This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure for more information.
Jump to recipeThe frosting is what makes this caramel cake divine. It is an easy, cooked icing that cools to a hard shell and melts in your mouth.
Caramel cake. Every year for his birthday. Caramel cake. Then one year my eldest determined he “didn’t like caramel”. So we had “brown sugar cake” for his birthday that year. Same recipe I’d used every other year.
Have I told you my kids are picky?
Sometimes I sneak things in. Like in my super healthy rich and delicious chocolate pancakes, and this chocolate mousse. Other times, I just call something by another name. For a time:
- Tomato soup was “SpaghettiOs with no noodles”
- Nutella was “chocolate spread”
- And anything with bread or a crust was “(fill in the blank) pizza”
I even had a jar of pureed dates in the fridge that my kids ate for an entire summer because I called it “caramel.” Ahh the power of suggestion.
We’re back to calling caramel cake “caramel cake” again, and it’s still my son’s pick for his birthday cake every year. (He turns 18 this year! Yikes!) Sadly, my husband and I will be out of town at a conference on his birthday, so we’re celebrating early this year.
Caramel Cake
I use my standard yellow cake recipe for this. I’ve tried lots over the years, and this is the one we like best. My family describes it as tasting like a sugar cookie in cake form, and I have to agree. It’s yummy! I only made one change to the original recipe, and that was to add some salt. Baked goods just need a pinch of salt, I think.
Bake your cake in two round pans and let them cool before frosting. (This is equally delicious made in a 9 x 13 pan, BTW)
The frosting is what makes this cake divine. It is an easy, cooked icing that cools to a hard shell and melts in your mouth.
The recipe calls for sifting the powdered sugar, which helps prevent white lumps in your frosting. I’ll give you an additional tip: heat the icing for just a few seconds if you get lumps, and they’ll melt.
I will say, I usually pour this over a 9 x 13 cake, and it looks shiny and beautiful. I wanted to do a layer cake for my son’s birthday, and as you can see, it’s a little …not shiny and beautiful. But it tastes beautiful, and that’s what matters!!
This frosting is also divine poured over a pumpkin bundt cake in the fall. Mmmm…
I like mine with a big glass of cold milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
(And yes, those ARE our super special, cool Disney attraction plates in some of the pictures. They only come out for special occasions…like 18th birthdays!)
What is your pick for a birthday cake?
Want more caramel recipes?
Alfajores: Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
Decadent Dulce de Leche Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- For Cake:
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- For Frosting:
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed (I use a mix of dark and light brown, either is ok)
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- **Note** These amounts are perfect for frosting a 9x13 cake. For a layer cake, I always increase amounts by half: 1 1/2 sticks butter, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 1/3 cup milk, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- For cake:
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- Combine dry ingredients and add, alternating, with milk.
- Add vanilla.
- Pour into 2 round cake pans (greased and floured), or a 9x13 pan (greased)
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes
- Remove from pans and cool completely before frosting.
- For frosting:
- Place butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil (this will take a couple of minutes)
- Add milk (slowly, it will sputter) and stir in.
- Return to boil.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Stir vigorously until frosting thickens a bit and lumps are gone (you can return to heat to melt any stubborn lumps of sugar).
- Immediately pour over 9x13 cake, or frost layer cake (return frosting to heat if it becomes too stiff to work with).
That cake looks yum yum delicious! I love caramel or brown sugar so this would be a great addition to my long list of cakes to make. Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome! It really is one of our favorites. I hope your family likes it as much as we do! 🙂
This IS my favorite cake! Love the frosting on banana cake, too. I have now started collecting the Disney plates 🙂
Oooo, banana cake. Yes! And I just love souvenirs that are useful, then you think of your trip every time you use it. We have a couple of Disney throws that we like for that reason, too. These plates are so cleverly designed, we just love ’em!
I love love caramel. Your cake looks super delicious! Pinning it for later 🙂
Fantastic! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
I need to stop looking at recipes! This one takes the cake for sure. So far I’ve decided to make roasted potatoes, edible cookie dough and now this. I’m starving. And now I just have to have Caramel Cake. I’m going to be busy tonight and quite full when I get through. Thanks so much for sharing at the Family Joy Blog Link Party this week! Seriously I cannot wait to try this out!
Ha! I know that feeling! Browsing linky parties or Pinterest on an empty stomach can be dangerous. Regardless, thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!
Another yummy cake. One to add to my list for sure. Thanks for sharing this decadent cake at DI&DI.
My grandmother was the Queen of Caramel Cakes! Her icing recipe, which is very similar but starts with white sugar that she browned herself, made more than the cake required. She always poured the extra into a saucer and placed whole pecans on top. When it hardened, she cut it into little cubes and we all got to enjoy it!
Oh my! Delish. And genius.