Caramel Cake

Ok, people... this cake is SO serious... It's literally the easiest darn thing to whip up and it will have your guests fawning all over you for the rest of the night, telling you what an impressive little baker you are. I mean, if you don't totally LOVE that, then you may be reading the wrong blog... #awkward

First things first- just buy a cake mix. Unless you have some epic grandmother's recipe of a cake memorized, this is truly the way to go. The cake mix will save you time and energy that will be better spent teasing a few more hairs before your guests arrive.

Here are all the ingredients you will need:

Note: Organic cake mix is NOT necessary... it's just the only kind available at Whole Foods

Also, I used two cake mix boxes to make the four layer cake.

Make the cakes according to their directions, which should be quite simple...

Action shot!

The real scene-stealer of this recipe is the icing. I can't remember where I first found it, but I've had the recipe saved on a post-it for quite some time now... #Priorities

It reads:

Caramel Frosting

12 tbsp butter

1.5 cups brown sugar

1/4 + 1tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups of powdered sugar

Pop all the butter into a saucepan over medium heat. Once it has melted completely, add in the brown sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar has melted into the butter...

Add in the vanilla and milk and continue to whisk!

After they are well incorporated, add in the powdered sugar...

Three cups of powdered sugar may seem like a lot, but remember - this is icing! Also, it needs to thicken up. So no skimping!

Continue to whisk until there are no (or very few) powdered sugar "lumps" and the mixture appears very smooth... It may take a few minutes...

This icing is the kind that hardens slightly when it cools. So, I like to keep it on a low heat while I frost the cake. It makes for a very pretty finish.

When frosting the cake, try and get it to ooze out over the sides - that way you know for sure that you've get every bit of cake covered :)

Usually, when I finish the cake, it looks quite messy and not very presentable...

That's no way to treat your guests! So, get a damp paper towel and clean up all the sides to further promote yourself as a domestic goddess...

Beautiful!!

Just a few finishing touches...

...and you've got yourself an incredible carmel-y, butterscotch-y cake of total amazingness. Well done, you!

xo