Caramel Cake Recipe

"Deliciously sweet, blissfully festive, and quintessentially Southern, the Caramel Cake is a must-have dessert on your holiday table. The sweet treat made its debut soon after the Civil War when folks started baking layer cakes. If there’s a gathering anywhere below the Mason-Dixon, we’re willing to bet the Caramel Cake is close by. This dessert takes a bit of patience, but the outcome is undoubtedly worth it. There are usually a few people in every Southern community who are the prime caramel cake makers, and recipes for the decadent dessert are often passed down on handwritten cards through family generations. It’s fluffy, flavorful, and ultimately irresistible. When making the unmistakable Caramel Frosting that perfectly tops this celebratory dessert, 238˚ is the magic sweet spot in sugar cooking; it takes the sugar from granular state to a soft-ball state. This means when the sugar is at exactly 238˚ and placed in a bowl of cold water, it creates a soft and pliable ball. If you cook it any longer or raise the temperature, the sugar will harden, and you’ll have to start from scratch. This soft caramel is the base of the sweet whipped filling between the cake layers. Southern Living first published the Caramel Cake in their December 1971 issue, and it’s been a surefire choice ever since. We have no doubt it will become a fast favorite in your house, as well!..."