Homemade Caramel Cake

This Homemade Caramel Cake is a beloved dessert, known for its moist crumb and rich, cooked caramel frosting. While it requires a bit of patience, the result is a truly spectacular cake with a dense, buttery texture and a unique, deep caramel flavor that you won’t get from a simple store-bought mix.

Homemade Caramel Cake:

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

How to Make the Homemade Caramel Cake

1. Prep Pans & Dry Ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by greasing them with butter and dusting with flour. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sifted flour, sea salt, and granulated sugar.
2. Make the Cake Batter: In a medium saucepan, combine the 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a full boil. Pour the boiling butter mixture over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Finish the Batter: Add the baking soda, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and eggs to the mixture. Whisk until smooth and well incorporated.
4. Bake: Spread the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, checking the cake after 15 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook.
5. Cool: Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before inverting the layers onto racks with parchment paper to cool completely.

How to Make a Magical Homemade Caramel Frosting

1. Create Caramel Syrup: In a small, heavy-bottomed skillet, melt ½ cup of granulated sugar over medium heat. Do not stir, but you can rotate the pan gently to help the sugar melt evenly. Cook until it becomes a deep amber color, then remove from heat.
2. Cook the Base: In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 2 ½ cups of granulated sugar, the softened butter, heavy cream, and a pinch of sea salt. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
3. Combine & Cook: Pour the hot caramel syrup from the small skillet into the large saucepan. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Continue to cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until the frosting reaches the soft-ball stage (235°F to 245°F).
4. Cool & Whip: Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the frosting cool for about 15 minutes. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer on medium speed, whip the frosting for about 20 minutes, or until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency. If it becomes too stiff, you can add a little extra cream to thin it out.