Home » cakes » Caramel Bundt Cake
November 7, 2012 (updated Mar 11, 2022) by Jennifer McHenry //
25 Comments
If there’s one thing that took me a while to feel confident making, it’s caramel. Quite a shame, actually, because caramel is pretty awesome.
But, the thing is that caramel cake is really good. And I always get a craving for it once we get remotely near Thanksgiving and Christmas. That leads us to this cake. We can all make this one.
The cake itself is pretty tasty all on its own. Lots of brown sugar for a caramel-y flavor. And buttermilk to boot. I’ll never understand how something as un-tasty as buttermilk can make cakes so good.
And the caramel sauce? Well, it’s pretty simple. You don’t even need a candy thermometer. Just a heavy saucepan, a big spoon, and about 10 minutes. Now, that’s my kind of caramel.
Get the Recipe:
Caramel Bundt Cake
Yield12-16 servings
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
This Caramel Bundt Cake is moist, flavorful, and a cinch to make!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
For the caramel sauce:
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
- Gradually add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Begin and end with flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the caramel sauce:
- Combine brown sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for 4-5 minutes or until mixture is smooth.
- Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla, and stir until butter has melted and mixture is smooth. Pour desired amount over cake. Transfer any remaining sauce to a container, and store in refrigerator.
Bundt cakes, cakes, glazes
25 Comments »
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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar November 7, 2012 @ 4:01 pm Reply
I always feel funny about making caramel too, but somehow it turns out,,,,your cake looks lovely! I would go bonkers for this!
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jaime @ sweet road November 7, 2012 @ 4:26 pm Reply
I have screwed up caramel so many times… it’s just too easy to mess up. I may give it another shot though, you’ve inspired me!
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Oliver November 7, 2012 @ 6:33 pm Reply
You might have just convinced me to (finally) invest in a bundt tin.
In the UK we don’t have corn syrup, it might be worth suggesting an alternative to that, I’d probably use golden syrup myself.
Keep up the great work.
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dervla @ The Curator November 8, 2012 @ 12:55 am Reply
ooooh i think i know what i’m making for our office bake off on friday. Thanks!!!
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The Duo Dishes November 8, 2012 @ 1:53 am Reply
For those without corn syrup, would golden syrup work? The caramel sauce sounds like a must have.
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jennifer November 8, 2012 @ 9:31 am Reply
I don’t have any experience using golden syrup, but from what I’ve read it should work.
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Stephanie November 8, 2012 @ 5:40 pm Reply
ooh man that is a sexy looking cake! I love caramel
See AlsoJelly Doughnuts Recipe -
Katkinkate November 10, 2012 @ 8:37 pm Reply
In Australia we buy a can of sweetened condensed milk, place can (unopened) in a saucepan with enough water to totally cover the can, boil (with a lid on) slowly for about an hour for light caramel flavour or up to 2 for a darker, richer flavour (and colour).
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Katkinkate November 10, 2012 @ 8:41 pm Reply
I’d just like to emphasis the importance of keeping the water level above the can. The can will explode if the water level drops too far and the caramel is very hot. I have seen some ugly scars from exploding cans of caramel.
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Amy November 10, 2012 @ 10:17 pm Reply
Really nice! The cake by itself is subtle with the caramel flavor. The glaze really kicks it up. I think a big scoop of vanilla ice cream would be great with this.
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terya June 4, 2013 @ 5:03 pm Reply
Do you mean sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk?
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jennifer June 4, 2013 @ 9:51 pm Reply
terya, it’s sweetened condensed milk.
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Kristin October 4, 2013 @ 10:49 am Reply
Hi! I tried this cake a couple of weeks ago and loved it. I am making it again today for my son’s 2nd birthday party tomorrow. When I made the caramel sauce the first time, it was delicious but “crunchy” from the brown sugar. I thought I had stirred it and boiled it long enough last time (in fact I was worried about it burning). Any suggestions for how to get it smoother this time?
Thanks!!
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jennifer October 4, 2013 @ 11:24 am Reply
Hi, Kristin! It takes a lot of stirring and heat to make it smooth. I would also suggest making doubly sure that your brown sugar is fresh and that it’s not clumped when you add it to the pan. If that doesn’t work, try bringing it to a boil a bit more slowly. Gradually increase the heat while you stir it. That might give the sugar a little more chance to dissolve thoroughly.
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MargaretUK November 11, 2013 @ 4:30 am Reply
I live in England, and bought my corn syrup from Amazon. This cake
looks gorgeous. I love caramel and can’t wait to try it. -
gayle lawrence July 17, 2014 @ 1:48 pm Reply
Thank you for this cake recipe. I lost this recipe a few years ago and grateful to find again. I won first place at county fair with this wonderful cake! The buttermilk really makes the difference in flavor and moisture.
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Farzana July 24, 2014 @ 6:32 pm Reply
I’ve been trying to find a good caramel recipe that is detailed in the right way so I don’t need a candy thermometer and this one looks perfect! Definitely need to try this out.
Thanks
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Lane March 13, 2016 @ 3:49 am Reply
I made this two weeks ago. The cake is excellent. Unfortunately, my attempt at the icing was a disaster but I think this was due to the pot I used not being thick enough.
The cake was very easy to make and popped right out. The reason I give this cake 9/10 is because it tastes great without a glaze. Too often, cakes taste great in large part due to the very sweet frosting. Case in point, last week I made a chocolate cake. The frosting was very chocolatey and sweet but the chocolate cake was bland.
Thanks for sharing. Next time, I will make the glaze properly.
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Jennifer McHenry March 14, 2016 @ 10:29 am Reply
I’ve gotten better at it, but I used to assume I’d have to make some caramels twice to get them right. A heavy saucepan will definitely help. Good luck!
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Suki Taqi September 28, 2016 @ 12:12 pm Reply
I made this cake yesterday and followed the recipe exactly.. I must say it turned out beautiful! But it didn’t taste caramel enough for me or my guests. It was more like a vanilla cake with a sort of toffee icing
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Mary Kessler December 16, 2016 @ 9:57 pm Reply
A little disappointed in this recipe. Even with the wonderful ingredient list, the cake was dry. Followed the directions exactly for the caramel sauce but turned out ‘crunchy’.
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Sara May 26, 2017 @ 2:43 pm Reply
Made it and I agree with the last comment. Way too dry.
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Amy May 29, 2017 @ 8:29 pm Reply
Wow! I made the recipe as written, but forgot to add the vanilla to the cake batter. We found it moist and buttery! Didn’t miss the vanilla at all. Everyone loved it!
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Jessie July 10, 2020 @ 8:31 am Reply
Can this cake be made as a layered cake ?
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Jennifer McHenry July 10, 2020 @ 11:20 am Reply
Hi, Jessie. As a general rule, a 10- or 12- cup Bundt cake recipe will make 2 9-inch round layers. Keep in mind that the layers will likely need less baking time than a Bundt.
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