Southern Caramel Cake Recipe

Who doesn't love a little Southern hospitality? Things are just better down South, especially when to comes to food. From barbecue food to baked goods, the South just does it right. This southern caramel cake would be great served at a birthday party, or pretty much on any other occasion. Heck, you don't even need a particular reason to whip up this cake. The sweet treat includes 3 layers of yellow cake and a homemade caramel-flavored frosting that will knock your socks off — it's light, fluffy, and delicious. 

Recipe developer Jessica Morone is the brains behind this recipe for Southern caramel cake. "My favorite thing about this recipe is the frosting — it's not too sweet and it's really delicious," Morone raves. "This cake is really decadent, the cake itself is moist and fluffy, and the frosting is rich and mouthwatering." Keep reading to find out how to make this incredible cake. 

Once you're ready to begin, you will need to head to the grocery store, and grab the necessary ingredients. Pick up unsalted butter, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, large eggs, cake flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, brown sugar, buttermilk, heavy cream, and powdered sugar.

Now, you can whip up this sweet, Southern caramel cake.

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and grease 3 8-inch cake pans. Next, cream 1 cup of softened butter, the vegetable oil, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer. Continue beating until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and sour cream, mixing until everything is well-incorporated. "The sour cream in the cake makes it extra moist, and the buttermilk in the frosting adds a little bit of a tangy flavor that balances the sweetness in the frosting," Morone says. 

Take out another bowl, and toss in the dry ingredients — the cake flour, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. A little bit at a time, slowly begin adding the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Leave the mixer running on a low speed as you add the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, and everything is well-combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly into each prepared cake tin, then bake them in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, you can check the doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake — if it comes out clean, it's done. After you remove the cakes from the oven, make sure to let them cool completely for a couple hours before you add the frosting. 

Toss the brown sugar, remaining 1 cup of butter, buttermilk, heavy cream, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the ingredients come to a boil, lower the heat down to a simmer, and cook for 3 minutes. Make sure to stir it regularly as it cooks. 

"The cake itself is pretty simple, but the frosting can be tricky because you want to make sure you don't cook the caramel [for] so long, that it burns," Morone notes. "Cooking it 3 to 5 minutes after it starts boiling is ideal — longer than that, and it could end up tasting burned." Remove the pan from heat, and pour the caramel sauce into a bowl. Let it cook for about 10 minutes, until it's lukewarm.

Add the caramel mixture, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, beating until the frosting become smooth and fluffy. Then, add the frosting over each cake layer, and on the top of the cake. Add any desired decorations on top of the cake, such as macaroons. 

After you frost the cake, slice and serve it as you wish. "This cake is really pretty, so it would be perfect for any celebration or gathering that you want to impress people at," Morone says. "If you keep the cake covered and in the refrigerator, it can last up to 5 days."