Foolproof Caramel Cake Recipe

Craving a dessert that’s rich, buttery, and irresistibly sweet? This Foolproof Caramel Cake Recipe is everything you need! With soft, moist cake layers, a luscious homemade caramel sauce, and a smooth buttercream frosting, this cake is pure indulgence.

Looking for more salted caramel recipes? Try my Salted Caramel Bundt Cake, Mini Salted Caramel Cheesecake, and Caramel Salted Chocolate Cookies.

Jump to:

• What is a Foolproof Caramel Cake Recipe?
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Ingredients
• Top Tips
• FAQ
• Foolproof Caramel Cake Recipe

What is a Foolproof Caramel Cake Recipe?

This Foolproof Caramel Cake Recipe is a mouthwatering dessert that combines a soft, fluffy cake with a rich salted caramel frosting, making it perfect for any celebration. Not only is this cake easy to prepare, but it’s also incredibly satisfying, featuring layers of buttery goodness and a luscious caramel sauce that takes its flavor to the next level.

The recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients like unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk, resulting in a batter that’s both reliable and delicious. Once baked, the cake is topped with creamy buttercream frosting and a generous drizzle of homemade caramel sauce, making it the ultimate centerpiece for any dessert spread.

Caramel cakes have their origins in the Southern United States, known for rich, flavorful desserts with indulgent toppings. This "foolproof" recipe ensures success for everyone, even beginners, making it easy to create a gorgeous and delicious dessert. Perfect for birthdays, holidays, or satisfying a sweet tooth, this cake never disappoints!

Substitutions

• Unsalted Butter: Substitute with coconut oil or margarine (use the same amount).
• Granulated Sugar: Use coconut sugar or a sugar substitute like stevia (adjust quantity as per the substitute's conversion chart).
• Brown Sugar: Substitute with coconut sugar or a mix of granulated sugar with molasses (1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses).
• Eggs: Use flaxseed meal (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 2.5 tablespoons water per egg) or applesauce (¼ cup per egg).
• Vanilla Extract: Substitute with almond extract or omit if unavailable.
• Baking Soda: Use baking powder (triple the amount) or cream of tartar (½ teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar).
• Cake Flour: Substitute with all-purpose flour (use the same amount) mixed with cornstarch (1 cup all-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons cornstarch).
• Buttermilk: Use milk mixed with vinegar or lemon juice (1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar/lemon juice, let sit for 5 minutes).
• Salted Butter: Use unsalted butter plus a pinch of salt (same amount).
• Agave Syrup: Use honey or maple syrup (same amount).
• Powdered Sugar: Use granulated sugar blended until fine (adjust for sweetness).
• Unsalted Butter (Frosting): Substitute with coconut oil or margarine (use the same amount).

Variations

• Caramel Cream Cheese Cake: Replace the buttercream frosting with cream cheese frosting for a tangy twist. After leveling the cooled cakes with a serrated knife, spread a generous layer of cream cheese frosting on the first cake layer. Pour additional caramel icing over the top for a rich finish.
• Chocolate Caramel Cake: Add cocoa powder to the cake batter for a chocolate version. Use caramel icing instead of buttercream. Or add homemade chocolate syrup.
• Caramel Pecan Cake: Fold chopped pecans into the batter for added texture. Top with a caramel icing and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Storage

• Room Temperature (1-2 days): Store in an airtight container. Keep in a cool, dry place away from heat and sunlight. Best for short-term storage when planning to eat soon.
• Refrigerator (Up to 5 days): Place the cake in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Keep it in the fridge to maintain freshness. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best texture.
• Freezer (Up to 3 months): Wrap individual slices or whole cake layers in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped cake in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Label with the date for easy tracking. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before serving.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• baking soda
• salt
• baking powder
• cake flour
• buttermilk

For the Caramel Sauce:

• salted butter
• brown sugar
• vanilla extract
• agave
• salt

For the Frosting:

• powdered sugar
• unsalted butter
• salt

Instructions

Before starting, don't forget to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare cookie sheets using parchment paper or a baking mat. Also, prepare the ingredients to be used. It helps to set them nicely and all measure according to your needs.

Add two large eggs and the vanilla extract and mix in a mixing bowl using a stand mixer:

Now, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. This step would be a mess if you do not slowly incorporate the dry ingredients, so just be extra careful 🙂

As the mixture will thicken, add in the buttermilk:

Your homemade caramel cake batter should look like this after mixing. This is now ready to pop in the oven:

Place the batter in two round pans so it makes two layers of homemade caramel cakes. Spread it out evenly up to the sides of the pan:

Now it's time to make the caramel sauce while that is baking.

In a pan, put together the butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Cook this until it thickens.

When your caramel looks thick like this, add the milk to make the sauce thicker. It would become like a honey texture:

While waiting for the cake and the caramel sauce to cool down, make the buttercream frosting.

Mix the butter and the powdered sugar in a large bowl. You can either use a standing mixer or a handheld mixer. I prefer using a handheld mixer because I feel I can control its motion and it's very comfortable for me to use.

Mix it very well until it gets to a consistency of smooth ice cream:

After the cake has cooled down, flatten them by cutting the "dome":

Now spread the buttercream frosting and add caramel sauce on top:

Put the other cake layer on top and you can crumb-coat it. This is a very important step before finally frosting it:

Tadaaa! A delicious homemade caramel cake. This smells so yummy and so filling!

Top Tips

• Crumb coating your homemade caramel cake is a step you should not skip. It helps to achieve a smooth-looking frosting on your cake.
• I used agave for this recipe's caramel sauce instead of corn syrup. It is much healthier to use but corn syrup makes your caramel sauce much glossier.

FAQ

What I love about this cake is that I used brown sugar to sweeten it, and the flavor is very subtle. Of course, the salted caramel frosting stands out like a champ.

I love baking and decorating cakes, but I am not a pro.   I always enjoyed watching others decorate cakes and even took classes at Michael's to learn how to do it. Check out how ugly my cakes were, keep in mind these were the times before Pinterest so I had to come up with my ideas and these were before all the nice filters and when I was slender. lol

My sister said the one with the vines and flowers looked like a Grandma decorated it. 😩

For this class, I had to create a cake with written text and I couldn't think of anything except for what I wrote. 😅

Anyway, this Caramel Cake took me 3 days to finish, but I have to mention I spent about 3 hours working on it each day. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe and please tag me if you recreate this cake. 😄