Salted Caramel Cake

5 from 1 vote

If you are looking for a cake recipe that ticks all the boxes, then look no further than this Salted Caramel Cake. This layer cake is made from two layers of soft vanilla cake covered in a delicious homemade salted caramel cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time1

Cook Time40

Cooling Time4

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 790kcal

Author: Cat Spiller

Equipment

2x 20cm round cake tins (8 inches)

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

340 g sugar white granulated
4 eggs extra large
150 ml sunflower oil
380 g self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
360 ml whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Salted Caramel

100 g sugar white granulated
60 ml heavy cream
80 g butter unsalted
2 teaspoon sea salt

Salted Caramel Frosting

600 g powdered sugar
100 g butter unsalted
250 g cream cheese
½ cup salted caramel from above

Assembly

½ cup salted caramel from above
caramel pieces store bought

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Vanilla Cake

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line 2x 20cm (8 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.
Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Sift together the salt and self-raising flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a jug, and slowly pour this into the cake mixture with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes, before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Salted Caramel

Add the sugar to a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat.
Whisk continuously until the sugar has melted. Allow the sugar to turn a light amber color. Be careful not to burn the sugar.
When amber in color, remove the sugar from the heat and add the cream, whisk until incorporated. Be careful as the caramel will bubble.
Slowly add the cubed butter to the caramel, one at a time, whisking as you go. Once all the butter has been added, continue to whisk until it has all melted.
Add the sea salt to the caramel and whisk to combine. Pour the caramel into a glass jar and allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.

Salted Caramel Frosting

Add the icing sugar and butter to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.
Add ½ cup of the cooled caramel and beat again.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat at medium-high speed for a further 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Fill a piping bag with the frosting.

Assembly

Use a sharp knife to trim the domed tops of the cake layers if necessary.
Secure the first cake layer onto a cake plate with a bit of frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the surface of the cake and smooth this out with a spatula. Pipe a border of frosting around the circumference of the cake.
Spoon ½ cup of the salted caramel into this border of frosting and smooth out the caramel with the back of a spoon. Reserve the remaining caramel for serving.
Place the second layer of cake onto the caramel with the cut side facing down.
Pipe the frosting over the tops and sides of the cake and use a spatula to even this out, creating swirls of frosting as you go. Top with caramel pieces, serve and enjoy!

Nutrition