Salted Caramel Cake Recipe
Soft fluffy caramel sponge cake smothered in caramel buttercream and topped with seasonal fresh figs. This cake is so light and airy; it’s like eating a caramel cloud and it makes the perfect cake for all your special occasions.
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 464kcal
Equipment
- 2 18cm (7-inch) cake pans with remoevable bas.
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 80 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 160 ml double cream (heavy cream) room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
Caramel Sponge
- 230 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 125 g light brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 160 g caramel sauce room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 220 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Caramel Buttercream (Makes 360g/2 cups)
- 150 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 200 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) sifted
- 80 g salted caramel sauce room temperature
To decorate
- 2 figs quartered
- A drizzle of caramel sauce.
Instructions
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Heat the sugar until it melts. In a high-sided non-stick saucepan, heat the sugar over low heat, stirring often. It will go lumpy, then liquefy as the sugar dissolves and turn a light golden brown. Once it turns a lovely amber colour, remove the pan from the heat. Keep an eagle eye on it at this stage, as it can turn to burnt sugar very quickly.
- Add the butter, then cream. Carefully add the butter in one go. It will bubble up but whisk continuously until it has thoroughly melted. Then add the cream and whisk in. Heat for 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in vanilla bean paste and flaked sea salt. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Caramel Sponge
- Prepare pans and cream butter and sugars together. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease the base and sides of 2 18cm (7-inch) cake pans with removable bases and line the base with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high, the butter and light brown and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the base and sides of the bowl.
- Add in eggs. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each addition It may look slightly curdled at this point but will come together. Add caramel sauce and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add in dry ingredients. Sift into the mixing bowl the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on medium until a few flour streaks remain.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake on the centre rack for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the sponges comes out clean.Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack before setting them on a wire rack and allowing them to cool completely.
Caramel Buttercream
- Beat the butter until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes (Image 15). Add the icing sugar two goes, beating well after each edition. Then continue to beat for another 3 minutes Mix in the caramel sauce. Add the caramel and beat in until fully combined. The caramel buttercream is ready to go now!
To Assemble and Decorate
- Layer sponge with buttercream. Place one cake on a serving plate or cake stand. Add half the buttercream on top and smooth to an even layer. Place the second sponge cake layer onto the buttercream. Then add the remaining buttercream on top and smooth. Decorate by pouring any leftover caramel sauce over the cake and add a sprinkle of flaked salt. An option is to add cut figs or any fruit that you prefer. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
Make ahead. Caramel sauce, cake sponges and buttercream can all be made the day before. Bring to room temperature before assembling the cake.
To Store: Wrap the cake well in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for 4 days or up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving.
TIP 1: Heat the sugar slowly to dissolve the sugar crystals evenly and prevent the caramel from burning before all the sugar has dissolved.
TIP 2: Butter, eggs, cream and caramel sauce are the key ingredients that should be at room temperature before making this recipe.
TIP 3: Don't over-mix the sponge as it leads to a dense sponge.
Nutrition
Calories: 464kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 373mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 935IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg