Caramel Cake Layers

Here we have a caramel cake made the truly old-fashioned way. This one is lighter than the one I initially discovered, but I think it’ll still be delectable. Let’s see how it turns out!

16 ounces (4 1/2 cups) cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
21 ounces (3 cups) sugar
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) soft butter
8 ounces (1 cup) milk, room temperature, divided
8 egg whites, room temperature, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare three layer pans according instructions here. Sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, baking powder and salt and stir on low to combine. Add the butter and 3/4 cup milk and beat for 90 seconds on medium speed. Scrape the bowl. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup milk with four of the whites and the vanilla. Beat this into the better in three additions, beating for 20 seconds each time. Transfer the batter to a large bowl and wash and dry the mixer bowl well. Beat the remaining 4 whites to soft peaks and fold them into the batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, untilt he tops of the layers spring back when you tap them in the centers. Cool the pans on wire racks for 15-20 minutes, then turn the layers out to cool completely. Once cool these layers can be frozen for easier handling or for storage, up to two months.

16 thoughts on “Caramel Cake Layers”

  1. What size are the layer pans? 8″? 9″? I would hate to do all that fancy preparing of pans with the wrong size pan.

  2. Hi Joe, how is the cream divided? 3/4 of a cup x 2 or unevenly? Looks like a lovely cake, and I can’t wait to learn about the icing!

  3. Lovely! I don’t know if I’d be persecuted for asking, but… Here it goes. Can I turn this into cupcakes? 🙂
    Ken

    1. You certainly can, Kendrick. This is a particularly good cupcake batter (and no judgments here…I love cupcakes).

      – Joe

  4. Hi Joe!!

    Do you remember the first recipe you looked at? I made this cake with that recipe, and absolutely loved it. Insane amount of butter and all. But now I can’t find the recipe! Which is sad.

    I’m sure this recipe is good too, but it’s more of a standard white cake, and less of the insane decadence of the first version. And… that sounds like I think standard white cake isn’t insanely decadent. I may need to recheck my baseline. And sanity.

    1. Alas I can’t remember, Mari! Sorry about that. I’ll let you know if I stumble across it!

      Cheers,

      – Joe

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