The details

My MIL loves a caramel cake. Actually, I feel like I know a good handful of people who live and die for those Caroline’s layered caramel cakes. Those are good, but I always wanted to create a salted caramel cake with true caramel flavor and smoother, creamier frosting. Enter, my Salted Caramel Layer Cake! Dang this cake is rich and buttery and filled with burnt sugar/butterscotchy flavor. The base is a browned butter layer cake, with my Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel as the filling and all smothered in an amaaazing salted caramel buttercream. The result is both light in texture and dense in flavor. When you cut into the cake, it oozes salted caramel. I mean, what else could you want. It will please any caramel lover out there!

A note on caramel

Salted caramel CAN be tricky to make, but my recipe for Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel walks you through all the steps for a successful caramel that can be used in so many recipes, including this one! The biggest key is to WATCH your caramel as it cooks!! It should be turning amber, not brown when you take it off the heat. It’s all about that amber color–tan means it will be under cooked and have less caramel flavor/color, brown means it’s plain old burnt and you’ll have to throw it out. You can find a video tutorial here to see exactly what I mean. If making caramel is just not your style, store bought salted caramel will work great in this recipe, just make sure you have enough! About 2 cups of caramel should do it.

Browned butter

Browned butter is decidedly NOT tricky, and you should totally do it and not skip it for this recipe. You can find all the deets and a video tutorial here, but let me walk you through it anyways. Melt two sticks of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a spatula and keep your eye on the butter as it melts and begins to cook. It will start foaming up all of a sudden, which means you’re very close. Watch carefully, and as soon as you see amber speckles beginning to form, turn off the heat and continue to mix. Pour into a heatproof container, and you’ll find your speckles have turned brown and the butter will have a deliciously nutty and caramel-y flavor. Let all this come to room temp on the counter or in the fridge/freezer to use in the cake batter. Or make it ahead and freeze for up to a month, until you’re ready to make the cake.

Layer Cakes

Once you know the steps to assembling layer cakes, they are so simple! I go into a detailed step-by-step layering process here. You can also watch me put the whole thing together in the video below.

I like this drip method as a way of decorating cakes. All you need is a squeeze bottle and a cake turntable. I also recommend a offset spatula and bench scraper for this full cake decoration effect.

Similar Recipes

Okay, so it’s no secret that I really like browned butter and salted caramel. Here are some recipes that utilize these elements:

Other delicious cakes to try:

Happy baking ya’ll!

Bake to this music

Salted Caramel Layer Cake

Print Recipe

This Salted Caramel Layer Cake captures all the burnt sugar deliciousness in every component. It has a browned butter layer cake, salted vanilla bean caramel filling, and scrumptious caramel buttercream.

Yield: 1 8 inch layer cake 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the browned butter cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, browned and cooled until room temp and semi-solid
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs + 2 egg whites, room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup whole fat buttermilk, room temp
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt

For the salted caramel buttercream:

2 cups unsalted butter, chilled
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup salted caramel (see recipe below)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp heavy cream

For the salted vanilla bean caramel:

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cups water
2 tsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

Instructions

Make your salted vanilla bean caramel. Add sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium saucepan and heat on medium, whisking until the mixture begins to boil. Stop whisking immediately when this happens and wait, watching the bubbling sugar mixture, until it turns amber. Slowly add heavy cream and vanilla bean paste, whisking until smooth. Turn off the heat and add butter, whisking until melted. Add salt and whisk until combined. Transfer your caramel to a heatproof container and allow to cool to room temperature, covered. Store in fridge if needed. Allow to come to room temperature before using.
Brown your butter by melting in a saucepan over medium heat, and allowing the butter to cook until it foams and begins to form brown speckles. At this point, immediately remove from heat and pour into a heatproof container. Allow to cool on the counter or in the fridge until it re-solidifies.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare 2 8-inch round cake pans with parchment and/or butter and flour.
Make your cake batter. Cream solidified, room temp browned butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla, and mix on medium-high for 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt). Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding dry ingredient mix and streaming in buttermilk slowly, starting and ending with the dry mix (dry, buttermilk, dry, buttermilk, dry). Stop mixing as soon as the last flour streaks disappear. Divide batter evenly into your two cake pans.
Bake cake layers for 35-40 minutes at 325 degrees, until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow cakes cool on a wire rack and to come to room temperature completely before using.
Make your salted caramel buttercream. In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream cold butter for about 5 minutes until fluffy. Reducing mixer speed to low, add sifted powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until completely incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and add salted caramel and salt. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and whip buttercream until completely smooth, fluffy, and lightened in color, 3-5 minutes. Use immediately or store in fridge until later.
Assemble your cake. Place the first cake layer on a cake round and pipe a thick circle of buttercream around the edge of the cake. Fill the piped edge with salted caramel. Place the second cake layer on top. Using your salted caramel buttercream, spread a thin layer of frosting all around the cake and smooth it out with a bench scraper and spatula. Place entire cake in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove cake from freezer and frost with another layer of buttercream. Decorate with piping and salted caramel swoops and drips as desired. Serve at room temperature.
Cake can sit at room temperature for several hours, then should be stored in the fridge in a cake box or covered container. Allow to come to room temp before serving.

Notes

Salted caramel can be made ahead and stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one month. Allow the salted caramel to come to room temperature for 30 mins-1 hour before using in the buttercream or cake assembly. Use any extra salted caramel in this recipe swirled through brownies, on your ice cream, the list goes on!
Cake layers can be made ahead of time and stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 1 week. Cakes can be frozen for up to 2 months wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag.
Buttercream can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in a airtight container in the fridge. Allow the buttercream to come to room temp for 1 hour and whip again until light and fluffy before using. Extra buttercream can be frozen for up to 2 months.
This cake recipe can be made into cupcakes– bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes at 325. Frost with salted buttercream and drizzle with salted caramel as you please. It will make about 24 cupcakes.

Author: Caroline Crockett
Category: cakes, dessert