This Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake has that classic Southern charm with its soft, buttery layers and smooth caramel cream cheese frosting. It only takes about 20 minutes to prep before popping in the oven. The cake turns out fluffy and light, with a little bit of texture from ground pecans. It’s one of those desserts that feels perfect for a cozy family get-together or a casual weekend treat.
Make a Caramel Cake with Pecans
This old-fashioned caramel cake is a good old moist Southern cake, just like the kind Grandma used to make. The cake itself doesn’t have a caramel flavor. It’s more buttery than caramel with the added nutty flavor that ground pecans add.
The frosting is what makes this cake a caramel cake. It’s got a thick layer of rich caramel cream cheese frosting that blends beautifully with the butteriness of the cake. If you can’t find your Grandma’s caramel cake recipe, this is the next best thing.
This recipe starts with a simple cake batter made with basic pantry staples dotted with finely ground pecans for texture. The key to getting those light and fluffy layers is the whipped egg whites.
Once the layers cool, you can frost them with caramel cream cheese frosting or a caramel buttercream frosting. Both are not difficult to make and have a rich caramel flavor, it’s hard to choose. This is photographed with a caramel cream cheese frosting.
Everyone that tries this cake raves and raves about it. Not only is the caramel icing scrumptious but the cake itself is so moist and the pecans add some texture and flavor. It’s no wonder this is such a Southern favorite.
Mostly Pantry Ingredients
You probably have all of these in your pantry other than cake flour. I’ve found that cake flour does make this lighter than all-purpose flour, but you can still get a wonderful cake with all-purpose.
It’s Not Hard to Make a Cake
Step One: Prepare the Cake Pans
Preheat the oven and grease two cake pans with butter, then line them with parchment paper. This makes everything so much easier!
Step Two: Make the Batter
Step Three: Whip the Egg Whites
Step Four: Bake
Step Five: Frost
Once the cake is completely cool, frost it with a rich caramel frosting, and you’re all set! You can get more process shots and details for making the frosting in the post for caramel cream cheese frosting.
How to Store Cake
Leftover caramel cake will last on the counter for a couple of days. After that, transfer it to the fridge for up to one week. After a week it will dry out.
You can store the entire cake or individual slices in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the slices or cake thaw at room temperature before eating.
You can bake the cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The cake is so delicious by itself that you can frost it with a simple fluffy cream cheese frosting and skip the caramel all together. It would also be great with a brown butter frosting.
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Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup butter room temp, 2 sticks
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs separated, room temp
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup finely ground pecans about 1 cup of whole pecans
- 2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 cups powdered sugar 1 lb
- 1 /2 cup heavy cream plus 1 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter and grease two 9 inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- Use a food processor to grind the pecan until finely ground.
- Add butter to a stand mixer and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and mix on medium high until well mixed, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the ground pecans, flour, baking powder and salt. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture add ½ of the milk, then the rest of the flour mixture and end with the rest of the milk. Add vanilla and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about ¼ of the egg whites into the batter, once combined, fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the batter evenly into the two cake pans.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges have started to pull away from the sides. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan then invert to a rack to cool completely.
- Frost with a Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting.
- Add ½ cup of the powdered sugar to a light colored saucepan and heat over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves and have a tan liquid on the bottom of the pan.. You can swirl it occasionally.
- Continue cooking, about a minute, stirring to make sure the sugar has dissolved until it is a medium amber color. Don’t let it get too dark or it will taste burnt.
- Add ½ cup cream, vanilla and salt, it will foam up. Whisk until the caramel has dissolved and it is smooth. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Pour into a glass bowl and allow it to cool. It will not be thick. You can place it in the refrigerator or freezer, you want it to be room temperature.
- Once the caramel has cooled, add cream cheese and butter to a stand mixer and beat until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the caramel and beat until combined. Refrigerate until it is spreadable.
Video
Notes
- You can also use a caramel buttercream frosting.
- Bring all the liquid ingredients to room temperature.
Hi
Can this cake be made in a regular cake pan? I don’t have a cake cover for a two layer cake and if so, does anything change with the ingredients or the way it is put together.
Your recipies are awesome!
Thanks
Sheila
Yes, you can make it into a sheet cake, the only thing that will change is the time that it cooks. Use a toothpick to test it but it should take a few minutes longer than a layer cake.