Vanilla Coffee Cake with Caramel Buttercream Recipe

Time for cake! Try this decadent Vanilla Coffee Cake today.
This cake is moist, layered with luscious Caramel buttercream, topped with caramel sauce and almond Praline. This cake is best for your next brunch or teatime.

Here is my 50th post! Woot woot! Let us celebrate with this wonderfully delicious Vanilla Coffee Cake with Caramel Buttercream. I am so glad that I have reached my 50th recipe post. It has been a year and few months since I started this blog and, I have been enjoying everything that I am doing. The best part of this is sharing it with you guys.

You guys know that I have a craze for layer cakes and, I can make them and gaze at them as long as I could hmm… But the fact is, we cannot have the cake and eat the cake. Eventually, we will have to cut into it to enjoy a slice.
Have you ever felt like having the cake and not eating it just because it looks pretty or, are you like my husband, who has no patience to admire the beauty but wants to bite into a slice?

How to make Vanilla Coffee Cake 

A glance at the recipe can make you wonder that this is a long process to make it. However, it is not! You need to plan and prep ahead. 

 This cake can be made ahead and assembled on the next day. You can freeze these cakes and use them when you need to put the cake together. If you like this cake, then you would love the Chocolate Orange layer cake and Chocolate Toblerone Cake on the blog. 

  This cake is simple to put together if you follow the recipe. You can bake both at the same time. Baking time might vary according to your oven heat. So check the cake when it’s about 25 minutes. Insert a skewer in the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If not, it might need a few more minutes. 

How to make Vanilla Cake 

*All ingredients should be at room temperature. I have used all butter for this Vanilla Cake recipe. If you prefer oil, you can replace the butter with oil. This vanilla cake recipe is for a 6 -inch cake. 

First, you need to mix all the wet ingredients in a large bowl and the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well until combined. Pour it into the 6 inch round cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 

How to make Coffee Flavored Cake

This coffee cake recipe is full of coffee flavor and easy to put together like the vanilla cake. 

 With a few bowls and a whisk, you can put it together in a few minutes. 

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Apart from the hot coffee, mix the rest of the wet ingredients in a large bowl.  

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well until combined. Lastly, add the hot coffee and mix well. This batter makes a 6-inch cake.

How to make the caramel 

Making caramel at home is not so complicated. All you need to do is, keep an eye on the sugar when it caramelizes. When it turns dark amber, you need to switch off the fire. Immediately add the butter and the cream. Stir it slowly and carefully. Be cautious when adding the cream! It will start to bubble up. Cool the caramel slightly and transfer it to a clean glass jar. Store the caramel sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. 

If time is an issue, you can use a store-bought caramel for this cake. 

How to make caramel buttercream frosting

This caramel buttercream frosting is so good! You can have it by the spoonful. But I would suggest controlling yourself until you frost the cake and have the bowl and the spoon for yourself. ( you know what I mean)

The caramel buttercream frosting has few primary ingredients like butter, powdered sugar(icing sugar), vanilla, and some caramel. 

This amount of buttercream is more than enough to layer and frost the whole cake. I like a thin layer of frosting for the layering and a thick coating to cover the cake. 

  • Use a stand mixer or a hand beater to cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for a minute.
  • Next, add powdered sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula a few times.
  • Lastly, put in the caramel and beat until soft and creamy for about 3-4 minutes. I did add more caramel to the frosting. However, you can reduce the amount of caramel by 1-2 tablespoons if you prefer.

Putting the cake together

This cake has four layers, but you can have two layers if you like. I used caramel syrup for the vanilla cake layers before adding the frosting. After layering with frosting, drizzle some caramel sauce on top of the layers. 

 The caramel syrup was just caramel sauce and milk mix together. 

I used a crumb coat to cover the cake and left it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. Lastly, cover the whole cake with frosting and decorate it with caramel sauce and crushed almond praline. 

Vanilla Coffee Cake with Caramel Buttercream Recipe

Recipe by Ruwani Ravin KumarCourse: DessertCuisine: American
Servings

16

servings
Prep time

1

hour 

30

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • Homemade Caramel
  • 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup / 100g granulated white sugar

  • 1/4 cup / 59ml water

  • 1/3 cup / 75g butter

  • 1/2 cup / 120ml heavy whipping cream/ double cream

  • For the Vanilla Cake
  • 1 1/4 cup / 150g all-purpose flour

  • 1 and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

  • 3/4 cup / 170g butter melted and cooled

  • 3/4 cup /150 granulated sugar

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1/2 cup / 100ml +1 Tablespoon whole milk

  • For the Coffee Cake
  • 1 1/4 cup / 150g all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 cup / 110g butter melted and cooled

  • 1/4 / 60ml vegetable / canola oil

  • 3/4 cup /150 granulated sugar

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1/4 / 59ml whole milk

  • 1/4 cup / 59ml Hot instant coffee ( hot water + 1 1/2 Tablespoons of instant coffee mixed)

  • For Caramel Buttercream Frosting
  • 1 1/4 cups / 280g butter

  • 4 cups / 500g powdered sugar/ icing sugar

  • 5-6 Tablespoons Homemade caramel

  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

  • For decorating
  • Almond Praline

  • Caramel sauce

  • Caramel syrup – 1/4 cup milk + 1 Tablespoon caramel mixed together

Directions

  • Homemade Caramel
  • In a medium-size heavy-bottom saucepan, add the sugar and water. Place the saucepan on medium. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir slowly and until sugar dissolves.
  • Cook the sugar mixture until it turns dark amber. It will take about 4 -6 minutes.
  • Once it turns amber, turn off the heat and add the butter and cream slowly. The caramel mixture will start to bubble up, so you need to be careful when stirring.
  • Cool the caramel in the pan and transfer it to a clean glass jar. Use the caramel immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 – 3 weeks.
  • Vanilla Cake
  • Preheat the oven at 175 C/ 350 F. Grease 2 x 6-inch pans and line with parchment paper.
  • Add the flour and baking powder to a medium-size bowl and mix well with a whisk, set aside.
  • Add the sugar, melted butter, vanilla, eggs, and milk into a large bowl and whisk well until combined.
  • Next, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
  • Pour the batter into one 6-inch pan. Keep the pan with batter aside, and next, prepare the coffee cake and bake them together. If you have a small oven or prefer to bake the cakes separately, you can bake the vanilla cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Place the cake pan on a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan. After 10 minutes, place the cake on a cooling rack and cool completely.
  • Once it’s cooled completely, you can layer the cake and frost it.
  • Coffee Cake
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to a medium-size bowl and mix well with a whisk, set aside.
  • Add the sugar, melted butter, oil, vanilla, milk, and eggs into a large bowl and whisk well until combined.
  • Next, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well. Lastly, add the hot coffee and mix well to combine.
  • Pour the batter into the 6-inch pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Place the cake pan on a cooling rack and let it cool completely in the pans.
  • Once it’s cooled completely, you can layer the cake and frost it.
  • Caramel Buttercream Frosting
  • Use a stand mixer or a hand beater to cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for a minute.
  • Next, add powdered sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula a few times.
  • Lastly, put in the caramel and beat until soft and creamy for about 3-4 minutes. I did add more caramel to the frosting. However, you can reduce the amount of caramel by 1-2 tablespoons if you prefer.
  • Assembling the cake
  • Cut the domes of the cakes to level them. Cut each cake horizontally to make two layers. Place one of the coffee cake layers on top of a plate or cake stand.
  • Next, top it with the delicious caramel buttercream. If you like, you can drizzle some caramel to these layers.
  • Now, place the vanilla cake layer and brush some caramel syrup on top. 
  • Then, put a layer of buttercream and drizzle some caramel on the cake. Repeat the same for the other layers.
  • Crumb coat the cake with buttercream and leave the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the crumbs to set. Now, cover the cake with caramel buttercream. Smooth the top and the edges with a palette knife and decorate it with almond praline and caramel sauce. 

Notes

  • Prep the caramel a few days ahead.
  • The cakes can be made ahead and frosted the next day.
  • Freezing the cake– Unfrosted cakes can be covered with cling wrap and frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Store the cake in an airtight container and leave it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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