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Old School style Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting. Taking a step back into our grandma’s youth with this DELICIOUS butter cake. Picture a buttery vanilla cake layered with rich, fudgy, chocolate frosting in the center. Then topped with the most delectable, roll your eyes back good – brown sugar frosting that’s sweet and creamy with notes of caramel mixed throughout. Sooo much to love here! Every bite is sweet, salty, extra chocolatey, and truly delicious. The perfect cake to enjoy any day of the week, no “celebratory” reasons required.
Taking it back to the old school days with this cake…or at least that’s what it feels like to me! Growing up my mom made cakes religiously. Come Friday night we’d have fresh baked cookies, cake, or some other kind of dessert on the counter without a doubt. She was the queen of the Friday night dessert.
No matter what the dessert was, we’d always eat them a little warm and gooey, just after baking. Oh, and always with a cold glass of milk. Baking in the kitchen with mom on Friday nights was such a special time. More times than not my brothers would be MIA, so it was just mom and me. My memories of those Friday nights are so fond and perfect. To this day, they are some of my favorites.
My mom would often bake up a classic chocolate cake, it was everyone’s favorite. What she wouldn’t bake however was any kind of vanilla cake. They were just not her thing. But, my grandma on the other hand? She’d bake up any flavor of cake…chocolate or vanilla, it just had to be easy.
While I don’t remember the exact cakes my Nonnie would bake, this feels like something she would have happily made. Something about a vanilla butter cake, with a super easy (secret ingredient) chocolate frosting, and a sweet brown sugar icing overtop just feels “old school” to me.
Like something she might have found in one of her Better Homes and Garden Magazine’s back in the day. I can literally picture the torn-out magazine page now…
How many of you have super, super old magazine cutouts your mom gave you with recipes? Please cherish those FOREVER. I wish I had more of them!
When my cousin, Maggie mentioned a butter cake yesterday, I was really curious about the idea. And then I got thinking and loved the idea of doing some kind of “old school” style cake.
So here we are!
And everyone? This cake is GOOD, and it’s even pretty easy.
Here are the details, start with the cake.
Start with the vanilla butter cake. I kind of based this off my tiramisu cake, but with a few adjustments. Either way, it’s easy…just beat the wet ingredients together, add the dry, and then beat in some buttermilk.
I always go heavy on the vanilla with my cakes. It’s KEY, so don’t skimp on it.
The chocolate frosting.
While the cake is cooling, you can start making the chocolate fudge frosting. Now this really IS old school. It’s simply just melted chocolate chips and sour cream. I also added espresso powder, which really highlights the chocolate.
For having just three ingredients, this is some of the most magical frosting. Very creamy, rich, and fudgy. And I love that it’s not too sweet, but just sweet enough.
Now, spread the frosting over one layer of the cake. Add the top layer, then chill the cake while you make the brown sugar icing.
Last thing…the brown sugar icing.
I stole this recipe from my chai cupcakes with brown sugar frosting. It’s the same recipe, only this is melted down into more of an icing/glaze…which yes, also feels very old school.
The brown sugar melted down adds hints of warm molasses and really deepens the flavor to create an icing that’s perfectly rich and caramel-like. And when you add a touch of vanilla and sea salt? Well, it’s hard to say no to a second piece. I highly recommend slathering on more icing than you think your cake needs.
Also, you’ll want to swirl on the icing while it’s still warm, once it cools it will stiffen up.
To finish, I topped my cake with chocolate curls and sea salt for a salty-sweet finish.
And that’s it. Honestly, this cake is pretty simple to put together. There are three “steps”, but they’re all very easy. And so very good. Each bite is filled with sweet vanilla butter cake, fudgy chocolate frosting, and sweet caramel-like brown sugar icing.
Best kind of any day cake to bake, no reason required. Although it is my Dad’s birthday today…but he’s not big on celebrating it!
Looking for other easy winter desserts? Here are some favorites:
Brown Butter Malted Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Lastly, if you make this Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Caramel Butter Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 809 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
Brown Sugar frosting
- 2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans and line with parchment paper. 2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stream in the buttermilk, beating until just combined. Pour the batter among the 2 cake pans.3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is just set. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert the cake onto a plate, flip it back over onto a serving plate. Let cool.4. To make the chocolate frosting. Microwave the chocolate chips and a pinch of salt, stirring every 45 seconds, until melted. Stir in the sour cream and espresso, a dollop at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Swirl the frosting onto the top of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top. Run a knife around the side of the cake to clean up any frosting. Chill while you make the brown sugar frosting.5. To make the brown sugar frosting. Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Add a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sift in the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla. Beat until well combined. The frosting should be glossy and pourable. If it feels too runny, add powdered sugar to thicken it.6. Pour the frosting over the cake, spreading around the sides of the cake too. The frosting will set quickly on the cake. If desired top with chocolate curls and sea salt. Slice, eat, and enjoy!!
Notes
This post was originally published on February 19, 2021
The brown sugar frosting is SO DELICIOUS- I could eat it all day long- seriously so good, saving to use in the future.
Personally wasn’t a huge fan of the chocolate frosting- it was very fudgey, which I’m just personally not a huge fan of but if you like fudge – you will like it!
All in all a very easy and yummy recipe!
Hey Cristina,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan
This cake looked awesome when you previewed it on Instagram! I couldn’t wait to make it! We made it today and the caramel icing and yellow cake were awesome! Cake was moist and fluffy. The only thing we couldn’t get over was the flavor of the chocolate frosting with the sour cream. Next time I make this we won’t use the sour cream frosting.
This cake would also taste good with chopped pecans.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hey there,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan
the batter is super buttery and soft
the chocolate fudge delicious and quick
and that icing, omg best cake ever
Hey Andy,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan
I haven’t tried this yet and definitely plan on it! Quick question about the cake texture, is this a dry crumbly or more moist-type cake? I’ve been looking for something not as dry as some cakes I’ve tried.
Hey there,
This cake is more on the moist side. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, Tieghan! I was just wondering.
Where are the caramel notes in the cake? I came here for a caramel cake as stated in the title..but it’s a vanilla butter cake with chocolate frosting and brown sugar icing.is there a way to make the cake caramel? Thanks!
Hey Kelly,
The caramel is in the frosting:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Excited to try this recipe! I an wondering for the chocolate curls on top do you just use a bar of regular chocolate and not a bar of chocolate for baking? Does it matter? Thanks!
Hey Ilyssa,
I just used a Chocolove bar. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
This recipe is to die for! I made it in ramekins as minis to gift (had to increase the bake time quite a bit due to their thickness) but the cake and frosting are AHHmazing! I filled with caramel sauce I had from another recipe which made it mind blowing!
Hey Neveen,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Can you make the cake into cupcakes?
Hey Shimmy,
Totally! I would just reduce your baking time and start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m gonna bake this cake today for my boyfriends birthday which is tomorrow 🙂 I’m really excited and I hope it turns out well ?
Hey Zoe,
I hope the cake is enjoyed! Happy Birthday to your boyfriend! xTieghan
Hi ! New follower but I’ve made 2 recipes so far of yours and LOVE!
Wondering what size cake pans you used for this recipe!
Thanks so so much!
Hey Jeanne,
I used 8 inch cake pans. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
hi! my son and I made the cake for family dinner yesterday, and everyone agreed that the chocolate was too rich and overpowered the cake. I also could have halved the frosting recipe because there was a pint leftover (which I keep eating with a spoon!!) Love your recipes!!
Hey Kristin,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
A question for you: is it ok to use unsalted butter? For some reason i have a lot of unsalted butter on hand and would like to use it up. Thanks for sharing your awesome recipes.
Hey Tamzen,
Yes, totally fine to use unsalted butter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this Saturday and everyone loved it! The best part is it wasn’t difficult at all, and I had everything on hand…. Well actually I didn’t have a whole cup of sour cream (about half) so I made up the difference with Greek yogurt and it was perfect.
Hey Bethany,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
I made this! And it is a life changing experience. Every flavor is divine. Will be making again for special occasions!
Hey Heather,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
This cake came out delicious. The bitterness of the chocolate with the sweet caramel and tender cake are a great combo. When I make it again, I will freeze the cake prior to frosting with the caramel icing – it comes out quite loose. The recipe says that it ought to seize up when it’s poured over the cake. I watched the video posted in instagram stories, so I was sure to whip the caramel icing for a really long time so it could cool quite a bit before I poured it over the cake. It was still pourable but definitely not runny. The cake wasn’t quite cold enough when I took it out of the fridge, the icing ran off but it was chilled enough that the icing was able to be worked back on the cake to become more spreadable like standard icing.
Hey Nicole,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan