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Caramel cake with salted caramel on top served on a wooden cake stand, one piece taken.

Caramel cake

This caramel cake recipe is super easy to make. Three layers of soft and moist cake are stacked on top of each other with caramel frosting made with mascarpone cheese in between. If you're in love with everything caramel, you'll love this indulgent salted caramel cake.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total cooling time for caramel and cake: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 14 pieces
Calories: 520kcal
Author: Anna

Equipment

  • Digital kitchen scale
  • 3 6" (15cm) cake pan
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer and a large mixing bowl
  • Parchment paper
  • Rubber spatula

Ingredients

For the caramel

  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 50 ml water
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • 150 ml heavy cream
  • 50 g unsalted butter cubed and cold
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

For the cake layers

  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 20 g corn starch
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 15 g oil
  • 150 g white granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 180 ml whole milk at room temperature
  • 100 g salted caramel at room temperature

For the frosting

  • 500 g mascarpone cheese cold
  • 60 g powdered sugar
  • 100 ml heavy whipping cream cold
  • 50 g salted caramel at room temperature

Instructions

For the caramel

  • Add the sugar, water, and lemon juice into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix until it resembles wet sand, and place it on your stovetop. Let the sugar melt and caramelize to a deep amber color over medium-high heat.
  • Meanwhile, pour the heavy cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it until it’s hot, but not boiling.
  • When the sugar syrup has caramelized, pour in the hot heavy cream (do it in 2-3 batches to prevent the mixture bubbling too much). Whisk vigorously until fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Whisk vigorously until completely incorporated.
  • Add the salt and vanilla extract and whisk.
  • Use right away or pour into a clean, dry mason jar and store for future use.

For the cake layers

  • Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and line the bottom and the sides of three 6” (15cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or you can use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer), add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high until pale and fluffy. Then, add the oil and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl and beat 10 extra seconds.
  • Add the caramel and beat until you reach a homogenous consistency. Add one egg at a time and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl.
  • Add the dry ingredients in three parts alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, while beating on low until a homogenous and silky consistency is reached. The pattern should look like this – dry/milk/dry/milk/dry.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the pans (around 300g per pan) and bake for around 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool down in the pans until safe to handle. Then, place the cakes onto a cooling rack to cool down completely.
  • If you want to assemble the cake the next day, wrap each cake layer in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the frosting

  • Place the powdered sugar and heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a mixing bowl and a hand mixer). Whip on medium for 30 seconds, then on medium-high to medium peaks.
  • Place the mascarpone cheese into a small bowl and stir with a spoon to soften the mixture. Then, add the cheese to the whipped cream in three parts and whip on medium until fully incorporated and forms stiff peaks. It will take 1-2 minutes. Check the texture every 20-30 seconds to avoid overwhipping.
  • Add the salted caramel and whip for 10 seconds or just until fully incorporated.

Assembling the cake

  • Place the first layer on a plate and add cream on top. Spread evenly and place the second layer on top. Repeat the process.
  • Apply a crumb coat and wrap the cake in plastic wrap. Place into the fridge for 2 hours to set. The rest of the cream should be stored in the fridge during this time, covered with plastic wrap that touches the cream completely.
  • When the time is up, remove the cake from the fridge and apply an extra layer of cream. I went with the semi-naked look.
  • Decorate as desired. I created a beautiful border on the top of the cake using the Wilton 4B nozzle and then flooded the center with the rest of the caramel (should be pourable but not too warm, or your cream border will melt).

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Caramel cake
Serving Size
 
1 piece
Amount per Serving
Calories
520
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
34
g
52
%
Saturated Fat
 
20
g
125
%
Trans Fat
 
0.4
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Cholesterol
 
104
mg
35
%
Sodium
 
387
mg
17
%
Potassium
 
72
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
50
g
17
%
Fiber
 
0.4
g
2
%
Sugar
 
37
g
41
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
 
1097
IU
22
%
Vitamin C
 
0.2
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
126
mg
13
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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