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southern caramel cake
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5 from 19 votes

Southern Caramel Cake

This delicious Southern Burnt Caramel Cake is a basic homemade butter cake topped with a cooked caramel frosting. The cake and frosting are made with simple ingredients easily found in most pantries—a true southern delight.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Southern Caramel Cake
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 20 servings
Author Gina Abernathy

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups all purpose flour sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel Frosting:

  • 3 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cups sugar browned in a skillet
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup butter softened (not melted)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour a 12" x 18" sheet pan.
  • In a stand mixer, Cream the butter, then add sugar- Creaming until light and fluffy.
  • Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
  • To the creamed butter and sugar mixture, alternate adding flour mixture, eggs (1 at a time), and milk, beating after each addition.
  • Add vanilla. Mix well.
  • Pour into a well-greased sheet pan 12" x 18". Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

  • Combine the 3 3/4 cup sugar, flour, and milk in a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. As this is coming to a boil, make the browned sugar. I use a medium iron skillet to brown the sugar. 
  • Browned Sugar: To the iron skillet, add 3/4 cup sugar.
  • Over medium heat and with a wooden spoon, melt the sugar. After 5 minutes, you will notice the sugar begins to clump and melt. Stir and break up any clumps with the back of your spoon. The sugar will start to melt and change color. It will turn light brown then caramel brown. Stir until all sugar has melted and the color is medium brown. Move off the heat when done. 
  • Place a candy thermometer into the saucepan with the milk mixture. Slowly add the browned sugar to the boiling milk mixture -stirring fast—Cook to a softball stage on the thermometer. If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a small amount into a cup of cold water. It should form a soft ball. Remove from heat.
  • Add butter and vanilla. Cool for about 15 minutes-whisking every 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, begin whisking continuously for 5 minutes, checking for thickness. You are looking for thick and pourable frosting.
  • Pour over the cooled cake and spread evenly. Place the frosted cake into the refrigerator to chill to help the caramel set up on the cake.
  • Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

Notes: **I test my frosting for thickness by letting it run off a spoon. If it slides off and none sticks to the spoon, then it's not ready. But if you let it run off of the spoon and some of it clings to the spoon, it's ready for the cake.