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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake

My grandfather's 75th birthday was last week, and he requested an Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a single bakery in our area that actually makes this yummy confection...maybe because they are kind of difficult to make. I the awesome granddaughter that I am offered to attempt to make it. Very ambitious, but also doable...even if it did take me two days and make a huge mess of my kitchen! It was totally worth it!

I couldn't find the recipe that I was looking for online, so I ended up calling an older lady that I went to church with a few years ago. She was thrilled to share her recipe with me...I think it may be an adaptation of a Southern Living cake, but she read it to me over the phone so I'm not really sure. And the instructions may be a little vague because of that too.

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake and Icing
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1/4 cup of milk
2 ¾ cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter in an electric mixer. Add sugar. Cream together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Mix sour cream and milk in a small bowl. Combine dry ingredients in another small bowl. Alternately add in the dry ingredients and sour cream mixture…start and end with dry ingredients. Stir in vanilla.

Bake 350 for 30-35 in a two 8' round prepared pan. I recommend lining the pans with parchment paper. After the cake has cooled, cut each cake round into two pieces...or more it you can. The thinner the layers the better.

Icing
3 cups sugar, divided
¾ milk
1 egg beaten
½ cup butter

Add ½ cup sugar in sauce pan {I used a cast iron skillet}. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar melts and is golden brown. Combine sugar, milk, beaten egg, and then stir in butter. Slowly add the mixture into the melted sugar.
Cook over medium heat until 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. This step should take about 15-20 minutes. Cool the icing for 5 minutes then beat with wooden spoon....I actually put the icing into my mixer and beat it with the whisk attachment for a few minutes.

{**I ended up doing a double recipe of both cake and icing**}

The cake is very pound-cake like and the icing is SUPER sweet...just in case you couldn't tell that from the 3 cups of sugar. I need to work on cutting my layers a little more evenly, but all in all I think this cake was a big success! The most important part was that it was exactly what my grandfather wanted:)
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48 comments:

jules said...

I love all things caramel. I am so going to make this...

Melissa said...

looks yummy! i will have to make this :)

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Oh, sweet mercy, that looks amazing!! Great recipe, and such a pretty cake too. I bet your grandpa was so pleased. :)

staci @ lizard n ladybug said...

OMGosh does that look delish!!!!

He & Me + 3 said...

Wow that turned out so yummy looking. Great job!

christina said...

my teeth hurts this looks SO good!

Kelli said...

I'm just a little teary at the fact that you did this for him. You are an awesome granddaughter. Looks yummy and I'm so glad it's just what he wanted.

Kmama said...

I'm confused with this part "Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar melts and is golden brown. Combine sugar, milk, beaten egg, and then stir in butter. Slowly add the mixture into hot caramel." Are you referring to the golden brown sugar as hot caramel?

This sounds delicious!

Erin said...

Holy heck! This looks so amazing! I am so going to go home and make this this week. And probably end up eating the entire thing but I don't even care. it looks that delicious!!!! Thank you sooooo sooooo sooooo much for the recipe!!! =o)

LBB said...

That looks so delicious! I might have to try that. We just made a super rich chocolate cake here this weekend. I wonder if I combine the chcolate cake with your caramel icing & sprinkle pecans on top! A turtle cake !

Kelly said...

Wow, that looks AMAZING!! You are such a sweet granddaughter and I'm sure he really appreciated your effort :) Now, what am I going to do to satisfy my caramel craving without making a trip to the store?! Thanks for introducing another craving, ha!

Dee said...

Oh, YUM! I'm on a diet so I'm gonna stop looking now... :)

Amy @ Positively Splendid said...

Oh my word - does that look good, or what?!

Angie said...

that looks so dang good! i want a piece. it turned out really pretty...great job girl. i think i need to try to bake one :)

oh and i just baked cookies...but i bought them in the refrigerated section at the store ;)

Foursons said...

Not baked, but we have made homemade ice cream! I started my diet last week though so I have to stop making that yummy goodness.

I love the shiny look of the frosting. And caramel is one of my favorite flavors. You are the BEST granddaughter! How did grandpa react?

Unknown said...

Oh my gosh this looks amazing! It is making my mouth water! :)

~✽Mumsy✽~ said...

Looks super delicious! Thanks for the recipe..

Clifford Jeffery said...

I do not like carmel but i think my hubby would LOVE this! Thanks for sharing! It looked like you did an incredible job!

myevil3yearold said...

yummy

The Crafty Side Of Life said...

WOW! That looks SO yummy!!

Please come over and enter my giveaway!!
Thanks!
Amy

Cherie said...

Delicious! Wow!

Please come by and visit me... I am a new follower! http://justcraftytoday.blogspot.com/ , while you are there... be sure to grab my button for Sweet Saturdays Link Party, and enter my Giveaway!

Myya said...

You had me at Caramel. Ummmm YUMMMY!!!

Unknown said...

looks yummy. I found your blog on somedaycrafts linky.

newest follower, when you get a chance come visit me

http://stayingclosetohome.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I was really trying not to come over to this post. I saw it in my reader yesterday and said don't do it Nichol. NOw I have to make this. ILOVE caramel mmm...

More Than Words said...

Oh my gosh...my husband would LOVE that cake! He is huge caramel fan!!! THat looks really good!!!

Heidi @Budget Wise Home said...

Mmmmmm!! This looks so heavenly. I so need to bake something today.

Kyla Armstrong said...

This looks divine! I saw you at the TT&J linky party and I'd love if you came and linked up to TOO Cute Tuesday!

http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/2011/02/too-cute-tuesday-linky-par-tay.html

Anne said...

That sounds SO GOOD!! I am a caramel fiend, so this is going in my "to bake" file!

Carla @ More Than Tuesdays said...

I think my heart skipped a beat! I SO need to try this. My excuse is I'm all out of ice cream AND Oreos so I gotta get my fix somehow!

Nicole @ Wohler's World said...

That cake looks so delicious! My Hubby's bday was on the 3rd, he always requests homemade banana cake, it's his Gramndma's recipe. It's the only cake I make from scratch.

Mickey said...

Wow! Now that's a cake! Beautiful! My husband loves caramel. I have to make this one....my layers will not be even at all :)
mickey

Unknown said...

Looks sinfully delicious!

Joji said...

Thank you thank you for posting this recipe. I have looked for a caramel cake recipe that was like my grandmothers for years. This sounds very close. I don't remember her using an egg in the frosting and I know she used pet milk instead of sweet milk but Oh how I remember her beating that icing with a wooden spoon. Hope I have the strength to do it.

Tonita said...

Looks just like the ones my Grandmother used to make. Delicious!

Unknown said...

I featured this recipe on my blog - it looks amazing! Love everything you do here!

Jami said...

I recently made one of these for my brother's birthday, but the only recipes I could find called for whole cream or PET milk. The flavor was fantastic, but your texture looks SOOO much better. I am going to try this next. Thanks so much for sharing!

Anonymous said...

My book club friends and I just read "The Help". I had never even heard of a caramel cake until that book. One of the other ladies made one and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I am not a very brave baker, but I might just try this.

Kim R. said...

My mom used to make a caramel icing when I was little. It was really good on different cakes. We had to use scissors to cut the icing. I think it was too thick to cut through with a knife. Your cake looks delicious! I will have to try it out.

Candice said...

I saw this cake here this week and immediately knew I wanted to make it for my parent's birthdays this week (one is on 2/3 other is on 2/4!). I made it and it was absolutely delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.

Pamela said...

My mom makes this cake for me for my birthday every year and it is delish...except she makes it with chocolate cake. Try it that way next time, totally yummy! Way to go on making it because it is very hard, my mom complains every year but she does it anyway, lol! Guess she loves me.

The Teacher's Wife said...

oh man!
Caramel is my WEAKNESS!

Bargain Hoot said...

This looks so moist and yummy!! I've never made this kind of cake. I'll have to put it in my recipe file and give it a try!!

kiki comin said...

i am salivating looking at that. YUM! I'm bookmarking this to try later.:)

megan {homemade ginger} said...

Wow, that looks amazing. And your pictures are great!

By the way, I am hosting a giveaway right now that you might be interested in!

Chris said...

I don't think I've ever wanted a piece of cake so badly in my entire life! This looks absolutely scrumptious!

Dian Harvey Barnhart said...

SuperMOM-Freeze and slightly thaw the cake before you cut it or use dental floss(use a piece long enough to wrap around the cake with some overlap, wrap the floss around the cake and pull the ends in opposite directions. You get a perfectly sliced cake every time). This recepie is very old, I (am 52) remember it from my childhood. I love this cake. Thanks for sharing!

Connie the crafterbug said...

I wish this was a blog giveaway! I am salivating!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the inspiration! I am currently making a caramel cake for today's church supper!

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