Southern Caramel Bundt Cake
A rich buttery cake topped with a traditional boiled caramel icing for a twist on a Southern classic.
Servings: 1 large Bundt cake
Equipment
- Bundt pan (10-12 cup capacity)
- Electric Mixer (handheld or stand mixer)
- Large mixing bowls
- Medium saucepan (at least 3 quarts)
- Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Wire cooling rack
- Candy thermometer (for icing)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup butter (softened 2 sticks)
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For the Icing:
- ⅓ cup white sugar (to caramelize)
- 1¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 2 ½ cups white sugar (to add to the milk)
- ¾ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat and prepare the pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and position the oven rack in the center. Then, grease a Bundt pan with shortening or butter and dust with flour, or use a baking spray that contains flour.
- Blend the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until creamy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Finish batter by addinng dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-65 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes clean.
- Cool the cake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing:
- Caramelize the sugar. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan (at least 3 quarts), sprinkle 1/3 cup of granulated sugar evenly across the bottom. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and turns a light amber color. Be patient, as the sugar may clump before melting smoothly. Keep an eye on it, it will go from golden to burnt quickly.
- Prepare the milk mixture. Whisk together the milk, the remaining sugar, and 1 teaspoon of flour in a separate large saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils.
- Combine and cook. Carefully pour the hot milk mixture into the caramelized sugar. Then, reduce the heat to low and stir until the sugar clumps dissolve completely. Next, raise the heat to medium and cook until the mixture thickens and reaches 238°F on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage), about 5-10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to cool.
- Beat the icing until thickened. Once the caramel mixture has cooled to about 110°F, transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer until the icing thickens to your desired consistency. For a thinner glaze, beat for 2-3 minutes. For a thicker consistency suitable for piping, beat for 5-7 minutes. I recommend taking a small amount and putting in on the cake to see how it sets before you pour it all on. I usually end up beating a few minutes more for a thicker texture.
- Ice the cake. Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle or pour the caramel icing over the top. If you want, use thicker icing for piping decorative touches.
Notes
Before you start baking, you’ll want to make sure that your butter, eggs, and sour cream aren’t cold. Room-temperature ingredients mix better together, which makes your cake nice and fluffy.
When mixing in the flour, combine everything until it’s just mixed. If you mix too much, you’ll have a heavy and hard cake.
To see if your cake is fully baked, poke the middle of it with a toothpick or cake tester. If the toothpick comes out clean or has a couple of crumbs, your cake is done. If there’s wet batter on the toothpick, you’ll need to bake the cake a bit longer.
Putting the icing on the cake while it’s still warm might be tempting, but you should wait. Make sure the cake is cool before adding caramel icing. Otherwise, the icing will melt and drip off.
Once you’ve got your icing right, know it will begin to harden as it cools down. So you’ll want to work quickly to pour or drizzle it for a smooth look. And if you’re planning to pipe the icing, put it in your piping bag as soon as you’re done making it.
And if you’re looking to make the icing a bit more special, adding a pinch of sea salt can give it a nice sweet and salty combo. Or, for something a bit more adult, mix in a teaspoon of bourbon or dark rum.