Caramel cake is a classic southern dessert and if I had to pick a favorite cake it would be this one. Most of my friends from other parts of the country have never heard of or tasted caramel cake. This southern favorite always made an appearance at our holiday meals.
My grandmother always said “you can’t make caramel cake on a rainy day”. Apparently, humidity has an impact on the success of this luscious icing. This cake was one of her specialties and as I watched her make it as a young boy, I was always fascinated watching the sugar melt in an iron skillet and turn into an amber liquid. She would then pour the melted and browned sugar into a pot of boiling butter, milk, and sugar. She would boil the mixture until she instinctively knew the exact right point that the icing would be thick enough to spread on the cake and set but remain soft and creamy.
I never got her recipe before she passed away. For years I searched but only found recipes with shortcuts, such as melting caramel candy or using brown sugar. Finally, in a random conversation with a colleague a couple of years ago, I found my recipe. As she described her southern grandmother’s caramel cake, I knew that it was the same as my grandmother’s recipe.
I don’t have much experience making candy, but after some research I determined that “soft ball” stage or 232 degrees is the exact temperature that the icing is done. I didn’t rely on instinct to determine the icing was done like my grandmother. A candy thermometer takes the guesswork out of the process.
I have tried several different recipes for yellow cake over the years with varying success. I found several slight variations on this cake recipe that in one posting was attributed to Gourmet Magazine from 2008. The texture and moistness of this cake proved to be perfect for my grandmother’s caramel icing.
Ingredients
4 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup granulated sugar (for browning)
3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 sticks + 1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter two round 9x2 inch cake pans, line bottom with parchment paper and butter again.
3. Whisk flour baking powder, soda, and salt together and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
5. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
6. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each one before adding another.
7. With mixer on low speed, mix in buttermilk until just combined.
8. Add flour mixture in three parts, mixing after each addition until just combined.
9. Do not over mix!
10. Pour batter in pans and drop the pans on the counter couple of times to remove bubbles.
11. Bake 35 - 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
12. Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes.
13. Remove from the pans and cool completely on racks.
1. Put 3/4 of sugar into cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat.
2. Let sugar melt and turn into an amber color.
3. While the sugar is melting, put 3 3/4 cups sugar, butter, flour, salt, evaporated milk into large sauce pan and bring to a boil.
4. Add melted/browned sugar and continue boiling until temperature reaches "soft ball" stage or 232 degrees.
5. Remove from heat and begin whisking.
6. Add vanilla and continue whisking until icing has cooled to a spreadable but not runny consistency.
1. Place bottom layer on a cake plate. '
2. Spread icing on top of bottom layer.
3. Place top layer on top of the iced bottom layer.
4. Spread icing on top layer and sides of cake.
https://southernboydishes.com/2012/10/15/my-grandmas-caramel-cake/
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Your caramel(burnt sugar) cake is what my family used to make. I make it for my birthday and usually for Thanksgiving (I consider it more or a fall weather cake, but of course it’s delicious anytime.
The only thing we do differently(my sister and brother) is that we use half and half or cream instead of evaporated milk.
This is the best icing I have ever tasted. Came out perfect!! My Mom asked for an old fashioned caramel cake for her birthday that my Grandma used to make. This fit the bill perfectly!! I used my own yellow cake recipe- but will give your cake recipe a try next time!!
Thanks so much for the comment, Sherri. This is exactly like my Grandma’s icing as well. It’s such a treat!
I’ve been searching for a caramel cake recipe for the longest. My great grandmother used to make a layered caramel cake, but there is no record of any recipe of any kind. From what I remember, her icing had almost a crack to it. I was never lucky enough to witness her make the cake, as I was very young when her health began to decline. I wonder if I cooked the sugar mixture to a higher temperature, if it would turn out like hers. Your recipe is the closest I’ve seen to what hers looked like. Thank you for sharing. Will be giving this one a go, and trying my hand at making it more like hers 🙂
Best cake ever ! Made this for thanksgiving and again for a friends birthday everyone loved it
I made this cake for Christmas for my sister in law. Best caramel cake I ever made. The frosting was so easy to spread on the cake. It stayed pliable when the cake was sliced.
Thanks
Thank for the recipe I been trying to find this recipe my mom used to make this thank again
When I read your part about melting sugar in a small cast iron pan my mind was instantly taken back to my grandmother’s kitchen. She “just knew” when the mixture was the right temperature as well. This recipe is nearly identical to the one she used to make at every holiday, and with minor tweaking from what I remember of her doing differently, I feel certain I can reproduce her caramel cake. Thank you for sharing!
This was my first homemade cake and it turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe!!!
This is just like my grandmother’s recipe. I added fresh banana between layers like she did. Delicious
I am missing my Aunt Pearl’s homemade, caramel cake… It sounds like this will be the one to bring that unforgettable, delectable taste back to my remembrance! Thank you!
I’ve tried many a caramel icing recipe. This is very close to my family recipe. You can always tell a true homemade caramel by the color. This is spot on!
Thanks!
I bake cakes Bill, but never a Caramel cake. My neighbor asked me sincerely to bake him a Caramel Cake, he said he thought of his mother’said cake and wanted to taste it again. She is deceased and I had no recipes, but I started searching many recipes. Yours, by far stretches, was the best for ingredients, and it was written well. I will bake soon, and thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you enjoy the recipe!!
A beautiful cake Bill! I can only imagine how delicious it is!!
A beautiful cake and a beautiful photo! I lived in Atlanta for years and well remember the amazing caramel cakes and Red Velvet cakes. Thank you for sharing. Allen.
Hey Allen, those are indeed two southern classics. Give this one a try. It’s a little time consuming but well worth it. Thanks for the comment! What part of Atl did you live in?
I love caramel ANYTHING, and I’m so glad that I finally learned how to make it myself. Unwrap caramels? Heck no! This Southern classic is something I’ve always wanted to make. I like that the cake has buttermilk in it, which usually means it’ll be moist. Great job! Pinning this one!
Thanks for adding the print feature.
Thanks I have looked high and low for a caramel cake that my mom made from scratch. This sounds like it. I will try it. Again Thanks..