Traditional Southern Caramel Frosting Recipes

TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Place the first 1/3 cup of sugar in the bottom of a large heavy-bottomed saucepan.
• Stirring frequently, cook over medium heat until it melts and becomes lightly golden brown. This will take about 3 minutes and don't worry if the sugar clumps a bit.
• In a second sauce pan, combine flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in cold milk until combined and any lumps are worked out. Place over medium-high heat and cook until it comes to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Pour 1/4 of the hot milk mixture into the caramelized sugar. Whisk until combined. Slowly add the rest of the hot milk, stirring as you go.
• Cover mixture and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Uncover and turn heat to medium, without stirring cook until it reaches 238°F (soft ball stage.) This will take about 10 minutes. Add butter and stir until well blended. Remove from heat and let sit for about an hour.
• Pour into stand mixer bowl. Add vanilla and mix on medium for 20 minutes.
• Spread immediately over cake, working quickly as it sets up.

HOMEMADE CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Sprinkle 1/3 cup sugar in a shallow, heavy 3½-qt. Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until sugar is melted and syrup is light golden brown (sugar will clump). Remove from heat.
• Stir together 1 Tbsp. flour and 2½ cups sugar in a large saucepan; add milk, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
• Gradually pour about one-fourth hot milk mixture into caramelized sugar, stirring constantly; gradually stir in remaining hot milk mixture until smooth. (Mixture will lump, but continue stirring until smooth.)
• Cover and cook over low heat 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium; uncover and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reaches 238° (soft-ball stage, about 10 minutes). Add butter, stirring until blended. Remove from heat and let stand, without stirring, until temperature drops to 110° (about 1 hour).
• Pour into bowl of heavy-duty electric stand mixer. Add vanilla, and beat at medium speed (setting 4) with whisk attachment until spreading consistency (about 20 minutes).

COOKED CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large saucepan, combine ingredients and mix well to blend. Bring to a boil; cover and cook 3 minutes.
• Uncover and cook to 238 F on a candy thermometer or until soft ball forms when dropped in cold water. Cool for 3 minutes.
• Beat until thick and spreadable. It should begin to lose its glossiness.
• Spread on layers and over sides of cake.
• Enjoy.

CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat; stir in brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Whisk milk into the saucepan until mixture is smooth.
• Beat 3 cups confectioners' sugar and salt into the butter mixture with an electric mixer on low speed. Add remaining confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth.

CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, milk and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. , Increase heat to medium. Do not stir. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until bubbles form in center and syrup turns amber in color. Transfer to a small bowl; cool to room temperature., Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting achieves spreading consistency.

CARAMEL FROSTING I

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and mix in 3 tablespoons milk and brown sugar. Boil vigorously for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, and beat in 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Cool slightly, and beat in the vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick.

HOMEMADE CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a pan.
• Add brown sugar and boil for two minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add milk and stir until mixture boils, remove and cool.
• Pour into mixing bowl and add powdered sugar a little bit at a time.
• Beat well after each addition of powdered sugar.

GRANDMA'S CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, milk, and butter; bring to a full boil and cook for exactly 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add baking powder and vanilla. Beat until thick enough to spread.

TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375'F Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, line each with a parchment paper round. Spray again over parchment rounds. Set pans aside.
• 2. Beat butter in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar to butter mixture and continue to beat until fluffy.
• 3. Beat syrup into the butter mixture until completely incorporated. Add one egg at a time into batter, completely incorporating each before adding the next.
• 4. In another large mixing bowl, sift flour, salt, and baking powder together.
• 5. In a measuring cup pour out milk. Mix vanilla extract into the milk.
• 6. Gradually add flour mixture into butter mixture, alternating between flour and milk mixture; beginning and ending with flour mixture until both the flour and milk mixtures are complete incorporated into batter.
• 7. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes our barely clean.
• 8. Cool cake for 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto wire wrack to finish cooling.
• 9. For Frosting: 1- in a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter until nutty brown. Be careful not to scorch. Immediately pour butter into a large glass mixing bowl. Let butter cool for 15-20 minutes. 2- With an electric mixer, mix in vanilla and salt. 3- Gradually add confectioner's sugar until completely incorporated. You will have a clumpy mess at this point. 4- With your mixer on low gradually at cream. Add more cream as needed to get desirable creamy frosting texture, but don't over do it, or you'll have a mess.
• 10. Assembly: Level off any doming on the cooled caramel cakes. Place the first cake on a cake platter and frost the top of it. Stack the second on the first and frost entire cake as desired. I chose to garnish with extra caramel syrup.

OLD TIMEY CARAMEL ICING

Steps:

• 1. Combine 3 cups sugar and milk in a heavy sauce pan on medium heat. Stir together for a few minutes. Allow to continue to heat.
• 2. While milk and sugar are heating, place a small black iron skillet on med. to med. high heat. Add the 5 tablespoons on sugar. Stir in the skillet until the sugar liquifies and then turns golden brown. It will be bubbling hot.
• 3. Now the milk and sugar should be very hot. Carefully pour in the browned sugar from the skillet. Whisk together and cook for about 15 minutes or until the mixture reached the very soft ball stage. (test by dropping a little off a spoon into a small glass of cool water. When a small soft ball forms, it's ready.)
• 4. Remove from heat and using an electric mixer, mix in 1 and 1/2 sticks cold butter...never margarine! Continue to beat until cooled to spreading consistency.
• 5. If too thick, you can thin by beating in milk a tablespoon at a time. Make sure your cake in completely cooled or this heavy icing may cause the top to split. It'll still taste super though!

SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two (9-inch) cake pans. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add about a third of the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add about half of the buttermilk and continue to mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to add flour and buttermilk in the same way, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Add vanilla and combine fully, making sure not to overmix.
• Divide batter evenly between pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
• As the cake bakes, make the icing: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine. Bring to a gentle boil over medium and let the mixture bubble for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Carefully and slowly add the buttermilk (it will bubble up), stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a full, rolling boil. Remove from heat and add salt. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth, then add vanilla extract and mix to combine. The icing should look glossy and pour easily from the bowl.
• While the icing is still warm, spread about 1 cup icing on one cake, then top with the second cake. Use the rest of the icing on the top and sides of the cake. The icing will set up as it cools. If the icing starts to harden, microwave the icing in 10-second intervals until smooth. (You can also make the icing up to 3 to 5 days in advance, and keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.) Serve immediately.

CREAMY CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting achieves spreading consistency.

CLASSIC SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE RECIPE - (3.8/5)

Steps:

• CAKE: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans and add optional parchment paper. Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat for 5 more minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well after each. Add flour and buttermilk, alternately, beginning and ending with flour, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat well. Divide among pans and bake 25 to 30 minutes until set. Turn out of pans onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely. FROSTING: Mix all ingredients over medium-low heat in a 3- to 4-quart cast iron dutch oven. Swirl pan to keep ingredients moving in the pan. Cook to softball stage, 235ºF to 245ºF on a candy thermometer, or when a drop forms a soft ball in a cup of cold water. Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon until creamy and ready to spread.