Salted Caramel Cake Recipe

Salted caramel is one of those early food trends that just keeps right on going, but that's because these not-so-contradictory flavors taste pretty great together. As recipe developer Jessica Morone describes her latest dessert creation, "It combines sweet and salty flavors in a light fluffy cake." She does say, though, that the flaky sea salt shown sprinkled on top "is more for just aesthetics than for flavor ... The salted caramel part of the recipe really comes from using salted butter."

Another special ingredient Morone uses here is yogurt, something she tells us "helps make the cake moist and fluffy," while also "add[ing] a bit of a tangy flavor to the cake that balances out all the flavors." While she says you can use any kind of yogurt you like — Greek, American, Australian, full-fat, low-fat, etc. — it does need to be plain, as she says "flavored yogurt ... would change the way the cake tastes."

First step: Start your oven. If you set it at 350 F now, it'll stand a good chance of being ready by the time your cake needs to go in.

Now beat a cup (2 sticks) of the butter with a cup of the sugar as well as the yogurt, brown sugar, and vanilla. Once the mixture looks creamy, add the eggs one at a time, stirring only enough to combine. Mix the flour and the baking powder, then take turns adding this dry mix and the buttermilk to the sugar/butter mixture. Once all of the ingredients have been combined, beat the batter for a minute.

While the cake is cooling, cook the remaining sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns brown. Stir while you cook, being careful not to take your eyes off it for too long. Morone notes, "It takes about 6 to 8 minutes for the sugar to melt ... If you cook it for too long or at too high of a temperature it will burn." Once it melts, turn the heat down and quickly add the butter. Stir until the butter melts, then turn off the heat and stir in the cream until the sauce is smooth. Morone does say that, should your sauce seize up, "Put the saucepan on low heat and continue to whisk until the caramel has smoothed out again."

Let the sauce cool a bit, then, once the sauce and cake are cool, pour the former over the latter. You may only want to use part of the sauce, though. Morone tells us she only pours half of the sauce directly onto the cake, saving the rest to pour over individual slices. She explains that she does so "because the sauce is really yummy," but also admits, "I tend to eat it by the spoonful before I even add it to the cake."