Caramel Cake Recipes

CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.
• Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minutes. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
• Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 27 to 29 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert them again onto another rack to that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, prepare the Quick Caramel Frosting.
• Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with the warm frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes. Work quickly, as the frosting will set. (If the frosting gets too hard to work with, place the pan back over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly, to soften it up.) Once the frosting has set, slice and serve.
• Store this cake, covered in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.
• Place the butter and brown sugars in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until the mixture comes to a boil, about 2 minutes. Add the milk, stir, and bring the mixture back to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until the frosting is smooth.
• Use immediately (while still warm) to frost the cake of your choice or the frosting will harden. If it does harden while you are frosting the cake, simply place the pan back over low heat and stir until the frosting softens up.

CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Cream white sugar, 1 1/2 cups butter, and eggs together in a bowl. Beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add to the sugar mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla extract. Beat until batter makes ribbons when falling from the whisk or beater. Divide batter among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool layers on a rack before icing, at least 1 hour.
• Combine brown sugar, 1 cup butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add evaporated milk and continue stirring. Bring to a gentle boil and let bubble for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 5 minutes.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract into the butter-milk mixture using an electric mixer until icing caramelizes and thickens to the desired consistency.
• Spread icing onto the cooled cake layers. Stack layers; ice top and sides.

CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line each with a parchment paper round, and spray again. Set pans aside.
• Beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Gradually add 1 cup sugar and continue to beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in syrup.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Beat eggs until foamy in another bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir into cake batter until well combined.
• Divide cake batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake until cakes spring back when gently touched in the center, about 25 minutes. If cakes do not spring back, return to oven and continue cooking about 10 minutes more.
• Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a wire rack and remove parchment paper round. Let cakes cool to room temperature before frosting.
• Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with frosting. Top with the remaining layer, bottom-side up. Spread entire cake with frosting; remove parchment paper strips. Serve cake drizzled with any remaining caramel syrup.

SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two (9-inch) cake pans. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add about a third of the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add about half of the buttermilk and continue to mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to add flour and buttermilk in the same way, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Add vanilla and combine fully, making sure not to overmix.
• Divide batter evenly between pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
• As the cake bakes, make the icing: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine. Bring to a gentle boil over medium and let the mixture bubble for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Carefully and slowly add the buttermilk (it will bubble up), stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a full, rolling boil. Remove from heat and add salt. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth, then add vanilla extract and mix to combine. The icing should look glossy and pour easily from the bowl.
• While the icing is still warm, spread about 1 cup icing on one cake, then top with the second cake. Use the rest of the icing on the top and sides of the cake. The icing will set up as it cools. If the icing starts to harden, microwave the icing in 10-second intervals until smooth. (You can also make the icing up to 3 to 5 days in advance, and keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.) Serve immediately.