Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

stephenson's caramel cake from scratch

Recipe by
Kathi Graham
Memphis, TN

Our family enjoys Caramel Cake for any occasion. The cake is so moist with unbelievably delicious frosting. The cake has a wonderful, great homemade texture and savoring flavor. The frosting is unmistakably a milky sweet caramel that has a soft texture that just melts in your mouth! You will want to scrape every morsel out of the bowl as you try to resist tasting. You will never purchase a store bought caramel cake again! It takes quite a bit of time to make the frosting, so I begin making the frosting after I put the cake pans into the oven. It's worth the effort, enjoy!

yield 12 + depending on serving size
prep time 30 Min
cook time 45 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For stephenson's caramel cake from scratch

  • batter ingredients: 
2 1⁄4 cups sugar;
 
 1⁄2 cup softened butter;
 6 large eggs;
 1 teaspoon salt;
 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 
 3 cups all purpose flour;
 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • caramel frosting ingredients: 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 2 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup salted butter; 2 tbsp all purpose flour; 1 tbsp vanilla extract

How To Make stephenson's caramel cake from scratch

  • 1
    Batter Instructions: 1. Grease 3, 9” cake pans, place wax paper circle on bottom of each, grease again then flour pans. 
 2. To soften butter add, 2 1/4 c regular sugar, 2 t vanilla, and 1 t salt. Mix with hand mixer. 
 3. Add 6 large eggs beating between each to sugar mixture. Continue mixing about 2 min. to dissolve sugar. 
 4. Add the (sifted, then measured) 3 c all purpose flour and 4 t baking power to sugar mixture (alternating 1/3 of flour, then 1/3 cream...ending with flour). 5. Mix gently with rubber spatula, do not overmix. 
 6. Use hand mixer for about 30-45 seconds, do not overmix. 
 7. Divide equally into the three prepared pans. 
 8. Bake 350 for about 30-35 min. Note doneness when inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • 2
    Caramel Frosting Instructions: Prepare two pans: (1) to a medium sized, non-stick frying pan add 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar; (2) to a medium sized pot add 2 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, and 2 T all purpose flour, mix 1. Place the pot and the pan on medium heat.
 2. To frying pan allow the sugar to melt, and turn brown, do not stir but move around by tilting pan.
 3. Stir ingredients in the pot as you watch the sugar mixture begin to melt in the pan.
 4. As the sugar mixture becomes close to a caramel color, turn the mixture in the pot to a boil.
 5. Once the pot mixture is boiling and the sugar in the pan is caramelized, add about a quarter cup of the cream mixture from the pot into the burnt sugar mixture pan, and stir to temper and combine with the burnt sugar.
 6. Then, turn around and add the burnt sugar mixture from the pan back into the pot of the cream mixture, stir.
(Remove the pan from the stove.) 7. Allow the combined mixtures, now in the pot, to boil for about 10- 15 minutes with minimal stiring.
 8. Add in the 3⁄4 cup salted butter, and stir until melted.
 9. Remove the pot from the heat, and add the vanilla extract.
 10. Pour the caramel into a stand mixer bowl which can accommodate high heat. Mix for about 25 minutes on medium speed or until the frosting has cooled, but slightly warm.
 (Add milk to thin if you desire). 11. Pour about a quarter of the frosting onto each slightly warm cake, spread tops and sides. 12. Allow the unassembled, frosted cakes to completely cool on the cooling rack.
 13. Once cooled, observe the thickness of the frosting of each layer, add more frosting on the bottom layers as needed, then assemble the three layers together.
 14. Use the remaining frosting to frost the entire cake and close up the layer seams.
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