Southern Caramel Cake Recipe
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This Southern Caramel Cake Recipe is a traditional caramel cake made from an heirloom family recipe. It’s delicious topped with homemade caramel icing!
Southern Caramel Cake is one of those desserts that is a true labor of love. So rich and decadent, it’s a cake that surely takes any special occasion to a whole new level and is by far one of my family’s favorite cakes.
We celebrated two birthdays in my family this past weekend – Mama’s and my husband’s. I asked each of them what kind of cake they would like for their birthday and both of them replied, “Caramel Cake!” Any cake that is requested by multiple people in a family the size of mine for their birthday is definitely a cake to make sure you get just right.
It’s a cake to take pride in, even though mine is a far cry from decorator-perfect. Right down to the smudges on the rim of the cake plate. You can surely tell it’s homemade, can’t you?
How to Make Southern Caramel Cake
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For the caramel cake, you’ll need butter, sugar, eggs, self-rising flour, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and a double recipe of my family’s Southern Caramel Icing.
Room Temperature Ingredients
Make sure your ingredients, especially butter, eggs, and buttermilk, are all at room temperature. This allows them to mix more fully into the cake batter.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare three cake pans with butter and flour. Set aside.
Make the cake batter. Cream together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined after each egg. Add the flour and buttermilk, alternating between the two and beginning and ending with the flour.
Bake the cake. Divide the cake batter between the three prepared cake pans and bake until the center springs back to a light touch and the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. You may enjoy reading all of my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
Cool the layers. Remove the cake layers from the oven. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Make your caramel icing. This is when you’ll have time to make your caramel icing. I’ve previously posted the recipe for Southern Caramel Icing that I use.
Make this cake soon for someone you love, to celebrate something special, or just because. You won’t be sorry.
Southern Caramel Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) butter, room temperature
- 2 cups (396 g) sugar
- 4 large (200 g) eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups (360 g) self-rising flour
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract
- Southern Caramel Icing Recipe, double the recipe
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare three cake pans with butter and flour. Set aside.
- Make the cake batter. Cream together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined after each egg. Add the flour and buttermilk, alternating between the two and beginning and ending with the flour.
- Bake the cake. Divide the cake batter between the three prepared cake pans and bake until the center springs back to a light touch and the sides of the cake begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. You may enjoy reading all of my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
- Cool the layers. Remove the cake layers from the oven. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- Make the icing. Make double the original recipe for Southern Caramel Icing to have ample icing for this three layer cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What if you don’t have self rising flour
Sheila, you can make your own self-rising flour with this recipe: How to Make Self-Rising Flour. Hope this helps!
Can I make this in a 13×9 cake pan instead?
Yes I was wondering do I need to have my eggs butter and buttermilk at room temperature
Yes, all ingredients need to be at room temperature before you start mixing the cake, Lawanda. Hope you enjoy!
Hello, Can you substitute 1 cup of brown sugar for 1 cup of granulated sugar in the cake recipe?
Hello! Can this icing be made in advance, with Refrigeration until needed of course?
Hi Danietta,
I would not make this caramel icing in advance. I’m afraid it would become too hard in the refrigerator.
Where is the icing recipe for the southern caramel cake…this website is not clear an certainly not user friendly…there’s no ‘open’ buttons or ‘next page’ button, nothing together..
Hi Tawana,
All you have to do is click on the blue highlighted link (last in the Ingredients list) in the recipe that says Southern Caramel Icing Recipe, double the recipe and it takes you directly to the Caramel Icing recipe. I hope you enjoy the cake!!
All caramel icings I have made cook on low -very low heat stirring wooden spoon and swirling constantly…
I hopped over to the caramel recipe and the instructions are not very clear. Is it cooked over low, medium, or high heat? Do you bring to a boil and reduce to simmer? Do you whisk or leave it alone? Unless I’m missing a big section of instructions this is very unclear. I would love to try this cake because I love all things Southern, but ingredients are too expensive for an unclear recipe. HELP!
I’m going to make this cake for a friend it sounds delicious!!! How is it stored once finished? Fridge or can it sit on a covered cake carrier on counter?
Hi Rita,
You can Store the cake covered at room temperature for a couple of days. Thanks!
I made the cake. It came right out of the oven looking perfect. I let it cool for a little in the pan…and when i turned them out, it was nice and moist, but very crumbly. The middle of the cake came out before the rest of the cake in the pan. It was all evenly cooked, but just coming apart. I put it back together with my hands and wrapped them in saran wrap and put them in the freezer…I’m hoping this helps! I’m going to cover it in icing anyways lol. The part I did taste was delicious
Your recipe for the icing calls for crisco, is that shortening or the liquid form? Please help making this cake in less than 10hrs
Hi Chandra,
It is shortening. xo