Description
A soft and moist vanilla cake layered with salted caramel and caramel buttercream, offering rich caramel flavor and tender crumb in every elegant slice.
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Sauce:
140 g granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons water
40 g unsalted butter
150 g heavy cream
Big pinch of salt
Vanilla Cake Layers:
340 g all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
180 g butter, room temperature
300 g granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
240 g sour cream (14–18%), room temperature
60 g vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Caramel Buttercream:
400 g butter, room temperature
660 g powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2–3 tablespoons salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Make Salted Caramel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar melts and turns golden brown (~5–7 minutes), swirling but not stirring. Remove from heat, stir in butter, then slowly add cream. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat, add salt, and cool in fridge for 30–60 minutes.
- Bake Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 170 °C (340 °F). Line three 8-inch pans with parchment. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cream butter and sugar until light, then add eggs two at a time. Mix in sour cream, oil, and vanilla alternately with dry ingredients until just combined. Divide batter and bake for 19–22 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Make Caramel Buttercream: Beat butter for ~4 minutes until pale. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and caramel sauce in stages, beating until fluffy. Chill briefly if too soft.
- Assemble Cake: Layer first cake with buttercream and drizzle caramel in center. Repeat for second layer. Crumb-coat and chill 20 minutes. Frost entire cake smoothly, then drizzle remaining caramel over top.
Notes
- Use both butter and oil for flavor and moist texture.
- Add a pinch of sea salt flakes on top for extra balance.
- Chill frosting if too soft before spreading.
- Freeze unfrosted layers; thaw completely before frosting.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes (excluding caramel cooling)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 48g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 21g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 64g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
