Recipe Background
Southern Caramel Cake blends rich caramel icing and tender cake.
Southern Caramel Cake is a dessert steeped in nostalgia and cozy gatherings. The cake layers rise to a delicate, airy texture—a tender complement to the rich caramel icing. As the cake bakes, your kitchen fills with a warm, buttery aroma, reminiscent of family kitchens and well-loved traditions. The first bite offers a balanced sweetness, punctuated by the faint tang of buttermilk, making each slice satisfyingly complex.
Crafting the caramel icing requires a bit of attention but is entirely worth the effort. The key technique twist here: swirl the sugar mixture consistently as it cooks to prevent scorching, ensuring a silky, golden icing. Once cooled and thickened, this icing envelops the cake in a sweet, creamy layer that contrasts beautifully with the soft, moist cake.
Sharing a slice offers more than just a taste of sweetness; it’s about connection, bringing loved ones together over a cake knife and dessert plates. This Southern classic invites moments of pause and enjoyment, creating memories as warm and inviting as the cake itself.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups flour self-rising
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For the icing:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by spraying them with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cream the butter until fluffy.
- Mix in the sugar and cream for 8 minutes.
- One at a time, add the eggs. Cream the mixture after each.
- Add the flour and buttermilk in 1 cup increments of the flour and 1/2 cup increments for the buttermilk, alternating between the two and beginning and ending with the flour. Mix after every addition.
- Add in the vanilla and beat well.
- Divide the batter among the pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
- Turn the cake out of the pans onto cooling racks, allowing them to fully cool.
- While the cakes cool, mix together the sugar, buttermilk, shortening, butter, and baking soda in a 3-4 quart cast iron dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Swirl the pan, consistently moving the ingredients.
- Cook the mixture until it reaches 235-245 degrees F on a candy thermometer. It should have a beautiful caramel color that isn't too dark.
- Remove the icing from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until it is ready to spread and has a creamy consistency.
- If using a mixer, once the icing has reached 235-245 degrees F, whip the icing until it holds to the whisk.
- Ice the cakes with the caramel icing and serve!
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