This Real Deal Southern Caramel Cake Recipe is the best caramel cake recipe on the web! If you want a moist yellow cake with the best authentic caramel icing, you must make this recipe. It is the real deal for real. If you love desserts with caramel then you definitely need to check out Homemade Caramel Pie, Caramel Buttercream Frosting, Caramel Apple Cheesecake, Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Salted Caramel Lava Cake.
Southern caramel cake recipes have always been a classic that I could have any day of the week. My family has made it for decades, and it is definitely an old time Southern favorite.
The funny thing about this cake is a lot of people did not become familiar with it until the movie “The Help” mentioned it. After the movie was released in theaters, I saw tons of replicas of this classic cake online but none of these recipes were as authentic as I thought they should be.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The cake cooks up a moist yet slightly dense (but still light) yellow butter cake that isn’t too sweet and serves as the perfect vehicle for the caramel icing.
- It truly celebrates the caramel icing is the true star of the party.
- No shortcuts! This classic southern caramel cake uses uses granulated sugar and evaporated milk to create the luscious flavor of a true caramel icing. Don’t opt for a quick brown sugar butterscotch method, which is a caramel frosting substitution and not the same thing!
Ingredients You Will Need
Simple, baking ingredients are all you will need to have to make this southern cake recipe.
- Butter: You’re going to want to use unsalted butter to make the cake.
- Vegetable oil: Any vegetable oil works just make sure it has a neutral flavor.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and texture tot he cake.
- Flour: Be sure you use sifted cake flour which gives the cake its light texture.
- Eggs: You be using whole eggs plus egg yolks to add rich flavor and more yellow color to the cake.
- Baking powder and salt: Simple baking ingredients to create the texture of the cake.
- Sour cream: Gives the cake its moistness.
- Vanilla extract: Make sure you use pure extract for the best flavor.
- Evaporated milk: Cooks up with the butter and sugar to make the best caramel icing. Make sure you’re not using condensed milk.
How to Make the Best Caramel Cake Recipe
- Cream the butter, oil, and sugar on high until fully incorporated and light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time until they are well incorporated. Next, add in vanilla extract and mix again.
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.
- With the mixer on slow speed, alternate adding in flour mixture and sour cream ending with flour mixture. Mix just to combine, do not over mix.
- Pour batter into the individual cake pans and bake in the oven until fully baked, about 23-30 minutes.
TOP TIP: You don’t want to over bake the cakes. I suggest checking earlier and watching closely in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking so you can remove them as soon as they are done.
- Remove the cake pans from oven and cool on cooling racks for 10 minutes and then remove them from the pan to continue cooling.
How to Make the Caramel Icing
Here is a look at how the caramel icing begins to come together.
Some people struggle with knowing exactly how the icing should look after about two hours of cooking on a very low heat so hopefully after these tips, you will feel like a pro!
TOP TIP: The one thing you need to remember through out this process, low and slow is the best way to achieve this perfect icing. The color will deepen and it will naturally thicken but it takes time.
- Add the butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat, mix together after it all melts.
- Cook over low to medium heat for about 1 1/2- 2 hours, watching the entire time to make sure it does not burn until thickened and caramel has darkened to a beautiful golden brown.
TOP TIP: Remember to make sure that the caramel turns the color of the photo below before stopping the heat. It should also COMPLETELY coat the back of a spoon to ensure thickness. Be careful to watch, adjusting heat temperature to not let it burn.
- When the correct color is reached, remove the caramel icing from the heat and add in the vanilla extract.
- Cool the icing for about 15-20 minutes to allow it to thicken before icing the cake.
Caramel Icing Tips
Here are a few important tips to keep in mind when making this caramel cake recipe! The icing is the star of the show so you want to be sure to get it right!
- After cooling the icing, if you see that it is too warm and still not completely thick enough, cool it in the refrigerator to allow it to thicken more.
- Want more of a frosting texture? Some people like to take the caramel and whip it in a stand mixer to create more of a frosting rather than an icing. That is totally up to you.
- Give it time to cool. I like to let it cool at least 30 minutes. It will help with frosting the cake without the icing dripping everywhere and the layers sliding too much.
Storage
This cake can stay at room temperature for 3-4 days due to the high sugar content cooked icing. However if you want to refrigerate it, make sure you bring slices to room temperature before serving and eating.
When to Serve
This caramel cake recipe is perfect for the holidays. It is not an easy cake to pull off because as I mentioned before it can take up to 3 hours to complete the recipe.
Make it for special occasions and holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a family reunion.
This cake is made with love and should be shared with those very special people in your life. If you love this cake, you might also become infatuated with some my other holiday desserts like my Ultimate Lemon Cake, Cream Cheese Pound Cake, Brown Sugar Pound Cake and Southern Peach Cobbler!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- This cake recipe takes planning. Make sure you allow plenty of time to make this cake recipe – it’s going to take at least three hours from start to finish. One thing that may help is to bake the cakes a day in advance so you don’t have to wait for them to cool.
- Is your cake sliding? It’s because the caramel icing recipe is too thin.
- Is your icing too thick? If you let it GET TOO THICK, just add a little bit of milk. Really follow your instincts here.
- Make sure the cakes are fully cool before icing.
This southern caramel cake recipe is the real deal caramel cake. Caramel icing is thinner in texture than a frosting but not as thin as a glaze. It also has more shine and a smoother consistency than caramel frosting.
To help thicken your caramel, you can stick the caramel in the refrigerator after you finish it to allow it to thicken. Wait for it to solidify some, and then add a little milk if you need it to be more spreadable.
Your Cake Creations
I love seeing your Real Deal Caramel Cake Recipe Creations!! Check out some of the amazing photos I have received! After more than five years, I must say this southern cake recipe is still my most popular cake recipe.
More of the Best Cake Recipes You’ll Love
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Real Deal Southern Caramel Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2 sticks
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
For Aunt Bev’s Caramel Icing:
- 1 ½ sticks butter
- 2 cans evaporated milk 12 ounces each
- 2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar on high until fully incorporated and light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes.
- Turn mixer to medium speed and mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until well incorporated.
- Add in vanilla extract and mix.
- Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.
- With mixer on slow speed, alternate adding in flour mixture and sour cream ending with flour mixture until mixed through.
- Do not over mix.
- Spray three 9 inch round cake pans with baking spray or grease and flour them.
- Pour batter into individual cake pans evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 23-30 minutes or until fully baked (but DON’T OVERBAKE THESE CAKES- CHECK THEM EARILER SO THEY DON’T DRY OUT).
- Remove cake pans from oven and cool on cooling racks for 10 minutes.
- Remove cakes from pans and wait until completely cooled to ice.
For the Caramel Icing:
- Add butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to saucepan over medium heat until everything has melted together.
- Leave over medium heat stirring periodically for about 1 1/2- 2 hours (watch the entire time to make sure it does not burn until thickened and caramel has darkened to a beautiful golden brown. Note: if it is taking a while, you can turn up the heat a little more to speed up the thickening process but you MUST WATCH CAREFULLY AND STIR FREQUENTLY.
- Make sure that the caramel turns the color of the photo below before stopping the heat.
- It should also thickly coat the back of a spoon to ensure thickness. See notes below for additional tips for the caramel.
- Be careful to watch, adjusting heat temperature to not let it burn.
- Remove from heat and add in vanilla extract.
- Cool for about 15-20 minutes to allow it to thicken before icing the cake. If you see that it is too warm and still not completely thick enough, cool it in the refrigerator and get it thick!
- P.S. Some people like to take the caramel and whip it in a stand mixer to create more of a frosting texture. That is totally up to you.
Video
Notes
- This cake recipe takes planning. Make sure you allow plenty of time to make caramel cake – it’s going to take at least three hours from start to finish. One thing that may help is to bake the cakes a day in advance so you don’t have to wait for them to cool.
- Is your cake sliding? It’s because the caramel icing recipe is too thin.
- Is your icing too thick? If you let it GET TOO THICK, just add a little bit of milk. Really follow your instincts here.
- Make sure the cakes are fully cool before icing.
Nutrition
This post was published in November 2018. It has been updated with new content.
Check out my Banana Pudding Cheesecake Blondies!
Or my Red Velvet Blackberry Cake!
Or my Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
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Where are the measurements to the ingredients
You can find the measurements and instructions in the recipe card right above the comment section.
Hi are the bake time the same using a 9×13
No, the time will vary. I’d use the cooking time from my pineapple sheet cake recipe – https://grandbaby-cakes.com/pineapple-sheet-cake/
How do I store extra icing?
I’d put it in a glass storage container, like a mason jar in the fridge.
Hi I plan to make this cake for the holiday! For the Icing do you use unsalted butter or margarine(vegetable spread)?
I personally like to use salted butter but if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt. Enjoy!
Hi! Can you freeze this cake with the icing? Or will the caramel separate when thawed?
I wouldn’t freeze the icing you might run into the caramel separating. Safer not to.
Hello! I’m interested which kind of fat was historically used in this type of cake layer before the plant based oil was widely spread in cooking process?
Butter or melted lard!
I made this cake recipe and the icing came out to perfection! My husband absolutely loved it! It tasted just like the caramel cake from my childhood in Youngstown, Oh.
Thank you for sharing!!
Antoinette
So happy to hear that your husband liked it and it came out good for y’all!
Hello I need help I have tried making the carmel and both times it’s like it’s gritty should I keep it on the heat or take it off. I have been taking it off. I sit there and stir the whole time. It doesn’t look creamy. What am I doing wrong? Thank you
It definitely shouldn’t be gritty. This happens when you don’t stir enough in the beginning. You have to keep doing that especially in the beginning or it can become a not so great texture.
How well do you think this recipe would translate to a Bundt cake?
I see where you answered questions both before and after mine, but have ignored mine. Thanks for that.
What happens if the icing bubbles? Is that too hot?
It is fine if it bubbles. Just make sure you are stirring consistently.