High Altitude Vanilla Caramel Cake

This indulgent high altitude caramel cake starts with three moist and fluffy layers of vanilla cake layered with rich, buttery salted caramel sauce. Salted caramel buttercream swirled with more caramel sauce adds a tempting finish to this delicious cake.

If you’ve never had a caramel cake, you’re in for such a treat. And while I made my own homemade salted caramel sauce to use in the caramel buttercream, you can certainly buy a jar of ready made caramel sauce, and your cake will still be fabulous. Caramel is, of course, delicious with chocolate cake. But when you pair it with a vanilla cake, the flavor of the caramel is really the star of this incredible caramel cake.

Looking for more high altitude cake recipes? Don’t miss this hazelnut white chocolate cake, chocolate truffle cake, and apple pie cake with cinnamon cookie crumble.

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Ingredients

• Salted Caramel Sauce. The caramel sauce will be whipped into the buttercream, drizzled between the cake layers, and swirled onto the frosted cake for a final flourish. Make your own salted caramel sauce, or buy a jar.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture to cakes. With high altitude baking, too much sugar can lead to a gummy texture in your cakes, so the sugar has to be perfectly balanced with the other ingredients.
• Vanilla Bean. Adds incredible flavor, especially when you rub the seeds into the sugar.
• Vanilla Extract. I use a combination of both vanilla bean seeds and vanilla extract. You can use both, or just one of them, whichever you like.
• Cake Flour. Cake flour makes a very soft, light and fluffy vanilla cake, as it contains a lower percentage of protein than all-purpose flour.
• Baking Powder. Leavens the cake, making it rise.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Eggs + Egg Whites. I use 2 eggs, plus 2 egg whites, in my vanilla cake, which adds structure and richness, while the extra whites make it nice and fluffy. Save the leftover 2 egg yolks for another use.
• Buttermilk. Adds richness and acidity for a light, fluffy, tender cake crumb.
• Melted Butter + Vegetable Oil. A combination of both butter and oil gives this vanilla cake the best flavor as well as a soft, moist texture.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Homemade salted caramel sauce is rich, creamy and buttery, with hints of vanilla and bourbon. It’s the perfect salty sweet topping for ice cream, cakes or brownies! This delicious sauce can seem intimidating to make yourself, but with a few best practices, you can easily make your own salted caramel sauce to keep on hand for drizzling, dipping, or just eating straight from the jar with a spoon.

Get my recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce here! If you don’t feel like making your own, though, buy a good-quality brand of caramel sauce, and you can still make a wonderful caramel cake.

Instructions

Bake the Vanilla Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350F and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
• In a large bowl, measure out the sugar.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod and use your fingers to rub the seeds into the sugar until very fragrant and the seeds are evenly dispersed throughout the sugar.
• Set a fine mesh sifter over the bowl of sugar, and sift in the cake flour, baking powder and salt.  Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients well.
• In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, buttermilk, melted butter, oil and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until combined and smooth, about 10-15 seconds.  Divide the batter between the cake pans.  Tap a few times against the counter to pop any large air bubbles.
• Bake the cakes for about 21-25 minutes, or until a cake tester or a toothpick comes out clean, and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
• Set the pans on a wire rack, cover them loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.  When ready to frost and assemble the cake, remove the cakes from the pans.

Make the Salted Caramel Buttercream

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
• Add 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce and mix to combine.
• With the mixer running on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and the vanilla, mixing until thick and combined.
• Increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl down several times, until light and fluffy. Taste the buttercream and add the salt as needed.

Frost the Cake and Swirl with Caramel Sauce

• Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Place one of the cake layers on a plate or cake board. Frost the cake with a layer of the buttercream, then drizzle with 2-4 tablespoons of the salted caramel sauce. I used about 2 tablespoons for mine, but you can use up to 4 tablespoons if you want a more gooey caramel filling. Place the second layer of cake on top, and repeat with more buttercream and caramel drizzle. Place the third layer of cake on top. Frost the cake all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, then chill for 30 minutes to set the crumb coat.
• Frost the cake all over with a final coat of buttercream. You should have about 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce left. Randomly dab it around the cake, then use your icing spatula to swirl it into the buttercream, taking care to leave visible streaks of caramel. The more swirly the frosting, the prettier this cake looks!
• If you like, sprinkle the cake lightly with a flaky finishing salt like Maldon.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I make salted caramel buttercream with store bought or homemade caramel sauce?

• You can make the buttercream with homemade or store bought caramel sauce. When making homemade salted caramel sauce, you can control how dark you cook the sugar, extracting as much rich flavor as you can. Some inexpensive caramel toppings will taste bland and overly sweet, so get a good-quality jar of caramel sauce.

What other flavors of cake go well with salted caramel buttercream?

• Besides vanilla cake, I’ve also paired this caramel buttercream with white velvet cake and yellow butter birthday cake, which are both so delicious.
• Then there’s the classic pairing of chocolate cake with caramel.
• And salted caramel buttercream is fabulous with fall cake flavors like apple cider cake, carrot cake, spice cake, pumpkin cake and butter pecan.

What should I use if I don’t have cake flour?

• If you can’t find cake flour at your local grocery store or Walmart, you can also buy cake flour online. In a pinch, you can make your own cake flour. Measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour using the spoon and sweep method. Remove 2 tablespoons of flour, and replace with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.

Can I make this recipe with gluten free flour?

• Yes, I’ve had feedback from people who have made this recipe successfully with gluten free flour. I’d recommend using your favorite measure-for-measure gluten free flour, although the cake will likely have a slightly coarser texture.

What can I substitute for the buttermilk?

• While I prefer whole buttermilk, I’ll also use lowfat buttermilk if it’s the only thing available at my grocery store. The next best thing is to make your own sour milk by stirring together 1 1/2 tbsp white distilled vinegar with 1 1/2 cups whole milk. Let sit for 15 minutes to curdle before mixing your cake batter.

Can I use dulce de leche instead of caramel sauce?

• Yes, you can use dulce de leche, and whip it right into the buttercream. Since it’s much thicker than caramel sauce, you’ll need to warm it slightly to spread it between the cake layers.

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter in the caramel buttercream?

• You can certainly use salted butter, and simply eliminate the additional salt in the buttercream.

Can I make this cake in advance?

• You can make the caramel sauce a few days in advance. Homemade caramel sauce is usually best eaten within about 2 weeks.
• The cake layers freeze very well, so you can bake the cake, wrap the layers in plastic wrap, and freeze them until you’re ready to frost and assemble the cake. Let the cakes thaw out overnight before frosting your cake.
• Buttercream also freezes well, and you can make the buttercream, store it in a freezer bag and refrigerate it for 1 week, or freeze for 3-6 months.

Should leftover cake be refrigerated?

• There’s no need to refrigerate this caramel cake, unless you like cold cake. The cake can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container or cake carrier, for up to 3 days.

What’s the best finishing salt for salted caramel?

• A flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, looks beautiful and tastes wonderful. This would be a perfect finishing salt to sprinkle over the cake for a salty, sweet, crunchy finish.

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