cake Variations

• Take it down to turtle town: To give this caramel cake recipe a turtle twist, drizzle the frosted cake with melted chocolate and top it with chopped toasted pecans.
• Say yes to salted caramel: There’s something about the combination of sweet caramel with salt that makes it irresistible. To mimic the salted caramel flavor, either add a large pinch of salt to the caramel as it cooks or top the frosted cake with a generous sprinkle of finishing salt like fleur de sel or pink Himalayan salt.
• Choose chocolate: To give this caramel cake recipe a chocolate twist, replace the yellow cake with chocolate cake. The deep chocolate flavor is a perfect companion to the sweet caramel frosting.
• Go bananas: Add a filling of caramelized bananas to the cake for a bananas Foster-inspired cake. To prevent the filling from leaking out, put a thin layer of frosting on top of the bottom cake, then pipe a ring of frosting around the edge before spooning in the filling. Top with the next cake layer and repeat.
• Add some spice: Caramel cake recipes like this one are perfect for embracing fall vibes. Add a teaspoon of apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice to the cake batter.

How to Store Caramel Cake

You can store leftover cake on your kitchen counter for three to seven days, but keep it in a container or under a cake dome to keep it fresh. You can also store leftover slices of cake in an airtight container in the fridge. Pro tip: To easily retrieve the slice of leftover cake, flip the container before adding the cake.

How long does caramel cake last?

Caramel cake can be stored on the countertop for up to seven days or in the fridge for up to ten days.

Can you freeze caramel cake?

Yes! Freezing a cake is almost always an option. To freeze an unfrosted cake, wrap it tightly in storage wrap, pack it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to eight months.

To freeze a frosted cake whole, set it on a baking sheet and freeze it, uncovered, for about an hour or until the frosting is firm. Then, wrap tightly in two layers of storage wrap followed by a layer of foil. Freeze it for up to eight months.

To freeze individual slices of frosted cake, wrap each slice individually in storage wrap and then place in an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze them for up to eight months.

Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Caramel Cake Tips

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How do you get a clean slice of cake?

Cutting that first slice of cake can be nerve-wracking, but it doesn’t have to be! For easy slicing, we recommend using a serrated knife, which will easily cut through the cake. For smooth cutting, run the knife under hot water to clean and warm it before making each cut. Though it may be a little fussy and time-consuming, this method helps guarantee clean slices of cake every time.

What should you serve with caramel cake?

What’s not to love about the classic pairing of cake and ice cream? You won’t go wrong with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (There’s no shame in the store-bought vanilla ice cream game; you already baked a whole cake, after all!) A shot of decaf espresso or a cup of decaf coffee would also pair nicely with this sweet treat. Or if you’re feeling particularly decadent, go for an espresso martini or a coupe of dry champagne.