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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
I cut sugar to half in all the steps of the recipe, but when it comes to the frosting I wasn’t able to do it because of the texture. The frosting was very sweet for my taste. I had problems with the texture of the frosting and I also ended up with a lot of frosting. I think the chocolate filing would turn out well as a classic ganache with cream instead of sour cream. It turned stiffed really quick. The taste and texture of the cake is great. I used gluten free flour and it went well.
Hey Barbara,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Mine was a total disaster! The frosting melted my cake, splitting it open in three places and oozing cake, fudge, and frosting sludge all over. I guess I should have cooled the frosting a lot longer. I feel like this would have tasted delicious, but unfortunately I can’t serve this to anyone. Bummed.
Hey Anna,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, was there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I think there’s a missing step in the recipe to let cool the frosting. I also added cool cream to try to fix it, maybe left the cream out of the stove?
Hi! So I loved the cake and the Carmel frosting was amazing. I have to say that i felt like maybe there was too much sour cream in the chocolate layer. It was a little too tangy/sour and maybe took away from the chocolate flavor for me. I think i will halve the sour cream next time. Will def make again.
Thanks so much Brenda! xTieghan
Just made this as cupcakes for a dinner party! So tasty and fun! Thanks 🙂
Hey Melissa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I made this recipe and LOVED it! Any ideas for how to adapt to cupcakes instead for next time?
Hey Samantha,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! I would start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
I love your recipes!!! I made this cake for Easter and it was a hit! Thank you for creating such delicious food!
Thanks so much Diane, I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed:) xTieghan
Can you make the frosting and filling the day before?
Hey Katie,
That should work just fine! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how the recipe turns out! xTieghan
Unbelievably good
Thanks so much Kara!
Can I make it the day before? Will it still taste fresh?
Thanks! I absolutely LOVE your recipes!!!
Diane
Hey Diane,
Yes, totally fine to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Cake was yummy but the frosting was really hard to work with. I was warm but just didn’t spread. Maybe I should have out less icing sugar and kept the consistency a little runnier. Good otherwise.
Hey Catherine,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you had issues with the icing, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
I loved the cake, and the caramel frosting was to die for! I think the quality of the chocolate chips probably makes a difference with the filling. I used *fine* chocolate (Trader Joe’s) with sour cream and it was a little too bitter. I made it again with mascarpone instead and much better! I imagine the sour cream would be good though with a really great quality chocolate like Guittard’s semisweet.
Hey Rachel,
Happy Weekend! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
When half baked harvest posted this on Instagram a couple months before my birthday I knew this was going to be my birthday cake. I’m usually a red velvet person but this intrigued me because I love caramel. I made it on my birthday and shared it with 3 friends, my boyfriend and my dad. All whom have since asked for the recipe and plan to make it in the near future. I knew Tieghan does savory food amazing but this…. it was absolutely AMAZING. I was concerned about the sour cream and chocolate at first because I have never had a frosting like that but when everything came together it was unbelievable.
Hey Emily,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so excited that it was enjoyed! Happy Friday! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing! I’m hoping to try it tomorrow. With the chocolate ganache, how do you think substituting crème fraîche for the sour cream would turn out? I have that on hand and wondered how much of a difference the substitution would make.
Thank you!
Hey William,
I have never tried this, so I am unsure what the results would be. Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can I make this into cupcakes? And will the frosting be too runny to pipe? 🙂
Hey Amber-Jade,
I think these would be fine to make into cupcakes, you might want to allow the frosting to set just a bit. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
While making the cake, I found it difficult to get the buttermilk to blend smoothly into the batter adding it after the flour; I discovered some big lumps when I went to pour it into the cake pans. I think next time I would do the flour and buttermilk in two batches of each, adding one after the other. I also think both icing recipes could easily be halved— I used 9″ pans and was generous with the fudge frosting and still had loads leftover, so I halved the caramel frosting and it was the perfect amount. I made it in the food processor to avoid sifting the powdered sugar 🙂 The consistency was excellent for pouring over the cake, much more even than spreading icing by hand (my least favourite part of making cakes).
I made this for my mom’s birthday, and it was lovely, particularly with a bit of Maldon salt on top. The sour element in the fudge filling is the perfect contrast to the sweet caramel on the outside of the cake. My mom said she could eat this every day, so I’d say it was a success!
While making the cake, I found it difficult to get the buttermilk to blend smoothly into the batter adding it after the flour; I discovered some big lumps when I went to pour it into the cake pans. I think next time I would do the flour and buttermilk in two batches of each, adding one after the other. I also think both icing recipes could easily be halved— I used 9″ pans and was generous with the fudge frosting and still had loads leftover, so I halved the caramel frosting and it was the perfect amount; the coverage looked just like the photos here. I made it in the food processor to avoid sifting the powdered sugar 🙂 The consistency was excellent for pouring over the cake, much more even than spreading icing by hand (my least favourite part of making cakes).
I made this for my mom’s birthday, and it was a delight to all, particularly with a bit of Maldon salt on top. The sour element in the fudge filling is the perfect contrast to the sweet caramel on the outside of the cake. My mom said she could eat this every day, so it was definitely a success!
Thanks so much for trying the recipe Jen!! xTieghan