Oh yes! Southern caramel cake is rich, buttery, and full of caramel flavor—it’s a classic dessert. Here’s a detailed recipe for a two-layer caramel cake with caramel frosting.
Southern Caramel Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
For the Caramel Frosting:
- 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Bake the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla.
- Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
2. Make the Caramel Frosting
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, and milk.
- Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then stir in vanilla.
- Gradually beat in powdered sugar until frosting is smooth and spreadable.
3. Assemble the Cake
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
- Spread a layer of caramel frosting on top.
- Place the second cake layer on top and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
- Optional: drizzle extra caramel sauce on top for decoration.
💡 Tips for a true Southern caramel flavor:
- Use light brown sugar for a mild, buttery caramel taste.
- Make sure the caramel frosting isn’t too hot when adding powdered sugar, or it will be runny.
If you want, I can also give a shortcut version that uses caramel sauce for both the frosting and drizzle, which is faster but still tastes like a bakery cake.
Do you want me to give that version too?
