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A slice of homemade caramel cake with four moist layers, rich caramel frosting, and a glossy caramel drizzle, topped with piped frosting and chopped nuts on a brown plate.

Caramel Cake

This rich, buttery caramel cake with homemade caramel frosting is the ultimate special occasion dessert. Surprisingly easy once you learn the tricks—perfectly moist cake layers soaked in caramel, a glossy, smooth frosting, and plenty of tips to guarantee success.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Best caramel cake recipe, Caramel Cake, Caramel cake near me, Caramel cake recipes, Chocolate caramel cake, Lemon caramel cake, Moist caramel cake recipe, Southern caramel cake, Vanilla caramel cake recipe
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 580kcal
Cost: $12

Equipment

  • 1 Offset spatula (For smooth frosting)
  • 1 Heavy-bottomed saucepan (Essential for caramel)
  • 1 Electric mixer (Stand or hand mixer)
  • 1 9-inch cake pans (Greased and lined)
  • 1 Wire cooling rack (For cooling cake layers)

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 ½ cups All-purpose flour - Can sub cake flour
  • 2 cups Sugar - White or brown
  • 1 cup Butter - Room temperature
  • 4 Eggs - Room temperature
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Milk - Can sub buttermilk

For the Caramel:

  • 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup Heavy cream - Warmed
  • 6 tablespoon Butter - Unsalted
  • ½ teaspoon Salt - Or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon Corn syrup - Optional – prevents crystallization

For the Frosting:

  • 1 cup Butter - Room temp
  • 3 cups Powdered sugar - Sifted
  • All Homemade caramel - Cooled completely
  • 1 tablespoon Milk - If needed to adjust texture

Optional Toppings:

  • To taste Flaky sea salt - For garnish
  • Drizzle Extra caramel sauce - For decoration

Instructions

  • Make the cake batter and bake the layers
    Creamy cake batter in a glass bowl with sweetened milk being poured in, creating smooth, glossy swirls on a white kitchen counter.
  • Prepare the caramel sauce
    Caramel being poured into a saucepan of bubbling sugar on a stovetop, with crystals melting into the golden mixture.
  • Make the frosting using the cooled caramel
    Creamy caramel buttercream frosting in a glass bowl on a marble countertop, whipped to a light, fluffy texture, surrounded by powdered sugar, caramel sauce, and cream.
  • Assemble and decorate the cake with frosting and caramel drizzle
    Place your next cake layer on top and cover the top and sides with more caramel frosting. Once the caramel starts to set up, you will notice it become shiny. You can run an offset spatula or knife gently on top of the shiny caramel and this will make everything super smooth! Decorate as you wish and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes.Feel free to add more of your favorite toppings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 580kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 850IU | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1.2mg