This Southern Caramel Cake is a three-layer made from scratch
white cake topped with homemade caramel icing!
Watch us make this Southern Caramel Cake!
Ya'll this cake is so simple to make- mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and the caramel can be made in your sleep.
Simply place cans of condensed milk into your crockpot or instant pot, cover with water, and slow cook for 8 hours! It doesn't get any easier than that!
So let's get into this recipe so I can show you how it's done!
More recipes ---> Southern Caramel Cake, Praline Caramel Apples, Caramel Apple Cake, Brown Sugar Pound Cake, Five Flavor Pound Cake, Cookie Butter Pound Cake, Whipping Cream Pound Cake, Buttermilk Pound Cake, Sour Cream Pound Cake, Condensed Milk Pound Cake, Mile High Pound Cake, Kentucky Butter Pound Cake, Sock it to Me Pound Cake, and Apple Cider Donut Cake.
Ingredients needed to make the cake:
For the cake - you will need:
- Cake flour-sifted
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter (2 sticks) - room temperature
- Sour cream - room temperature
- Eggs - room temperature
- Vegetable oil
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
For the caramel you will need:
Steps to make the Caramel cake:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
Add the eggs to the bowl one at a time mixing well after each addition. Then add in the vanilla extract and mix. Add the baking powder and salt to the cake flour and whisk it together.
Add the flour mixture to the bowl alternating with the sour cream beginning and ending with flour. Spray three 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray and pour the cake batter into the cake pans evenly.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until fully baked. The cake is done once an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting. Then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to continue to cool.
Once the cakes have cooled, layer the cake placing caramel in between each layer placing caramel over the top and sides of the cake spreading the caramel as evenly as possible.
Steps to make the caramel:
First, remove the paper from the cans of condensed milk. Place the cans in your Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Add water to the Instant Pot or slow cooker filling it up as much as possible without causing an overflow. Place the top on your device and set it for 8 hours.
If using the Instant Pot, simply choose the slow cook setting and set the time to eight hours.
After 8 hours, remove the cans from the device, dry them with a towel and allow them to cool. Once they are warm to the touch, they can be opened.
Once the cans have been opened and the caramel has cooled, store the caramel in the refrigerator.
The caramel can also be left in the can until you're ready to use it as long as the can remains sealed.
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- For the cake - you will need:
- 3 c cake flour-sifted
- 2 ½ c granulated sugar
- 1 c unsalted butter (2 sticks) - room temperature
- 1 c sour cream- room temperature
- 5 large eggs- room temperature
- ⅓ c vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tbsps vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- For the caramel you will need:
- 5 cans condensed milk
- water
Instructions
- Steps to make the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Then add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Add the eggs to the bowl one at a time mixing well after each addition.
- Add the baking powder and salt to the cake flour and whisk it together.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl alternating with the sour cream beginning and ending with flour.
- Spray three 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray and pour the cake batter into the cake pans evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until fully baked.
- The cake is done once an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting.
- Then remove the cakes from the pans and allow them to continue to cool. Once the cakes have cooled, layer the cake placing caramel in between each layer and place the caramel over the top and sides of the cake spreading the caramel as evenly as possible.
- Steps to make the caramel:
- First, remove the paper from the cans of condensed milk.
- Place the cans in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
- Add water to the Instant Pot or slow cooker filling it up as much as possible without causing an overflow.
- Place the top on your device and set it for 8 hours.
- If using the Instant Pot, simply choose the slow cook setting and set the time to eight hours.
- After 8 hours, remove the cans from the device, dry them with a towel and allow them to cool.
- Once they are warm to the touch, they can be opened.
- Layer the cake placing caramel in between each layer and place caramel over the top and sides of the cake spreading the caramel as evenly as possible.
- Serve and enjoy!
Corwanna Mitchell says
Why does it cost so many condense milk
Ashley Frederick says
It's a large cake love. Use as much or as less as you like. You may get away with just using 2 or 3 cans.
Cynthia says
Very nice I will try and come back
Ashley Frederick says
Thank you! I hope you love it!
Nancy G says
In the Deep South, it’s an honor to have a homemade caramel cake brought to your funeral! This recipe is a winner!!
Whip it like Butter says
It's definitely a classic Nancy! Thank you!