This is a basic yellow cake , but I'm calling it Potluck Caramel Cake because it has a quick caramel frosting and is easy to carry and serve. It's not exactly fancy with the foil pan, but at the end of a party it's always nice not to have to worry about getting a cake dish back.
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Quick Caramel Frosting
The frosting is The Cake Mix Doctor's "Quick Caramel Frosting" which is the most reliable caramel frosting I know of. Some versions take more time, but this recipe calls for confectioners' sugar and doesn't require a candy thermometer or any real candy making skills. Of course if you'd rather have a chocolate frosting, you can skip the caramel frosting and go with a good sour cream chocolate frosting recipe.
The Cake
As for the crumb, it's a basic yellow cake with a soft and velvety texture. Sour cream keeps it moist, but as with most yellow cakes you have to be pretty meticulous with your measurements and mixing method to get the best results. For instance, it's best to weigh the flour, make sure the butter is neither too warm nor too cold, and add the eggs one by one, starting with a slow mixer speed and increasing speed after each egg.
Vanilla and Cake Batter Extract
The flavor of this cake is vanilla, but if you can find some vanilla and butternut extract (now known as Cake Batter Flavor), you can add another note of flavor and make the cake a bit more yellow in color. If you are incorporating the special cake batter flavored extract, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of the cake batter extract.
Preventing a Hard Caramel Frosting
Overcooking the brown sugar and butter mixture can lead to a hard caramel frosting, so be careful not to overdo the heating, especially if making a half batch. Heat just until mixture begins to boil, add milk, and bring it just back to a bubble before adding the powdered sugar and vanilla.
8-Inch Caramel Cake
This recipe halves well, so if you'd like a small cake (like the old "Snackin' Cakes) you can use half of all the ingredients and bake in an 8-inch square pan. Bake time should be between 30 and 35 minutes.
Recipe
Potluck Caramel Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (350 grams or 12.4 oz by weight)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (230 grams)
- 2 cups granulated sugar (385 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature (240 grams)
Quick Caramel Frosting
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar (100 grams)
- ¼ cup whole milk at room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (240 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons of milk or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan or use an ungreased 9x13 inch disposable foil pan.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium high speed until light and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice and beating for about 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and add eggs one at a time, increasing mixer speed after each egg and beating for 30 seconds. When all the eggs are added, increase speed and beat on high for about a minute.
- Reduce speed to low and add the milk, then with mixer on the very lowest speed add flour and sour cream alternately.
- When flour is fully incorporated, pour mixture into the pan and spread evenly.
- Bake on center rack for about 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
Caramel Frosting
- Mix the softened butter, salt and both brown sugars together in a heavy saucepan. I usually mix them until they are evenly blended just so everything is at the same temperature at the start.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and just until the mixture begins to boil. Don't let it boil too much or frosting will get too hard. Remove from heat and carefully pour in the milk (it will bubble up) and allow the mixture to return just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, then pour over the cake before it starts to set. You may see lumps of confectioners' sugar at this point. Keep beating by hand and let the residual heat from the pot melt the sugar lumps. If it seems to be setting before you can beat out the lumps, set the pot over very low heat as you beat.
- The frosting is ready to pour when all the white spots are gone and it's just barely starting to thicken. Pour over the cake starting in the center and allowing the frosting to flow to the edge.
- Note: I was asked if the cake should be warm or cool. This depends. If the cake is slightly warm the frosting should flow better, but if it is too warm the frosting may slide a little too much and be runny. If the cake is completely cool, the frosting will set quicker. So you can frost the cake while it is still a tad warm or when it is completely cool.
Sue says
This turned out really great and was enjoyed by all! It has sparked several things for me personally. To make more yellow and white cakes. To try more caramel cake recipes.
This one is really good though and I would make it again.
Anna says
Glad you liked it! It's an old favorite from The Cake Mix Doctor, and I think I like it as much or more than some of the more complicated caramel frostings.
Jeanine Neely says
Just made the Quick Caramel Frosting to finish a boxed 13x9 cake recipe. It's delicious. Reminds me of the chocolate icing for Texas Sheet cake as far as the preparation goes. Thanks for sharing!
Anna says
Hi Kate,
I'm a big fan of freezing things, but in this case I'd say just leave it out covered overnight. Let me know how it works out!
Kate says
I've decided to stick with the sheet cake - to make my life easier; this will be the 2nd birthday cake I'm making in four days. That said, if I make this on Friday to be served Saturday evening, what's the best way to store? Will it need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
Anna says
Hi Kate,
You can definitely use round cake pans. The last time I used 9 inch round pans the cakes took 35 minutes, but definitely start checking at 28 minutes just to be safe. Good luck!
Kate says
Of all the caramel cake recipes I've seen, I like the sound of this one. If I want to use two 8" or 9" round pans any thoughts on adjusted baking time?
Anna says
Hi Emilia! Thanks so much for the review. Good call on halving only the cake and not the frosting. Next time I make this one I will probably do the same thing.
Emilia H. says
I made this yesterday. Though I halved the cake and made it in an 8x8 pan. I may have kept the frosting as written. I like frosting. 🙂 The frosting reminds me of pralines and I think next time I might mix in chopped pecans. The cake is lovely too.
Sonya says
Looks good! I love caramel frosting. I've got a bottle of that vanilla butternut extract, and it's been great to make king arthur flour's recipe (on their website) for Grand Prize Coconut-Caramel Bars and we also love (from their whole grain cookbook) the oat scones with orange glaze. These are my husband's favorites more than mine; for some reason I don't like the slightly artificial flavor, but I'm in the minority according to the reviews of the flavoring on KAF.com and Amazon. When I was writing a product review about the vanilla butternut extract on KAF.com yesterday, I noticed that they have a TON of recipes that you can make with it. And they ALL looked delicious!
Sue says
I would love a piece of that! It looks so good!