Salted Caramel Cake
buttermilk cake + salted caramel frosting = love
I know that everyone gravitates towards chocolate desserts for Valentine’s day, but may I make a case for salted caramel? It is sweet and salty and always in season, just like love. Is that too cheesy? Probably.
The idea for this cake came to me while waking up from one of the many midday naps I’ve taken in the last week. I got completely walloped by a cold which mostly just made me mad because I pride myself on never getting sick, and I have stuff to do! I even lost my voice for a few days. It also totally killed my appetite, but for some reason when I woke up from that nap, all I could think about was salted caramel? idk, the body wants what the body wants.
This incredibly moist and tender cake is flavored with brown sugar and lots of vanilla bean paste. It is made using the reverse creaming method which is my favorite way to mix butter-based cakes.
You start by combining all of the dry ingredients, then mix in the butter, then all of the liquid ingredients. This limits the amount of gluten formed when you mix the cake batter, which helps keep the texture light and tender. I also use a bit of oil in addition to the butter to give it a little bit of staying power on the counter. I find that cakes made entirely with butter can dry out quickly, and we don’t want that!
The salted caramel does double duty and is used in the fluffy buttercream frosting, and drizzled over the top. The caramel drizzle stays soft at room temperature, but still nice and chewy which gives this cake an unexpected bit of texture. If you are a salt fiend (like me) you can sprinkle some flaky salt over the top to give it a little crunch too, but I’ll leave that up to you.
You can also make this as a two layer 8-inch cake. If you go that route, make 1.5x the frosting so you have plenty for the filling and sides. You’ll have lots of salted caramel sauce either way, perfect for eating out of the jar or topping a bowl of ice cream.
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Incredibly delicious spices from Burlap and Barrel. Use the code YOSSY for 1 free jar on $15+ orders for first time customers. The cinnamon and ginger are both INSANE.
Use the code YOSSY20 for 20% off at Material Kitchen. I especially like their microplastic free cutting boards and knives
My favorite baking pans from Nordicware. This set comes with lids that fit neatly over the pans! Here’s a smaller set, sans lids.
I also love USA Pan. They have very pleasing straight edges and corners.
My favorite spatulas by GIR
My favorite whisk for bigger jobs by OXO
Fun and colorful sheet pans by Great Jones available as half or quarter sheets. these are a bit heavier than the Nordicware, and they can double as serving platters. We love that!