CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce is wonderfully moist, rich, and decadent. This caramel chocolate cake is perfect for any occasion and is a chocolate lover’s dream come true!

For this chocolate caramel cake recipe, we have created layers of heavenly cake with a fluffy and delightful frosting. It is no surprise that when you make this chocolate cake with caramel you will be hooked immediately, it’s such a wonderful combination of flavors and textures in every bite.

Chocolate and Caramel

The combination of caramel and chocolate is a widely known perfect pairing. From the sweet rich chocolate to the smooth and creamy caramel the two were a match made in heaven. When this cake recipe came across my radar many years ago I knew I had to try it. It has quickly become a highly requested birthday cake in my house, and it’s not hard to see why.

Why You Should Make This Cake Recipe

The fluffy chocolate cake, homemade frosting, and ooey-gooey caramel drizzle are exquisite! But those aren’t the only reasons why you need this cake in your life. Check out these reasons for why this cake should be made soon:

• This cake is perfect for so many occasions, birthday celebrations, baby showers, holidays, you name it and this cake has a place at the dessert table!
• This recipe is actually very easy to make. While this cake might look high-class and fancy, both the ingredients and steps to make it are simple which means just about anybody can whip up a showstopping cake to share with friends.

Chocolate Caramel Cake Ingredients 

Chocolate Cake

Butter: You will need 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter. I replace half with oil to make it moister, but you can do whatever you prefer. 

Cocoa powder: Using 1 1/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder will provide a perfect chocolatey flavor. 

Water: You will be dissolving the cocoa powder in 1 1/4 cups hot water, heat in the microwave for ease. 

Flour: Use 3 cups of all-purpose flour for the base of this cake recipe. 

Salt: Adding in 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt will provide a great balance of flavor in this cake. 

Leavening agents: You need 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda to give this cake a beautiful fluffy texture. 

Sugar: Using 2 1/4 cups of granulated sugar will help make the treat nice and sweet. 

Eggs: You will need 4 large eggs to give this cake amazing flavor and soft consistency. 

Vanilla extract: Use 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract to help enhance all the flavors in this cake. 

Sour cream: Adding in 1 cup of sour cream will give this cake incredible moisture. 

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Vegetable shortening: You will need 1 cup solid white vegetable shortening to make the frosting nice and creamy. You can also use butter for this if you prefer it. 

Vanilla flavoring: Use 1 teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring to give this frosting delicious flavor. The Wilton flavoring is my favorite.

Milk or water: You need 7 teaspoons of water or milk for the much-needed moisture, I prefer milk because it gives it a richer flavor. 

Powder sugar: You will need 1 pound of powdered sugar (or pure cane confectioners sugar) for this frosting recipe. 

Salt: Adding in just a pinch of salt will be a great balance to the sweetness of this frosting. 

Cake filling

Caramel sauce: You will need 1 8-ounce jar of caramel sauce for the savory addition to this cake. 

White chocolate chips: If desired, grab a small bag of white chocolate chips for adding deliciousness to this cake. 

How to make Caramel Chocolate Cake

Prep

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.

Then, spray two 8 inch cake pans with non-stick spray and set them aside. 

Cake batter

In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

Then, melt butter/oil and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. You can also melt the butter and sugar in the microwave if you want to save time.

Once melted, remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl of a mixer stand. Beat at medium-low speed until cooled, this could take up to 15 minutes. You can also use a handheld electric mixer for this step, but it will require commitment and time. 

Next, add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture after each egg addition.

After that, stir in the vanilla extract and add the cocoa powder mixture to the sugar/egg mixture. Reduce speed to low.

Now, start adding in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour (1/2 the amount of flour, then all the sour cream, then the last half of the flour mixture). Beat until just combined, be careful to not over mix. 

Bake

Proceed to divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans.

Place in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.

After removing the cake pans from the oven, leave the cake in the pans for no more than 5 minutes, then transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

How to make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

While the cake is cooling, it is time to make the frosting!

In a medium-size bowl, cream together the shortening, clear vanilla extract, and water or milk. Make sure it is a smooth consistency before moving on.

Then, add the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Blend together until nice and creamy.

If you find that the frosting is too stiff, keep adding a tablespoon of water or milk until you reach the desired consistency. I added 3-4 extra tablespoons to make it really smooth. 

Filling the Cake

To fill the cake, I cut the dome off the top of both the cakes, to make them flat. I placed the first cake right side up (with the cut dome on the top) on the cake platter. Then I put a layer of caramel sauce on the bottom layer of the cake. I used about half of a jar of caramel sauce (about 3-4 oz), this will absorb into the cake.  

I then put a layer of vanilla buttercream frosting on top of the caramel. Followed by a large sprinkling of white chocolate chips on top of the frosting. This can be as much or as little as you want, or you can skip this step if you don’t want them. 

Then, the next layer of cake I placed on top of the white chocolate chips. This was placed on the cake upside-down (with the cut side facing down). 

Frosting the cake

For best results while frosting a cake I suggest starting on the top, get that covered and relatively smooth. Then work your way around the sides of the cake to cover them and make them smooth. I use a spatula with long, straight edges for this step. You can also use a butter knife, anything that has a long straight edge will work great. 

Once the cake is frosted, place the rest of the caramel sauce in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Then with a spoon slowly drizzle it around the edge of the cake, enough that it will run down the side of the cake. I went around the edge of the cake about 3 times to give it enough sauce for a decent drizzle. 

Feel free to add a bit of flair to your cake if you want. I swirled rosettes around the edge of the cake and topped them with black fondant flowers and a pearl sprinkle. I made these flowers using a flower press that I purchased at Michaels craft. You can also purchase flowers from Michaels. I have even seen some for sale on Etsy. 

Once the cake is frosted and decorated to our liking, serve and enjoy! 

How to prevent cakes from sticking to the pan:

Make sure to grease the inside of your cake pan well and then add in a dusting of flour to help as well. For chocolate-based cakes, using cocoa powder instead of flour works well but flour is best for the lighter colored cakes. You can also use a nonstick baking spray with flour in the mix to make it a little easier as well but I’ve found that manually adding grease + flour works best as the spray doesn’t always help cakes to come out flawlessly.

How do I store Chocolate caramel cake?

After your cake has been assembled you can store it at room temperature or in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This cake is best enjoyed in the first 3 days, the caramel might make the cake a bit soggy so be sure to enjoy it while it is still fresh and tasty!

Can I freeze caramel cake?

You can freeze the baked cake, but I don’t recommend freezing the cake once it is frosted and decorated. The caramel might not hold up well when frozen then defrosted. This cake really is meant for making and enjoying immediately.

If you loved this recipe, try some of our other favorite chocolate cake recipes too!

• EASY CHERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE
• MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE
• CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
• ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE POKE CAKE
• CHOCOLATE CHIP BUNDT CAKE
• MINT CHOCOLATE POKE CAKE
• EASY CHOCOLATE ZEBRA CAKE
• CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER POKE CAKE
• HOT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
• REESE’S CHOCOLATE DUMP CAKE
• EASY CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

This caramel chocolate cake is surprisingly easy to make and is a chocolate lover’s dream come true! Try it soon and see why we can’t stop raving about it!