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Before diving into all this social media thing (you know, sharing my recipes on YouTube and stuff), I was running my little home-based bakery. Totally self-taught, I watched a lot of Youtube videos, tried a lot of techniques, failed a lot of course, but also learned a lot. Eventually, I built a few recipes and adapted a few techniques that I proudly put out there for the world to see.

Alongside my own creations, I decided to add a dash of inspiration to my website by featuring other talented bakers' works. It's like a decorating and inspiration haven over there, where I share a slice of everyone’s creativity. There's something about seeing someone appreciate your hard work, and this is why I do it; because when other accounts shared mine, I always felt thankful and proud.

But all of this to tell you that this cake was my best seller and most requested by customers. If you’re familiar with my Vanilla Cake recipe, you’re gonna love this one because technically it is my vanilla cake with caramel filling.

The Story Behind This Salted Caramel Cake

So, this cake doesn't have one of those origin stories like some of my other recipes. It's more of a "spur of the moment" creation. Here's the story. I was in my experimenting with cake fillings era, and let me tell you, I'm all about that homemade goodness. None of that store-bought filler stuff for me, except for the trusty Satin Ice fondant; I find it a good and easy brand to work with, I don’t know if you agree.

Anyway, back to the story. I started with some classic fillings: chocolate fudge, Boston cream, and the infamous jelly-jam (a few people asked me for that recipe after seeing pictures of how beautiful the filling is, and in my head, it became famous). Then, it was time to make a caramel sauce, because everyone loves caramel. needed a caramel sauce that wouldn't turn into a rock in the fridge. Sure, there are tons of fantastic recipes out there, but you know me, I'm all about that super easy-peasy life.

Every time I made this sauce, my mom would stroll into the kitchen, eyes wide with anticipation, and ask, "Yummm, what are you up to now?" And that's how this recipe was finalized (and it’s mom approved!).

Understanding The Ingredients:

Heavy Cream: When you want to make caramel sauce, you cannot use milk, it will not work like heavy cream. When I say heavy cream, we’re looking at at least 35% fat. The fat in heavy cream helps to stabilize the caramel sauce and gives it a smooth, velvety consistency. This prevents the sauce from becoming grainy or separating.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a warm, sweet, and aromatic flavour to caramel sauce. It complements the rich caramelized sugar taste, creating a more complex and balanced flavour profile.

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Common Questions I get Asked:

Why don’t you use butter in your caramel sauce? it's okay not to add butter to caramel sauce, especially if you're looking for a lighter version (especially here since it’s a filling to a buttercream cake).
What’s the size of the cake in the picture? This is a 6 inch cake with 3 layers.
What cake recipe did you use in the picture? In this cake, I used my Vanilla cake recipe. Feel free to pair it with other recipes too. Caramel is amazing paired with a chocolate cake!

How To Make a Salted Caramel Cake From Scratch?

Caramel Cake Recipe

PREP TIME: 20 minutes | SERVINGS: Fills and covers a 3 layers 6 inch cake

Ingredients

For the Caramel Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream - at least 35%)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the Buttercream:

400g unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar (225g)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3 Tbsp hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp Caramel sauce

For the Chocolate Drip:

60g candy melt or white chocolate
20g heavy cream or whipping cream
Food colouring of your choice (use gel or oil based)

For the Popcorn:

2 Tbsp Butter
About 1/4 cup popcorn
Sugar to cover the popcorn

Instructions

Start by preparing the caramel to allow it to cool at room temperature before filling the cake. For the caramel, add sugar in a saucepan and put in on low to medium heat until it fully dissolves. Don’t stir the sugar before it dissolves.
Do not turn off the heat, add half of the cream and stir until incorporated then add the other half of the cream. Stir well until everything is well incorporated and smooth.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
Transfer the sauce to a heatproof bowl and allow it to cool at room temperature.
For the buttercream, place room temperature butter in a bowl and beat, with a mixer, on high until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and hot water. Mix everything together until combined. You should have a glaze consistency.
Add the powdered sugar mixture to the butter, and mix on high for a few minutes.
If you want to fill AND decorate the cake with caramel buttercream, feel free to add the caramel sauce directly to the buttercream you just made. If you only want the caramel buttercream to be a filling and decorate the cake with white buttercream (like in my video), scoop out a bit of buttercream and add it to a different bowl then add around 2 Tbsp of caramel sauce to it. Make sure the caramel sauce is at room temperature, if it’s too hot it will melt the buttercream.
To fill your cake, start with the ganache, add caramel buttercream, drizzle some caramel sauce, then finish with the next cake layer. You can do this however you want!
For the chocolate drip, simply combine the chocolate and cream and pop it in the microwave for about a minute at 20 seconds intervals (20 seconds in the microwave, remove and stir, then 20 seconds again, remove and stir, and so on until everything is melted and combined).
When the chocolate drip is ready, add the colouring (optional) and pour it on the cake to create a drip. The chocolate mixture should be warm to the touch and the cake should be cold.
To make the caramel popcorn, add butter to a pan and allow it to melt. Add popcorn, sprinkle sugar, mix everything together, and cover the pan. Keep the heat on medium to high and remove the pan as soon as the popcorns stop popping.

Caramel Cake Recipe

PREP TIME: 20 minutes | SERVINGS: Fills and covers a 3 layers 6 inch cake

Ingredients

For the Caramel Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream - at least 35%)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

For the Buttercream:

400g unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar (225g)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3 Tbsp hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp Caramel sauce

For the Chocolate Drip:

60g candy melt or white chocolate
20g heavy cream or whipping cream
Food colouring of your choice (use gel or oil based)

For the Popcorn:

2 Tbsp Butter
About 1/4 cup popcorn
Sugar to cover the popcorn

Instructions

Start by preparing the caramel to allow it to cool at room temperature before filling the cake. For the caramel, add sugar in a saucepan and put in on low to medium heat until it fully dissolves. Don’t stir the sugar before it dissolves.
Do not turn off the heat, add half of the cream and stir until incorporated then add the other half of the cream. Stir well until everything is well incorporated and smooth.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
Transfer the sauce to a heatproof bowl and allow it to cool at room temperature.
For the buttercream, place room temperature butter in a bowl and beat, with a mixer, on high until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and hot water. Mix everything together until combined. You should have a glaze consistency.
Add the powdered sugar mixture to the butter, and mix on high for a few minutes.
If you want to fill AND decorate the cake with caramel buttercream, feel free to add the caramel sauce directly to the buttercream you just made. If you only want the caramel buttercream to be a filling and decorate the cake with white buttercream (like in my video), scoop out a bit of buttercream and add it to a different bowl then add around 2 Tbsp of caramel sauce to it. Make sure the caramel sauce is at room temperature, if it’s too hot it will melt the buttercream.
To fill your cake, start with the ganache, add caramel buttercream, drizzle some caramel sauce, then finish with the next cake layer. You can do this however you want!
For the chocolate drip, simply combine the chocolate and cream and pop it in the microwave for about a minute at 20 seconds intervals (20 seconds in the microwave, remove and stir, then 20 seconds again, remove and stir, and so on until everything is melted and combined).
When the chocolate drip is ready, add the colouring (optional) and pour it on the cake to create a drip. The chocolate mixture should be warm to the touch and the cake should be cold.
To make the caramel popcorn, add butter to a pan and allow it to melt. Add popcorn, sprinkle sugar, mix everything together, and cover the pan. Keep the heat on medium to high and remove the pan as soon as the popcorns stop popping.

Chocolate Drip Tip

⚠️ Before you apply the drip

Before applying the chocolate drip to the cake, it's crucial to ensure that the buttercream has set completely and is chilled. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour to achieve the desired firmness. When preparing the chocolate drip, it's essential to note that it should be warm but not hot. To check if the drip consistency is right, take a plate and hold it vertically as if it were the side of a cake. Pour a small amount of the chocolate drip onto the plate. The ideal drip should gracefully flow down the plate and then stop falling after a few seconds. If the drip is too hot, it will continue to flow uncontrollably. On the other hand, if it's too cold, the drip will be sluggish and barely move. Finding that perfect balance ensures a beautiful and consistent drip effect on your cake.

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Tips To Make The Best Salted Caramel Cake:

Quality Ingredients: Use high-quality ingredients, especially for the caramel sauce. Opt for fresh cream, good quality butter, and pure vanilla extract for the best flavour.
Accept defeat: Weird tip to give but hear me out, if you accidentally burn the caramel or you’re not satisfied with the result, do not use it. Try to repeat it, if you don’t like this recipe, try another one. Just don’t waste a good cake because of a failed caramel sauce. Remember the sauce will be added to both the buttercream and the cake so imagine if there’s a burn aftertaste? It will be present everywhere.

Balanced Flavours: Yes in this cake you can be free with the amount of caramel sauce you add between the layers and even to the buttercream, but avoid adding too much in order for the cake not to be too sweet. Balance is always key!
Allow the caramel to fully cool before filling: Caramel sauce is extremely hot, make sure you allow the sauce to completely cool before it even touches the buttercream. Otherwise, the buttercream will melt and the decorating process will be a pain.
Serve at Room Temperature: For the best taste and texture, allow the cake to sit room temperature for around 10 minutes before serving. This allows the flavours to fully develop and ensures a moist and delicious cake experience.

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