Description
This shockingly moist vegan caramel cake will leave you speechless. It has layers of a soft, one bowl “buttery” vanilla cake, gooey salted caramel, and a rich and nutty ‘brown butter’ caramel frosting. All dairy free, no eggs, and strictly for caramel lovers only!!
Ingredients
Scale
Caramel:
- 1 batch vegan caramel sauce
Browned Vegan Butter:
- 1 cup (220 g) salted vegan butter
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups (300 mL) dairy free milk, such as soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 g) salted vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (110 g) olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 3/4 cup (350 g) organic granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 1/2 cups (450 g) cake flour
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Browned vegan butter from previous step above, room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) vegan cream cheese, cold
- 4 cups (480 g) sifted powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp of caramel sauce from above recipe
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep the caramel first: Follow the instructions for the caramel sauce. Then pour the caramel sauce into a square baking dish to help the caramel cool faster.
- Next make the browned butter for the frosting: Add the vegan butter from the browned vegan butter section to a small saucepan, and heat on medium-high heat until the butter melts. Stir continuously, until the butter starts to brown, and caramelized brown flecks appear in the fatty solids of the butter, about 5-7 minutes. Once browned, pour the vegan butter into a small bowl, and set aside to cool back down to room temperature. It should solidify enough to be like room temperature butter, appropriate for frosting.
- Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350F, and line three 8″ cake pans with parchment paper. Then in a large bowl, whisk together the melted (not browned) vegan butter, oil, sugar, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Add in the flour and dairy free milk, and stir with a whisk until the flour is just integrated into the wet ingredients.
- Bake: Divide the batter into the three cake pans, and bake for 27-29 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes: Remove the cakes from the oven, and let cool in their pans for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. It’s imperative that there is no heat whatsoever coming from the cakes before frosting, along with the caramel as well.
- When ready to assemble, make the frosting: Once the browned vegan butter is back to a set but soft state, you’re ready to make the frosting. In a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the browned vegan butter and cream cheese until creamy, about 3 minutes. Then add in the powdered sugar, caramel, and vanilla extract, and mix again until the frosting is creamy and smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Take pauses to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Assemble: When ready to assemble with the crumb coat, place on cake layer onto a cake plate or cake turntable. Scoop about 2/3 cup of frosting onto the cake, and smooth the frosting with an offset spatula over the cake to touch the edges. Then using the offset spatula, create a well in the frosting, with just a little frosting as the wall along the border (see photos). Spoon 2-3 tbsp of caramel sauce into the middle, and spread the caramel to evenly touch the edges of the frosting wall. Be careful not to over-fill. It might not seem like a lot of caramel, but with another layer it will. Then repeat with the next cake layer, frosting and filling with caramel. Place the final cake layer on top, and frost the entire cake with a crumb coat, smoothing the edges.
- Chill the crumb coated cake: Place the cake into the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes. Once chilled, you can remove the cake from the fridge to finish the final coating of frosting.
- Finish the frosting: Spoon more frosting on the cake, and smooth the edges. Pour the remaining caramel sauce on top, and smear into the frosting with a spoon. You can also sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt on top.
- Slice and serve: Store the cake in the fridge or slice and serve immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Notes
See blog post for all tips and tricks on making this cake!
