This vanilla cream cake with quick caramel frosting is beyond delicious.A lovely white cream cake with an amazingly yummy old-fashioned vanilla flavor topped with a lightly caramel-flavored frosting that is divine. This cake is a tried and true keeper.
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This cake my friends.
Seriously. I had no idea that I’ve been missing this cake in my life for the past thirty-something years. But I have.
When I first met this cake
We had a family funeral a few weeks ago.
It was a long day with lots of tears. My husband’s uncle Ken was loved. And “loved people” are missed when they go. I never realized how exhausting tears can be.
We didn’t even really know we were hungry when we dropped by Granny B’s for a quick visit before heading back to our hotel.
Of course if you have a Granny like Granny B. you know that you can’t leave the house without eating first.
Asweet little neighbor lady named Laverta H. and her daughter had dropped off loads of food for Granny and Gramps including this cake.
Very simple to behold, it was made in a little throw-away tin foil pan. It was unassuming and plain. And to be honest I didn’t have any expectations.
I thought it was made from a cake mix when I first saw it. And cake mix cakes are meh. Not really worth the effort to eat, in my opinion.
But then I tasted it.
And I knew immediately that this was no store bought cake. This was something special.
After we left Granny B’s we dropped by sweet Laverta’s home a few doors down and thanked her for the delicious cake. She called her daughter and they were so sweet to share this recipe with me.
The recipe she gave me was really just an ingredient list. It included no mixing or baking instructions at all. Little-old-lady recipes like this one are the best kind, but sometimes hard to duplicate exactly.
Developing the Recipe
I tried the recipe a few days later. On the same afternoon that we got home from that trip (I couldn’t wait).
I’ve since made it five or six more times just to be certain that I had perfected the instructions.
It was no chore, believe me. This cake is so good.
My brother was in town during the perfecting process so there were lots of family get-togethers. We had the cake no less than four times in a single weekend and no one complained. In fact they were all lined up each time with their plates. I could tell by their faces that they were hoping for bigger pieces as I tried to stretch the cake that feeds fifteen to feed twenty-something people.
We got everyone’s input on which cake was better and why. And today I present you with the perfected version of this lovely little cake.
The interesting thing about it, is that it is a cream cake. The only fat and liquid in the recipe is the cream (no butter and no oil). It makes for a very thick batter (that is delicious by the way).
I love how quickly it comes together, with just about ten minutes of prep time. I love using my favorite hand mixer (aff. link) to whip up the batter.
It does take about an hour to bake, but the smell as it bakes is well worth the wait, believe me!
The quick caramel frosting is very similar to the frosting in my Mom’s Spice Cake,but made easier by the fact that it’s all done in the microwave.
Okay my friends. I’m so exciting to share this recipe with the world.
Someday I will make this vanilla cream cake with quick caramel frosting in a little tin foil pan and drop it off at another family’s home who has lost someone they love. Comfort food. Seriously you can’t measure the value of that.
Thank you sweet Laverta.
4.75 from 27 votes
Vanilla Cream Cake with Quick Caramel Frosting
A lovely white cream cake with an amazingly yummy old-fashioned vanilla flavor topped with a lightly caramel-flavored frosting that is divine.
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
KeywordVanilla Cream Cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 15 Servings
Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com
Ingredients
For Cake:
- 2 ½cups(12.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoonbaking powder
- ½teaspoonsalt
- 2large eggs
- 1 ¾cup(13.15 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2teaspoonspure vanilla extract
- 2cupsheavy whipping cream
For Frosting:
- ½cup(1 cube) butter
- ¾cupbrown sugar
- 3tablespoonsmilk
- 2cups(8 ounces) powdered sugar
Instructions
For Cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter and set aside.
In a medium bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine (see note). Set aside.
In another medium mixing bowl beat the eggs with an electric mixer for about a minute until nice and frothy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until well mixed in. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add ½ of the heavy whipping cream and mix. Add another ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix. Then add the last ½ of the cream and mix until combined. Add the final ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Pour cake batter (batter will be very thick) into prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until lightly browned and inserted toothpick comes out clean (see note). Frost cake while warm.
For Frosting:
After the cake is made, prepare the frosting. In microwave safe bowl add the butter, brown sugar and milk. Microwave on high for 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until mixture is boiling.
Add powdered sugar a cup at a time and whisk until smooth (see note).
Acting quickly, while cake is still warm, pour frosting on cake and spread evenly around edges. Frosting will set as it cools (see note).
Recipe Notes
1. Sifting the flour mixture is optional, but it does add to the lightness of the cake.
2.If the cake jiggles after it has baked, it is not ready to be tested yet. Testing it too early, will make it fall.
3. If the powdered sugar is really clumpy, sifting it before mixing it in the frosting will help so it doesn’t get clumps.
4. This cake is very tasty when still warm, but it definitely looks prettier when it’s cooled because the frosting sets.
5. Alternately you can use two 9-inch cake pans with a baking time of about 35-40 minutes.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted from a “Quick Change Cake” recipe shared with me by Laverta H. and her daughter
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon
Recipe Updates
Update 7/7/2018:
Wow! I had no idea how popular this recipe was going to be. It’s only been posted a month and it has been pinned 9,000 times already. And this little nobody blogger who’s only had her blog up just 8 months is completely astounded. But I can’t say I blame you all. It’s probably one of my favorite cakes of all time.
Just wanted to give you all a little update on the recipe. I made it for my daughter’s birthday last week in two 9″ cake pans. It baked in about 35-40 minutes and turned out amazingly beautiful and completely and utterly delicious. I added a little whipped cream cheese frosting and topped it with blueberries and raspberries for a little red, white, and blue. It was so good.
Also if you like this recipe, make sure you check out this other homemade tried and true cake recipe that I posted a little while ago: Mom’s Spice Cake with Light Caramel Frosting. These two recipes truly belong in the same class of amazing tried and true cake recipes that I hope my great-great-great grandchildren will still be making when I’m no longer around.
Update 2/25/2019:
We love this cake so much that I’ve created a Lemon Cream Cake version of it–give that one a try too. It’s also delicious.
Update 9/30/2019:
This cake continues to be a huge favorite around here. I created another version that just posted. Its a Coconut Cream Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting {Dairy Free}. Yum.
Update 3/6/2023:
I started making this cake last week and realized I only had a cup of cream. I used 1 cup of cream, 1/2 cup of whole milk and 1/2 cup of melted butter in place of the cream and it was delicious. The cake cooked faster than the original recipe so check it after 35-40 minutes (I just turned on the oven light and noticed it was browning quicker). I ended up pulling it out about 10 or 15 minutes early.
