Butter Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting Recipe
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Southern Caramel Cake. It’s just hard to beat it. It is one of my family’s all-time favorite cakes – especially for holidays, birthdays and major celebrations.
You can just count on it appearing to make those special occasions even more special.
Memorable even.
It’s odd to put that much significance on a cake, but you know, that’s just the way it goes around my house.
I’ve talked about this cake before and how much the recipe means to my family.
The original cake will forever be a family-favorite.
Anything used for my baby’s first birthday cake has to be extra special. Don’t you think?
Oh my goodness. Just seeing that photo makes my heart melt.
Where has the time gone?
But thankfully, we weren’t celebrating my baby’s birthday this past weekend. I’m not exactly ready for him to be 11 yet. It was my Mama’s turn.
So, since my Mama has given the world to me, I thought it was only fitting that I make her very favorite cake for her on her birthday. But, I did something we’ve never done in my family. I changed the recipe!
GASP!
I did. I really did.
And I wasn’t struck by lightening.
I went to bed and slept well.
I woke up and pinched myself because I hadn’t gone to…. well, you get the picture.
Before I go on. You really can’t go wrong with the original Southern Caramel Cake recipe that I’ve shared and made a thousand and one times. It’s perfect. No kidding. Perfect.
But, if you want to have a little fun with this cake and change things up a bit, you might just fall in love with this version, too.
So. Here’s what I did.
I made the cake recipe and the frosting recipe both just a touch lighter.
And I mean lighter as in texture, not as in calories. Just to be clear.
Just look at that texture!
Gracious!
Let me just say, no one refused a piece.
And the birthday girl loved it.
Please note that this recipe makes a three layer, 9-inch cake. I used the batter from one of the layers to make my Little Buddy some cupcakes. He couldn’t wait.
Here’s the recipe for my Butter Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting that I think you should make for your next special occasion.
Like a birthday, anniversary, engagement, shower, or just because it’s Wednesday.
That’ll do, too.
Butter Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
Butter Cake Recipe
- 3 cups (360 g) flour, all-purpose
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
- pinch (0.4 g) kosher salt
- 1 cup (226 g) softened butter, 2 sticks
- 2 cups (396 g) sugar
- 4 (200 g) eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract
Salted Buttercream Frosting Recipe
First Stage
- 2 cups (396 g) sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (92 g) shortening
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
Second Stage
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter
- 1/2 teaspoon (3.25 g) sea salt
- 2 cups (227 g) confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
Butter Cake Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare 3 9-inch cake pans with shortening and flour.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a whisk in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter until fluffy and then add sugar. Cream together for about 8 more minutes.
- Add eggs, 1 at a time, and cream together after each.
- Add flour mixture and buttermilk, alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Combine each addition of flour and then turn mixer on high to add air into the batter.
- Add vanilla and beat well. Turn mixer on high once vanilla has been incorporated for about 10 seconds to lighten batter.
- Divide among pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
- Turn out of pans onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.
Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe
- Add all ingredients from the first stage of the frosting recipe in a 3-4 quart pot. Stir ingredients with a wooden spoon as cooking over medium-low heat.
- Cook to softball stage (235-245 degrees on a candy thermometer as well as using the cold water test).
- Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a whip attachment, whip the caramel until it has cooled enough to touch lightly.
- Add the butter and salt from the second stage of the frosting recipe to the mixing bowl and whip.
- Add confectioner’s sugar in 1/2 cup increments, stopping after each to scrape sides of mixing bowl. Turn mixer onto high for about 10 seconds after each addition to incorporate air into the frosting.
- Adjust the amount of confectioner's sugar to result in a frosting that will hold shape.
- Frost cake and store on a cake plate covered with a dome or an airtight container.
- Best served within 1-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Ok so I found this cake on Pinterest and we made it. We used a normal cake box cake just because we actually like Pillsbury and were really excited about getting started on the icing. THIS ICING IS TO DIE FOR!!!! Literally, my sister could not stop making noises as she ate every bite. It was so delicious!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. We absolutely love it!!!!
I’m so glad you all loved it, Heather! Thanks so much for letting me know!
This looks so amazing, but I don’t cook with Crisco. I was wondering if I could substitute anything for it in this recipe?
I tried the caramel buttercream frosting & it is soo runny?? Did I not cook the caramel long enough?
Hi Amanda. It could be that the caramel wasn’t cooked long enough on the stove and it could also be that you need to whip it longer when in the mixer. The technique of increasing the mixer speed after every little bit definitely helps to incorporate more air as well.
OMG! I was so intimidated by this recipe, but went ahead and made it…it was f a b u l o u s! Brought a piece to my 93-year-old neighbor. She swooned. thank you
I tried making this cake recipe (it tasted fantastic!!!), but I had some issues. (It probably is just me).
When I tried frosting this cake, it was too hard to frost but @ the same time it
was falling off, when I was trying to fix it the cake just cracked. For the future,
what can I do to prevent this.
I’m so glad it tasted great and that you loved it! I’m thinking that the frosting may have gotten just a little bit too stiff before you started spreading it. One way to know is to run a knife through the frosting before you start the crumb coating. If it is too stiff, you can add a little bit of heavy cream or whipping cream into the frosting and whip.
If you are already to the point of spreading the frosting and it is beginning to dry on you, wet a tea towel with warm water and place over the frosting for a little bit to warm it and to loosen it just a bit. Also, keep a glass of hot water beside where your are frosting your cake and dip your offset spatula or knife into the hot water to heat it as you repair any areas where the frosting is too hard to spread.
I hope these little tricks help you!
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂
Mine is white as snow in the saucepan…..how are you getting that nice caramel color to your icing?
Hi Sharon,
When cooking the caramel, it will eventually turn that nice golden, caramel color as it gets closer to the softball stage. Watch it closely as it can burn quickly from this point. Good luck!
Thanks! You’re right! IT DID!
How many cupcakes did one layer make??
Hi Hallie,
It made 12 cupcakes. Be careful not to overfill each of the cups.
THANKS!! Can’t wait!
Could you please give the directions for making the icing? The 1st stage do you cook these ingredients?
Hi Lisa, Yes, you are cooking the ingredients in the first stage of the frosting recipe, starting at step 10 in the instructions.
Oh my!! What a gorgeous cake!! I am in love with this delicious confection! A suggestion if I may, in the directions, step 10 should read “add all the first stage ingredients to pot”. Slightly unclear otherwise! Sorry for the OCD!! 😀
Oh Susan, I love that suggestion! Taken and done! 🙂