Caramel Layer Cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Resting and Frosting: 1 15

Total Time: 2

Servings:

Calories: 1213kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

The cake is a standard white cake and complements the sweet caramel icing perfectly. You can bake this in 3 cake pans, 2 cake pans, or 1 9x13" baking dish (see NOTES).

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Equipment

3 9-inch cake pans See NOTES
Parchment paper
Stand mixer or hand mixer
large sturdy skillet

Ingredients

For the Cake

cooking spray
all-purpose flour for dusting pans
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs preferably room temperature
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
caramel frosting recipe below
⅓ cup caramel sauce reserved, for garnishing
1½ cups pecans

For the Caramel Frosting

2 cups sugar
¼ cup water
2 tablespoon light corn syrup
½ cup unsalted butter cubed and chilled, 1 stick
1¼ cup heavy cream heated, divided
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature, 2 sticks
5 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Make the Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray 3 (9-inch) cake pans with cooking spray and then sprinkle on flour. Shake off excess. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper and then spray and flour again. Set aside.
cooking spray, all-purpose flour
In a stand mixer, beat the softened butter (2 sticks) with the sugar until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes), scraping down the sides when necessary.
1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups sugar
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4 large eggs
Alternating flour and buttermilk, add to the mixture, starting with the flour (one-third), then half of the buttermilk, another third of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk, and then the rest of the flour. Mix until smooth. Beat in the vanilla.
3 cups self-rising flour, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Divide the batter among the prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes and then gently remove the cakes from the pans on wire racks. Let cool completely before icing.
Spread the frosting between the layers of the cake and on the sides. Top with pecans and then drizzle the reserved caramel over the top of the cake allowing it to flow down the sides.
caramel frosting, ⅓ cup caramel sauce, 1½ cups pecans

Make the Caramel Frosting

In a large, sturdy saucepan, place the sugar over no heat.
2 cups sugar
Whisk together the water and the corn syrup in a small bowl. Pour over the sugar. Use a wooden spoon to stir the sugar just enough until it has absorbed the liquid.
¼ cup water, 2 tablespoon light corn syrup
Cook over medium-high heat without stirring. As the mixture becomes thin, swirl the pan from time to time (no stirring). Continue this process until it becomes a dark amber. Use a wet pastry brush to brush down crystals that form along the edge of the pan.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the chilled, cubed butter and stir until all of the butter has melted (it will bubble and foam quite a lot). Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream and continue stirring until smooth and the color of caramel. Let rest for 1 hour to cool.
½ cup unsalted butter, 1¼ cup heavy cream
Reserve about one-third a cup of the caramel for topping the cake.
Place the softened butter (2 sticks) in a large bowl and pour the cooled caramel over it. Use a hand mixer to blend the caramel and butter until smooth.
1 cup unsalted butter
With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar. Continue mixing until smooth. Add a little more cream (about ¼ cup) until the frosting is spreadable. The frosting is now ready to use.
5 cups confectioners' sugar

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

You can use 2 round cake pans instead of three. You'll need to increase the bake time by about 5 to 10 minutes. You can also bake in a 9x13" dish. Increase that bake time by about 15 minutes. Check with the toothpick test to ensure the cake is done (when inserted, the toothpick will come out clean).

After icing the cake, keep it covered, if possible. This will keep the icing and cake from drying out.

The cake will keep on the counter (covered) for up to 5 to 7 days.

Nutrition