I have been dying to perfect this salted caramel cake ever since we had it at our friends wedding (I think around 5 or 6 years ago, holy crap!). I don’t even think we waited until the wedding was over to hound the bride and groom for the name of the bakery, and obviously we had to order it for my birthday. And Sophie’s birthday. And basically any birthday we could smuggle a cake into.
Ordering fancy cakes from a boutique bakery starts to get rough though – on the wallet. One top of that, they started covering their salted caramel cake in gold flakes and almond toffee. Which was gorgeous, but it also gave them a reason to jack up the price again. $160 for a birthday cake became WAY past this Momma’s budget, so it was finally time to make it myself.
Salted Caramel Cake Success!
The hilarious part – I basically already had all the parts of this on the blog. I have my salted caramel macaroons here, which included a recipe for salted caramel sauce. And I had my bakery style vanilla sponge cake here. All I had to do was tweak my buttercream a little bit, and put it all together.
Seriously, I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner! What really puts this salted caramel cake a step ahead though is the layer of salted caramel sauce that you spread on the cake, under the buttercream. This was something the bakery did, and it makes all the difference in the world!
Party Time!
Here’s a picture of the cake from Sophie’s birthday party three years ago.
And this is a picture of the same cake, from the same bakery, at last years party. They added the extra decorations on the top and raised the price accordingly. All it is, is some toasted almonds, chocolate covered almond toffee pieces, and salted caramel sauce. You could totally replicate this!
And here’s a picture of the one I made for Sophie’s party this year. I know, you’re like “Wait, what?? Where’s the caramel?”. You see, Sophie requested a giant, two layer cake with Snow White painted on it (she’s painted on the other side). So the bottom of this baby is 12″ of chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream (recipe coming soon), and the top 8″ are the salted caramel cake. I covered the whole thing in white fondant, and decorated it with some fresh flowers, which is a super easy way to make a cake look impressive.
So tell me what you want, what you really really want
I’m convinced there is a Spice Girl or Eminem quote for everything. That’s not the picture you want to see, I know. This is:
I’ve broken the recipe up a little bit, because I was worried that putting everything into one recipe page would get super confusing. On this page you’ll find the recipe for the buttercream (which includes the recipe for the salted caramel sauce). There’s a link in the recipe that will take you to the bakery style vanilla sponge cake. You can just click the picture below to open up that recipe too.
One last thing I’ve got to tell you though. You know what else the salted caramel sauce is good for (I mean, what wouldn’t it be good for, am I right!). ICE CREAM! You’ll have a bit left over, so just keep it in an air tight container in the fridge to enjoy. Be warned, it won’t last long!
I mean just LOOK at that caramel sauce! Are you drooling yet? Me, right now I’m just sad that I gave all the extra cake away. I mean, it was the right decision, because no one should really have THAT MUCH cake in their house at one time, and it’s as if I didn’t gorge on it while it was out for the party. But I’m missing it. I’m definitely missing it.
Salted Caramel Cake
Tender and moist vanilla sponge cake separated by layers of homemade salted caramel sauce, and salted caramel buttercream. A bakery quality cake you can make at home!
Ingredients
Bakery Style Vanilla Sponge Cake
- 1 recipe for my 2 or 4-layer bakery style vanilla sponge cake. Level the layers by cutting off the rounded tops with a bread knife. If you want to make a 4 layer cake (what I would suggest), slice each layer in half after levelling the top. As pictured in the salted caramel cake post, I made 1.5 times the recipe in order to have three thick layers, baked in three separate pans. This can be made a day ahead of time. Once completely cooled, just cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 2 cups White Sugar
- 8 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Softened, Cut Into Tablespoon Sized Pieces
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Salt (or table salt), to taste
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 4 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 lb butter, cut into 1" chunks, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup of caramel sauce, room temperature
Instructions
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the sugar to a large pot set over medium-high heat. Gently stir until the sugar has melted, then stop stirring.
- Let it boil, without touching, until the caramel reaches an amber colour, and registers 320ºF on a candy or instant read thermometer. It will have a nice amber colour, but should not smell burnt at all.
- As soon as it reaches 320ºF remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until completely melted and combined.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream, in a thin stream, while whisking vigorously. Stir in the salt, and pour into a Pyrex glass measuring cup to cool completely before using.
- This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge. If you do this, simply return it to room temperature before using for in the buttercream and spreading on the cake layers.
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- Put about 2" of water into the a medium sauce pan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Put the egg whites and sugar into a large heatproof bowl (I use a metal one), and set it over the boiling water. The bowl will become very hot so use an oven mitt to hold onto it. Whisk until hot to the touch, and the sugar has completely dissolved. I test it by rubbing a drop between my fingers, or checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer (you want it to reach 140ºF).
- Immediately pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer (you can do it with a hand mixer, but it's easier with a stand mixer). Leave the mixer running on medium-high speed for 8 minutes. The sides of the bowl need to be cool to the touch so that the butter doesn't melt, and the mixture will have doubled in volume and be nice and glossy looking.
- Turn the mixer down to medium speed, and add the butter two pieces at a time. Once all the butter has been added, continue to mix on medium-high for two minutes, until it's light and fluffy.
- Scrap down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla and caramel sauce. Beat for 2 more minutes.
- Use the buttercream right away, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before trying to use.
Salted Caramel Cake Assembly
- Place one layer of the vanilla sponge cake onto a plate, cut (from levelling off the top) side up. Spread 1/4 cup of salted caramel sauce over the top, and then top with a 1/4" layer of buttercream. Repeat. Place the last cake layer on top, with the cut side down.
- Spread a very thin layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake (so thin you can see through it). This is called the crumb layer, and it's just to make sure that no crumbs get into the pretty icing on the outside. Put the cake into the fridge for 30 minutes, just to make the crumb layer firm up.
- Spread the rest of your buttercream on the top and sides of the cake.
- If you want to have some of the caramel sauce on the top and running down the sides, put the fully frosted cake back into the fridge for another 30 minutes. Spread a thin layer of caramel sauce over the top, then you can create that pretty drip effect by spreading the caramel to the edges using an offset spatula.
- Keep the finished cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It's best to let it come up to room temperature before serving it.
Kassandra
Hi, I see this Salted Caramel Cake recipe is for a three layer cake but the recipe link takes me to a recipe that says bake it in two 8″ pans. So, am I halving the two rounds into FOUR layers and just not using one? This 3-layer Salted Caramel cake looks great but saying to use a recipe that only makes either 2 or 4 layers is a bit confusing. What am I missing?
Katrina
Hey Kassandra, I’m so sorry – you’re not missing anything – and I’m sorry! I totally forgot that I made 1.5 times the recipe because I needed extra height to make the painting of snow white work for my daughters cake. I’m sorry about that! I’m updating the recipe now. So yes, you would either make a 2 or 4 layer cake (I would go with 4 layers personally!).
Emma
Hi, how long will the sauce last for in the fridge? I would like to make the buttercream and sauce a few days ahead of use. Would this be ok?
Katrina
Hey Emma, that sauce will last for weeks in the fridge if you want it to, so don’t worry at all. I always make a bunch, and keep the extra in the fridge for when I want to make something else (it’s great drizzled over my apple crisp and ice cream!).
I’ve made the buttercream a couple days ahead too, and just kept it in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the cake. Just take it out of the fridge a couple hours ahead of time so it can soften up. You can toss it back in the mixer for a little bit too if you need to, just to make it easier to work with.
I’m jealous – you’re making my favourite cake! I make it every year for myself for my birthday, lol. I hope you all love it as much as I do!
Michele
Hi! Is it possible to substitute the butter in the frosting for shortening?
Katrina
Hey Michele. You could probably do 50/50 and be ok. I’d aim for the butter flavoured shortening as well if you could.
I know, it’s Janurary, I started back up at the gym monday. I totally get it, but this buttercream is sooooo good made with all butter ? I’m biased too because this is my hands down, by a country mile, absolute favourite cake, lol.
Anonymous
Butter it is then!? I just usually use shortening for my frostings but did not want to have it alter this amazing sounding frosting. Thanks!!
Katrina
? I feel like I was a terrible influence… but I promise – it’s sooooo good!
Debi
What if it clumps when you add the butter and/or cream?
Anonymous
I need 4 sticks of butter for the buttercream. Am I right?
Katrina
Yep, you’re right 🙂 4 sticks is what you need for the buttercream.
sarah
The frosting was basically caramel butter when I used 4 sticks.
Sophie
Hi – I’m in the uk. White sugar… is that the really fine icing sugar like powder or caster sugar??
Katrina
Hi Sophie, white sugar in Canada is almost the same as castor sugar in the uk. Your castor sugar is a bit more fine than our white sugar, but it’s close enough to swap 1:1 🙂
Caitlin
I tried this for the first time today and it is amazing! The cake collapsed unfortunately, but that was my mistake, and besides that it still tasted fantastic. My family loved it, and I will be making it again until I perfect the cake part. Thank you!
Jessica
This cake looks and sounds amazing! My daughter has requested a salted caramel cake for her birthday and I’m wondering if I can colour the frosting with Americolor? I’m looking to create a marble effect.
Thanks!
Jessica
Katrina
Hey Jessica, I colour my buttercreams with food colouring all the time (I haven’t used Americolor before, but I do use a gel food colouring by wilton all the time). A marble effect sounds gorgeous! Happy Birthday to your daughter 🙂
Sarai
My buttercream came out watery.. i followed the steps as instructed im not sure whg is like this and how can i fix it?
Janet
Just want to make sure – for the buttercream are you using white sugar or icing sugar?
Katrina
Hey Janet, it’s white sugar 🙂
Mia
Hi, the Salted Caramel Buttercream requires ‘1/4 cup of caramel sauce’, is this reffering to the Salted Caramel Sauce I’ve made or a different caramel sauce bought from the super market? I’m from Australia so we may have different things haha! Thank you 🙂
Katrina
It’s from the caramel sauce that you’ve made (though to save time you could absolutly just buy one that you liked ? )
Anonymous
As I read the comments, I believe you may have used the wrong type of sugar, or you should’ve added more sugar. I live in North America, and white sugar for us is castor sugar. It’s not powdered sugar, or granulated sugar, but a mix between both. It may have been the sugar, or something else, just try using less liquids next time I suppose.
Anonymous
I live in North America, and powdered sugar is most commonly used for frosting and etc. What should I use instead of white sugar, because I only have granulated sugar in my home?
Katrina
Granulated sugar is white sugar for us in Canada, sorry for the confusion! This type of buttercream you do use granulated sugar to make ☺️
Sara Bosman
My burttercream is much to watery how can I fix this please?
Katrina
Hi Sara, my guess is that the whipped egg whites / hot sugar mixture was still a bit too warm when you added the butter. You can try chilling it in the fridge for a little bit, say 15 minutes, to let the butter firm up a bit, and then whip it again.
Britt
Hi kassandra,
I made your butter cream recipe, it came out awfully buttery and hardened on me. Kind of like it was too much butter. Do you recommend anything I can try if this happens again? Thank you.
Dr.Babita Chaudhary
Please share recipe of fondant and caramel sauce in hindi also
Kelly
The buttercream was terrible! ? Way too much butter and it tasted like a straight stick of butter. Look at other recipes – for similar butter it’s 50% more sugar and 25% more egg whites. This was a no-go for us unfortunately.
Edwill
Sorry for my words but where the hell did you come up with this cake because i looooooooooooooooooooooooooooòoooovvvvvvvvvvveeeee it
Anonymous
Can the heavy cream
Be substituted or removes? in making the salted caramel?
Susan
Try putting the BC in the refrigerator until it cools completely, up to 30 minutes or more. Then whip it until it comes together, smooth and silky with stiff peaks. Just keep beating it in your stand mixer until it comes together!
Cath
I really didnt like the taste of the buttercream. Way too much butter.
The salted caramel sauce however was delish!!
Katrina
Glad you loved the caramel sauce (I do too, so much!). There is such a firm divide between the Italian / Swiss buttercream lovers, and the American buttercream lovers, it’s 100% a love it or hate it thing 🙂
Rache
This buttercream is like a swiss merengue buttercream, i use regular white granulated domino sugar here in the US for this all the time, but you have to ensure that when heating the egg whites you get that sugar COMPLETELY dissolved. Vs american buttercream that just creams butter and powdered sugar together and is very dense and heavy. 🙂 so just make sure the sugar is dissolved
I feel like this recipe would work well with a modified swiss merengue that I do which uses half butter and half shortening! Any experience trying that?
Katrina
Hey Rache, you and I are thinking along the same lines. I’ve had a few comments lately that it’s just too buttery for some tastes, and I was thinking of experimenting with a 50/50 shortening blend too. The kids have been clamouring for cupcakes, so I’m going to give that a shot this week some time.
Emma
Hello Katrina!
I tried this recipe and it came out really well. My family loved it. Thankyou!
I would like to know the weight of the cake overall. It would be great if you could tell me that.
Katrina
Hi Emma! I’m so glad that everyone liked the cake 🙂 I’m so sorry though – I don’t know the overall weight of the cake.
Annie
Hi there! I’ve seen a few questions about the layering. I see you recommend 2 or 4 layers. But for 4 8inch rounds, are we supposed to double the recipe, or just split the batter up further?
Thanks!
Katrina
Sorry, I’ll update the actual recipe post as soon as I get a chance to make it clearer. As shown in the pics, with 3 layers, I did 1.5 times the recipe.
So, standard recipe is for a two layer cake. If you want a four layer cake, double the recipe. If you’d like three layers (my favourite), do 1.5x the recipe.
anisha
hi may i know what to do if i want 6 inch cakes instead
Monica M
For the buttercream, do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Katrina
I always just use salted butter in my buttercreams, because it’s what I keep stocked in the fridge.
KC
For the sauce – how do I keep the sugar from sticking to the pot, scorching and then burning? I’ve tried twice and second time was over low heat, it turns amber long before all the sugar melts.. and by the time it’s all melted, it’s definitely burned. I’ve lost 4 cups of sugar and 2 spatulas:(
Lisa Peruzzi
Made this cake for my daughter’s 21st birthday. It was a lot of steps. But worth it.
Nicole
Just wondering You are missing an ingredient for the caramel sauce? What do You bring the sugar to a boil with? Is there supposed to be some water added to the sugar to make it melt and boil?
Anonymous
This salted caramel cake looks absolutely amazing! I discovered this recipe while taking a break from my tutoring statistik sessions, and it immediately caught my eye. The combination of flavors sounds perfect. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
LOIS
So, I am making my mom’s vow renewal cake (never done one). She is wanting a 3-tier square with the bottom being 12 inches. My question is how would I convert this recipe?
Ja78
Thank you so much for this! I made this yesterday and everyone raved about it!
Gillian Neron
Hello. Can you give thé amounts in grammes please ?
Thank you
Kassandra
Hi, I see this Salted Caramel Cake recipe is for a three layer cake but the recipe link takes me to a recipe that says bake it in two 8″ pans. So, am I halving the two rounds into FOUR layers and just not using one? This 3-layer Salted Caramel cake looks great but saying to use a recipe that only makes either 2 or 4 layers is a bit confusing. What am I missing?