Caramel Sheet Cake

I fully believe that caramel cake was meant to be a sheet cake. Its biggest flaw is being cloyingly sweet. As a regular round cake, there is frosting all over, in between layers. But as a sheet cake, with the ideal slather of caramel frosting on top, it’s just right.

The cake itself is incredible. It’s soft and pillowy and intentionally designed with less sugar to offset any type of sweet frosting. It’s a cake I come back to often. The frosting tastes like those hard caramel candies that are creamy and buttery. Together they make the most delectable pair.

SERVINGS: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:

• Nonstick spray
• 3 cups / 375 g flour
• 3 teaspoons / 15 g baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups / 275 g sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

Frosting:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup / 200 g dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
• 1 1/2 cups / 180 g confectioners sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 inch cake pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Whisk together the sour cream and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

With a stand mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in a third of the flour mixture. Beat in a third of the milk mixture. Repeat twice, mixing until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly into the cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

Frosting:

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt and bring to a gentle boil. Whisking constantly, boil gently for 2 to 3 minutes until thickened.

Transfer the caramel to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and let cool for about 35 minutes. Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar and beat until fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes. This may appear runny or thin at first, but it will thicken up during the mixing.

Transfer the cake to a serving platter so that the flat side is facing up and spread the frosting evenly over top.Spoon and level flour and confectioners’ sugar.

The frosting will start to set as it cools. It is a different type of frosting than the typical buttercream, but no less delicious