This traditional recipe takes a little more technique and is so worth the effort.
Classic Caramel Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 2½ cups White Lily all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened and cubed
- 1 cup whole buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
- Garnish: crushed hard caramels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line the bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with parchment paper and spray with baking spray with flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at low speed until combined. Add butter; beat until mixture looks sandy, about 1 minute. Add buttermilk and vanilla; beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl. With mixer at low speed, add 1 egg white, beating until combined, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining egg whites, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed until light and well combined.
- Evenly divide batter into prepared pans, smoothing tops. Run a wooden pick through the batter and then tap pans about 5 times on towel-lined countertops to remove air bubbles.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to25 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks. (See the How-To below about soaking this cake’s layers.)
- Spread Caramel Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with caramels, if desired.
Caramel Frosting
Makes about 5 cups
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 cup warm heavy whipping cream
- 1¼ cups unsalted butter, softened, cubed, and divided
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add 5 tablespoons water and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is moistened, being careful not to splash sides of pan (mixture will look like wet sand).
- Cook over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves (do not stir once mixture starts to boil). Cook, without stirring, over high heat until a candy thermometer registers 320° to 330°. (While caramel cooks, brush any sugar crystals on sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.) Remove from heat; slowly add warm cream, stirring until combined, being careful as mixture will bubble and steam.
- Slowly stir in ¼ cup softened butter. Stir in vanilla and salt. Pour into a medium bowl, and let cool until almost at room temperature (about 85°), stirring occasionally, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Pour caramel into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add remaining 1 cup softened butter; beat at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. With mixer at low speed, gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on surface of frosting. Let stand until frosting has reached a spreadable consistency, 15 to 25 minutes.
TWO-STAGE MIXING
SOAK THE LAYERS
TEMPERATURE IS KEY
THAT’S HOT STUFF!
