Southern Caramel Cake Recipe
Prep Time:
1 hour, 20 minutes
Cook Time:
35 minutes
Servings:
12 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease 3 8-inch round cake pans, and set aside.
  2. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream together 1 cup butter, the vegetable oil, and granulated sugar until fluffy.
  3. Add in the eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and sour cream, mixing until well-incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, beating as you go, until everything is well-combined.
  5. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely for a couple hours.
  6. While the cakes cool, add the brown sugar, remaining 1 cup butter, buttermilk, heavy cream and ¼ teaspoon salt to a large saucepan. Heat on medium heat until it begins to boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
  7. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the caramel into a separate bowl to let it cool until it's lukewarm, about 10 minutes.
  8. Use a stand mixer or a hand mixer to beat the cooled caramel, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
  9. Frost the cake immediately, decorate as desired, and then serve.