Espresso Salted Caramel Cake
If you’re a fan of salted caramel and espresso, then this recipe is calling your name! We’ve taken the flavors of a classic vanilla cake, soaked it a homemade espresso flavored caramel sauce and topped it off with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Each bite is so indulgent with the perfect balance of soft cake and smooth, creamy frosting.
The Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil
- Plain greek yogurt
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Caramel sauce
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered sugar
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01. Steep heavy cream and coffee beans
In a medium saucepan, bring heavy cream and crushed coffee beans to a simmer. Then, turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and allow the heavy cream to steep for 30 minutes. Strain the heavy cream and set it aside to cool.
02. Boil water and sugar
In a medium saucepan, combine the water and granulated sugar. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Avoid stirring at this stage, as this will cause the sugar to crystallize. Instead, gently swirl the pan if needed. Continue to boil until the mixture turns a deep golden brown color.
03. Add butter
Carefully stir in the cubed butter. The mixture will bubble up vigorously, but keep stirring until the butter is completely melted.
04. Add heavy cream and salt
Pour in the heavy cream, continuing to stir as the mixture bubbles up again. Stir until the cream is fully incorporated.
05. Cool the caramel
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the caramel to slightly cool before using. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Cake Tips
Don’t overmix: Once you add the flour, mix just until combined. The batter should be smooth and silky. Overmixing can lead to tough and dry cake.
Pour caramel sauce while cake it hot: Allow the cake to cool for about five minutes, then poke holes using a fork or a skewer. Pour the caramel sauce over the cake while it is still warm so it can soak up the caramel.
Use room temperature ingredients: Almost every baking recipe will call for room temp ingredients! It is also important to make sure the cream cheese and butter used for the frosting is room temp as well.
*For tips on how to perfect your caramel sauce, see our detailed post here.
Espresso Salted Caramel Cake
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cubed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup coffee beans, roughly crushed
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
Caramel Sauce
- In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream and coffee beans to a simmer. Then, turn off the heat, cover, and let it steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain the heavy cream and set aside to cool.
- Add the sugar and water to a pot over medium low heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil without stirring to avoid crystallization. During this process, the sugar will melt and turn into a deep golden brown color.
- Stir in the cubed butter. The mixture will start to bubble rapidly, but keep stirring until the butter is completely melted. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. turn off the heat and allow the caramel to cool.
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line a 9×9 baking pan.
- Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture is thickened and pale, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix in the oil and yogurt. Then, add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes. Then poke holes using a fork or a skewer. Pour about 1 cup of caramel sauce over the cake and let it soak. Set aside some caramel sauce for the topping.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and keep whipping until mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Spread the frosting over the cake. Use the remaining caramel sauce to add dollops of caramel on top of the frosting and swirl with a knife.**
