Rose’s Famous Caramel Cake

Name: Rose's Famous Caramel Cake
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 1 Cake
Ingredients: 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened; 3 1 ⁄ 4 cups cake flour; 1 tbsp. baking powder; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. salt; 6 1 ⁄ 4 cups sugar; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 4 eggs; 1 1 ⁄ 4 cups milk; 16 tbsp. salted butter; 2 (12-oz.) cans evaporated milk

Serves
makes 1 Cake

JAMES OSELAND

Rose Deshazer-White, of Chicago's South Side, earned local fame for this buttery cake slathered with rich caramel icing.

Get seasonal recipes, methods and techniques sent right to your inbox—sign up here to receive Saveur newsletters. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at @SaveurMag.

What You Will Need

Ingredients

16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3 ¹⁄₄ cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
¹⁄₂ tsp. salt
6 ¹⁄₄ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 ¹⁄₄ cups milk
16 tbsp. salted butter
2 (12-oz.) cans evaporated milk

ADVERTISEMENTAD

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oven to 350°. Making sure all ingredients are at room temperature, grease two 9" round cake pans with 1 tbsp. unsalted butter; dust with 1 1⁄2 tbsp. flour, tap out excess, and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. Beat remaining unsalted butter and 2 1⁄2 cups sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beating smooth after each addition. Divide batter between pans. Bake until golden, 30–35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes; remove cakes; let cool completely. Slice tops off cakes to level them.

Step 2

To make icing, cook remaining sugar and salted butter in a pot over high heat, stirring constantly, until light brown, 7–8 minutes. Carefully stir in evaporated milk; reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth, 8–10 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until icing registers 240° on a candy thermometer, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove from heat; beat with a wooden spoon until thick, glossy, and spreadable, 20–25 minutes. (A dollop dropped on a plate should ooze only slightly.) Ice bottom layer of cake; top with second layer and ice the outside. Chill cake until set.

Heat oven to 350°. Making sure all ingredients are at room temperature, grease two 9" round cake pans with 1 tbsp. unsalted butter; dust with 1 1⁄2 tbsp. flour, tap out excess, and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. Beat remaining unsalted butter and 2 1⁄2 cups sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beating smooth after each addition. Divide batter between pans. Bake until golden, 30–35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes; remove cakes; let cool completely. Slice tops off cakes to level them.
To make icing, cook remaining sugar and salted butter in a pot over high heat, stirring constantly, until light brown, 7–8 minutes. Carefully stir in evaporated milk; reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth, 8–10 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until icing registers 240° on a candy thermometer, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Remove from heat; beat with a wooden spoon until thick, glossy, and spreadable, 20–25 minutes. (A dollop dropped on a plate should ooze only slightly.) Ice bottom layer of cake; top with second layer and ice the outside. Chill cake until set.