White Cake with Caramel Icing

By Editor | January 10, 2024

I have a love for caramel that knows no bounds, and was terribly excited when I found this recipe. Tell me how this turns out if you make it!

White Cake with Caramel Icing

As printed in At My Grandmother’s Knee, by Faye Porter and Bryan Curtis, 2011

Cake:

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

8 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

3 1/2 cups sugar, divided

3/4 cup water

2 sticks butter

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the batter into 3 wax paper-lined 9-inch round cake pans (place wax paper on the bottom and grease and flour the sides).

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting.

To make the icing, brown or caramel ice 1/2 cup of the sugar in a small cast-iron skillet. To caramelize, place the sugar in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet. Cook on medium heat. Add the water to the sugar and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep scraping down the sides of the skillet to keep the sugar cooking consistently. Stir the mixture until it reaches a boil. Swirl the pan around to keep the syrup moving until it begins to turn amber brown. Remove from the heat.

In a saucepan bring the remaining 3 cups sugar, the butter, and cream to a boil. Add the hot syrup mixture to the boiling butter mixture and cook on medium heat until the icing reaches the soft-ball stage. (If you put a drop of the cooked mixture into a cup of cold water and it forms a soft ball, the mixture is ready.) Cool for a few minutes. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for several minutes, until the icing is creamy and a spreadable consistency. If the icing gets too thick, add a little milk. To test the icing, try spreading it on the inside of the mixer bowl. Spread the icing between each layer of the cake and on the top and sides. If the icing needs a little more smoothing after it is on the cake, dip the spreading knife into warm water and smooth the icing, giving it a slick appearance.

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