Real Deal Caramel Cake

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This Real Deal Caramel Cake is just that – the real deal! A delicious caramel cake recipe straight out of my friend Jocelyn’s cookbook, Grandbaby Cakes!

Jocelyn’s Old Fashioned Caramel Cake

I could not be more excited to share this cake and cookbook with you today. First of all, the author is one of my favorites. Jocelyn’s blog, Grandbaby Cakes, is wonderful and she is a gem. You won’t meet anyone else who can light up a room like she does and keep you laughing. Love her. Plus, she’s so real. I love that.

And her realness totally shows in her cookbook which is full of stories about her family and growing up baking. Every recipe is so personal to her and it makes it not only fun to bake from, but fun to read too. She’s largely influenced by her grandmother and the photos of her, her mom and her grandmother sprinkled throughout the book are absolutely beautiful.

A slice of homemade caramel cake on a blue plate

And then the cakes! My goodness the cakes! I want them all. There’s pound cakes, layer cakes, sheet cakes, cupcakes and so much more. And you guys know how I feel about cake.

You’ll also find this amazing cake in her cookbook. I have been eyeing this cake ever since I first saw it. I couldn’t wait to make it.

Moist cake drenched in caramel sauce on a cake stand
The book "Grandbaby Cakes" next to a cake on a stand.

As you may know caramel is one of my favorite things ever. I even have two recipes for homemade caramel sauce: There’s this easy caramel sauce, then this recipe for salted caramel sauce! Douse a cake in it and you have my full attention. My only regret when I made this cake was that my dad wasn’t visiting so that he could have some too. I dare say we are caramel lovers to core.

And while this cake takes a little time to make because of the caramel, it’s definitely worth it.

The cake is pretty straightforward to make and makes the most silky and beautiful batter. Is that weird to say about batter? It really is pretty. 🙂 And it bakes into a wonderfully moist, light cake.

Fluffy slice of caramel cake on a blue plate.

Making this Caramel Cake

The caramel is where it’s at though. I actually started making the caramel first and while it cooked I made the cake. The caramel takes just shy of 2 hours to make, so there’s plenty of time for making the cake.

However don’t be deterred by the time! You aren’t nursing the caramel that whole time. In fact, you hardly nurse it at all. Despite taking some time, it’s the easiest caramel to make. The base of it is evaporated milk, which I’d never used for caramel before. The flavor is different than the traditional caramel that I’m used to, but it is delicious! And really, once you mix the ingredients together, it pretty much cooks on it’s own with only an occasional stir. Like I said, I baked the cake while it cooked – and even did some laundry. 🙂

Homemade cake drenched in caramel on a cake stand

Then once the caramel was done, the cake was all ready to go. The timing actually works out quite nicely to make everything at once, then layer it and serve. And OMG! It’s delicious – especially with the caramel still being a little warm. Yum, yum, yum! The caramel definitely pools a little around the bottom, so make sure the stand or plate you use has an edge that will catch it. It’s perfect for dipping fingers in. 🙂

And to sweeten this deal even more, there’s a great giveaway below for a brand new KitchenAid Mixer. Score! Be sure to enter below!

A page from the inside of the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook.
A slice of cake on its side with a forkful taken out.

Print
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Real Deal Caramel Cake on green stand
Recipe

Real Deal Caramel Cake

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 18-22 Slices
  • Category: Cakes
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This Real Deal Caramel Cake is just that – the real deal! A delicious caramel cake recipe straight out of my friend Jocelyn’s cookbook, Grandbaby Cakes!


Ingredients

CAKE

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 7 eggs, room temperature
  • 3 cups sifted cake flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

AUNT BEVERLY’S CARAMEL ICING

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
  • 2 cups sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

CAKE
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare three 9 inch cake pans with parchment rounds in the bottom of the pans and grease the sides.
2. With the whisk attachment of your mixer, beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed.
3. Add the sugar then beat for another 5 minutes with the beater attachment until pale yellow and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. With your mixer on low speed, add the flour in two batched.
6. Add the salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix until well combined, careful not to overbeat.
7. Add the sour cream, oil and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until just combined. The batter should be nice and silky.
8. Divide the batter between the three pans and bake for 27-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs.
9. Let the layers cool for about 10 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks.
CARAMEL ICING
Phase 1, takes about 20-30 minutes
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the evaporated milk, sugar, butter and salt. Continue cooking. The butter will begin to separate and create and yellow, oily film.
Phase 2, takes about 60 minutes
The bulk of the process is this phase. The ingredients will come to a slow boil and form bubbles on the surface. As you continue cooking, the bubbles will get bigger and become more numerous. Stir occasionally as it all comes together.
Phase 3, takes about 15 minutes
Some white clumps will develop on the surface. This is normal. Just continue to cook and stir occasionally to blend everything back together. You should start to see the mixture turn a light golden caramel color. The color will slowly deepen and the car male will bubble higher.
Phase 4, takes about 10-15 minutes
Reduce the heat to low to ensure you don’t burn the caramel. The bubbling will subside into a simmer as everything thickens. The caramel should be an amber brown when done and coat the back of a spoon. Once that happens, remove from heat and add in vanilla extract. Allow the caramel to cool for about 30 minutes and thicken before layering the cake.
TO FINISH THE CAKE
1. Place first layer on serving plate. Spread about 1/3 of the caramel on top of the cake. The icing may drip down the sides a bit, but that’s ok.
2. Add the second layer of cake and another 1/3 of the icing.
3. Add the final layer, bottom up, and ice the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of caramel.
4. Pour remaining caramel over the cake and allow to drizzle down the sides.
5. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

I started the caramel first, allowing it to cook for about 20-30 minutes. Then I baked the cake. The timing worked out well – by the time the caramel was done, the cake was baked and cooled and ready for layering.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 474
  • Sugar: 43.4 g
  • Sodium: 306.5 mg
  • Fat: 23.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 60.3 g
  • Protein: 6.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 101.7 mg

Filed Under:

Recipe shared from Grandbaby Cakes with permission.

Enjoy!

Real Deal Caramel Cake - super moist cake covered in caramel sauce! A classic recipe from the Grandbaby Cakes cookbook!

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90 Comments
    1. Lindsay

      I’m not sure that beating it would achieve that, but you could try it. You could also try adding a bit of cream.

  1. Mireya

    The cake was beautiful but I think I must have done something wrong with the Carmel. I followed everything but I couldn’t seem to ever get rid of the white film, once cooled it didn’t really thickened and the butter seemed to still be separate. Where did I go wrong?






    1. Lindsay

      It sounds like it separated, which could be from cooking it on too high heat. It’s really something you want to cook low and slow.

  2. Lesa

    I am making a 7 layer Carmel cake will this be enough for between layers, top and sides? The layers will be thinner than a normal cake layer. Thanks!

    1. Lindsay

      I’m not really sure. It’s been a long time since I made this cake and I didn’t make it that, so it’s hard to say.

  3. Lesa

    Can I make the Carmel sauce ahead of time like the day before needing it? If so, do I need to put it in the fridge or can I leave it on the countertop over night?
    Thanks,
    Lesa

    1. Lindsay

      It should be fine to make ahead. I’d store it in the fridge. You may need to warm it back up a touch before using it.

  4. Simrah

    Hey lindsay! For making salted caramel buttercteam which caramel would be better? This one or the traditional one with water as the base? Which one would give a richer yummier taste?

    1. Lindsay

      Hmmm, they are different. I would say the more traditional one is probably my favorite and might give a stronger flavor when added to buttercream. I often use this one.

  5. Darlene

    In the picture, it looks like you may have punched holes in the cake with a wooden spoon handle. Do you think I could do this so the caramel goes all through the cake? It looks delicious. I love caramel.

    1. Lindsay

      I did not poke holes in the cake, the caramel just naturally dripped down onto the cake. If you wanted to poke some small holes in the cake, you could. But, be careful not to damage the structure of the cake, or it may fall apart when stacked.

  6. Nolwazi Mhlongo

    Hi Lindsay,

    I would really like to make this cake for my mother on her birthday, considering how much she loves caramel. I was just wondering if I can use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk?

    Thank you in advance.

    Enjoy your day!

  7. kelly

    The cream is not always the main factor for yummy cake. This cake is really amazing and ill try this for my children.

    1. Lindsay

      I have seen caramel sauces made with SCM, but I haven’t made it myself. You could probably swap out a recipe for that caramel sauce with this cake though.

      1. Dee

        I am making this for my husbands Thanksgiving Day Birthday. Is this best made the day of and served right away or can I make the day before? Thanks so much for the recipe.

  8. Natasha

    Hi, thank you for that recipe, it looks delicious. Sorry for a dumb question but do you mean 3 cups of flour that has already been sifted? ie. sift a bunch of flour and then measure out 3 cups of that already sifted flour?
    Thanks,
    Natasha

  9. barb popescu

    my fave is an intricate nut kifle that my grandmother used to make. but she did not let us have the recipe. she refused to admit that her son had any children

  10. Elizabeth

    This cake looks amazing! Caramel- yum! Our favorite family recipe is marinara. It is amazingly good, none of my family can ever eat it outside of our homes!

  11. Christi

    This cake looks delicious! My favorite recipe, is my husband’s grandma’s pork posole. We’d have it every year on Christmas Eve as a family, after she passed I’ve carried on with the tradition.

  12. Susan

    Goodness. I have several favorite family recipes. If I have to pick one, my children (and me,too) really love pumpkin roll.

  13. Lori V.

    A family favorite recipe is my mom’s steak and gravy. I asked for this dinner almost every birthday growing up!

  14. Luanna Stewart

    Holy crumbs, this cake looks too good! My favourite childhood recipe (though not the only one as I was raised by bakers) is my great-grandmother’s mincemeat, made with ground beef and lots of apples.

  15. Penny

    It’s a rainy cold weekend in my neck of the woods. All the ingredients are in my pantry and refrigerator.
    I am looking forward to spending some time in a cozy kitchen making this. Yum. Caramel!

  16. Julie H

    Love the look of this caramel cake. It reminds me of our favorite family cake, which is called Kentucky Butter Cake- delish!

  17. Rose K

    This cake looks like a must try! A favorite family recipe in our house is Hungarian Chicken Goulash Soup with egg dumplings. It’s great for a cool fall day.

  18. Shelley Homel

    I just joined FB pg Grandbaby Cakes. looking forward to being among those of you who share my passion for cake baking.

  19. Shelley Homel

    That carmel cake looks completely delicious. I have pinned it and will be making it for Thanksgiving dessert this year. Such a beautiful photograph too! thanks

  20. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    Lindsay! I baked this cake while helping Jocelyn test recipes for this cookbook and loved it! You did such a beautiful job!!!! Simply stunning!

  21. Lindsay

    Looks so good! One of the best cakes I ever had was a caramel cake but it had more of a butter cream icing. Bet this one would be just as delicious!

  22. Rae Ru

    The icing puts me at ease; where I am, it’s hard to find caramel candies for icing, so this evap milk frosting recipe really -ahem-takes the cake! (Horrible puns). I’d love to give this a go!

  23. Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough

    This cake is so caramel-y, I can barely handle it. I wish I could grab that slice right through the screen!

  24. cupcakes

    amazing caramel cake, first photo got me loose my mind, thanks for sharing the cookbook and this wonderful cake

  25. Stephanie | Worth Whisking

    Lindsay, this cake looks scrumptious! Thank you for sharing it with us! (p.s. I love that cake stand; I’ve had my eye on the same one for months!)

  26. Diane

    III am also a caramel freak!! I think I love it more than chocolate:) This cake looks amazing and is something I could probably demolish by myself:/

  27. Jen | Baked by an Introvert

    Oh my heavens! I can literally smell this cake just by looking at it. You did a fantastic job!

  28. Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes)

    Hooray girlfriend! This looks unbelievable!!!! Girl I wish I could come over and get a slice right now! Thank you so so much my friend for being part of this. I love you and I love cake hahaha!

  29. Heather

    Hi Lindsay!
    Thanks for posting this recipe! I came across it before and wrote it down but haven’t made it yet! I made your new caramel last night and now this is next! 🙂

  30. Melanie @ Gather for Bread

    This looks downright beautiful. Our family would devour this in a heartbeat!
    Gotta get my hands on this cookbook. 🙂

  31. Debbie C.

    Thanks for this great recipe. I, too, love de caramel. Based on your recommendation, I think I’ll slip over to Jocelyns blog and see what’s going on over there too! Thanks for all the time you spend putting your blog together. I really enjoy it!

  32. Carmela

    Hi! That cake looks amazing! but the truth is I don’t know what caramel tastes like, I have never seen it in my country (Argentina), so I’m really happy to have the caramel recipe now! I think it might be similar to our “dulce de leche”, which I love so much.

    1. lifeloveandsugar@gmail.com

      Yes, caramel and dulce de leche are pretty similar in flavor. This particular caramel sauce is actually a good bit thinner than dulce de leche though.

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29