Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
This irresistible spice cake with salted caramel buttercream frosting strikes the perfect balance between warm, autumnal spices and salty-sweet caramel.
Servings: 12
Calories: 879kcal
Equipment
- 2 9 inch round metal cake pans
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
For the Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons whole milk
- ½ cup salted caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9 inch round baking pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Make the cake batter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar by first beating the butter on medium-high speed until smooth (about 30 seconds) and then adding the sugar and continuing to beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (another 2 to 3 minutes).
- Add the oil to the butter and sugar and beat until blended.
- In another small bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add the milk and whisk until blended.
- Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Next, add half of the egg mixture and stir until blended. Continue to alternate adding the flour and egg mixtures to the batter, ending with the final third of the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well without over mixing (stirring gently and mixing just until combined) after each addition.
Bake the cake.
- Divide the batter evenly among the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes, or until the top springs back when poked and a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the pans to cool completely.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until blended.
- Add sugar slowly – one cup at a time – beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. When all sugar is added the frosting will be slightly dry.
- Add milk and beat on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Add caramel sauce and beat on medium-high speed until well blended and fluffy.
Frost the cake.
- To frost the cake, first place one cake layer onto a cake plate or server. Using an offset spatula, spread some frosting on top of the layer and top with the other layer of cake. Spread remaining frosting over top and around sides of cake.
Notes
Storage: The frosted cake can be stored at room temperature covered on a cake stand or in a cake carrier for 2 to 3 days. The sugar in the buttercream frosting acts as a preservative, making it safe to store out of the fridge for a few days. If you wish to store the cake for a few extra days, move it the fridge either in a cake carrier or another sealed container (or on a plate covered with plastic wrap).
Freezing: The unfrosted cake layers can be made ahead of time, cooled, wrapped, and frozen for up to 2 months. Be sure each layer in completely cooled before wrapping with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. For an extra layer of protection, seal the wrapped cake layers in a sealed container or resealable plastic bag.
This cake recipe uses all-purpose flour. For the most tender cake, it's best to use an all-purpose flour with a moderate protein content, like Gold Medal (10.5%), rather than a high-protein all-purpose flour like King Arthur (11.7%). If you only have high-protein all-purpose flour on hand, you can replace 1 cup of the flour with cake flour to limit the formation of gluten.
If you use regular (not salted) caramel sauce, add ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt to the frosting when adding the vanilla.
Cake recipe adapted from "How to Bake" by Nick Malgieri.
Nutrition
Calories: 879kcal | Carbohydrates: 123g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 140mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 1206IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 2mg
