Southern Caramel Cake is a fabulously rich and decadent cake with tons of super sweet icing. This is a cake that will make any occasion memorable.
As a child it seems like whenever I went to my grandmother’s house, which was often for a holiday or special occasion, there was always a caramel cake. They were never made by her. I don’t think she baked anything in her entire life, but she had lots of friends who loved to bake and they were constantly bringing her food gifts. Pound Cake and Caramel Cake were the two regulars.
I fell in love with the icing on a Caramel Cake at a very young age. It is as sweet as sweet can be. Sometimes I would just eat the icing and leave the cake part because it can tend to be a little dry and bland.
But this Southern Caramel Cake from Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations
has two delicious and moist cake layers, with a lighter texture than many caramel cakes. And a fabulously sweet icing. Lots of it!
Because it’s all about the icing.
I actually didn’t intend for it to have this much icing, but both my cake layers collapsed slightly in the middle (I think I opened the oven door too many times to check on them.) and I didn’t have a sharp enough serrated knife to even out the top. I probably should have just flipped them over and had the bottom be the top. But my mind must have been so fixated on the icing that I wasn’t thinking straight.
Instead I had to let a ton of frosting pool in the middle to flatten out the top. So it was necessary to make a second batch of icing to cover the sides. Not neccesarily a bad thing. 😉
Warning: If you don’t have a serious sweet tooth, this is not the cake for you.
You might also like this Hummingbird Cake. Check it out in the video below!
Southern Caramel Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3/4 cup butter, (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel Icing
- One box light brown sugar, (1-pound)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 7 tablespoons evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the cake. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.
- In a small saucepan, cook the butter and milk over low heat until the butter melts. Stir well and let cool to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light yellow and smooth.
- Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until combined.
- Add the cooled milk mixture and vanilla and stir well.
- Divide the batter between the two pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the middle.
- Place pans on a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on racks.
- Make icing. In a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom, combine the brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Stir well and turn heat down so mixture boils gently. Cook for 7 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Beat the icing with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.
- Place bottom layer on a platter or cake stand. Working quickly before icing sets up, spread icing on top. Place second layer on top. Ice the top and sides. A knife dipped in hot water can help smooth the icing out.
Notes
I actually made more icing than the recipe calls for. My cakes were a little sunken in the middle once they cooled and I didn't have a sharp enough serrated knife to even the top of the cake out. Because of this, a lot of my icing pooled in the middle and I needed more.
If you think you need extra, add another 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, and 3 1/2 tablespoons evaporated milk. Plus a little extra vanilla if you desire.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations
More Southern Cakes
Duke’s Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Oulala
So delicious so simple.
Thanks spicy southern
kitchen
I have made this for my wife every year for 5 years now and she loves it!
I wish I’d seen your review before I tried this recipe. Mine was a disaster, too.
I made this icing and it came out great. Since its only 4 ingredients I know it by heart. I love caramel frosting, but did not want a recipe that used confectionery sugar. I wanted one that uses evaporated milk, which I think is the correct way to make caramel frosting. My family really enjoyed it. Thank you, for a recipe I can use for years.
My icing was really watery. What did I do wrong?
My mother n law made this before she passed and she’s been gone for 2 yrs. I took over her tradition and this cake is the one the family loves.
This very much reminds me of a cake my Mama often made for us kids and our friends she called 1-2-3-4-Cake with Brown Sugar Icing … so good! And that was seventy years ago! Thanks for posting this and bringing back another grand memory. I think I’ll make this memory last a little longer and go bake me one just so I can scrape the bowl of the delicious brown sugar icing!
I made this cake twice recently. The first time, the cakes didn’t rise properly. I salvaged one of the layers and ate that without icing…because it still tasted good. The second time, I decided to make it in a 9X13 pan (fool me once). That worked perfectly. I poured all the icing on the cake and it was great.
I haven’t tried to make this yet, but was going to ask the question if this cake would work in a 9×13 pan. Thanks for posting that you used a 9×13 pan and it worked! I’ll definitely try it!
I made this a few months ago and it was incredible! I am a chocoholic and this is so good I would give up chocolate for this! I have people begging me to make this again. One person told me that it was the best cake she had ever had in her life.
I think you made some mistakes because it’s a great Christmas cake!! Turned out light and delish!!
I used the recipe for the caramel frosting. It worked perfect. I did use a cast iron skillet like my dad used back in the day. It was a winner!