My Grandmother’s Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake

When growing up and visiting my grandmother, there was almost always a cake on her cake plate waiting for us. I also grew up a pastor’s kid, and every time we had a church potluck or event, there was always a vast assortment of cakes made by all the ladies in our church. So, it isn’t a surprise that I often include cakes in my writing about the past in the American South. I also love to bake, but typically make cookies, bars, breads, and pies. I have not cooked as many cakes.

A family favorite was always my grandmother’s caramel cake. I haven’t had it in years or ever made it, but I decided to give it a try recently! My grandmother’s recipe begins with her mother’s basic cake recipe. On the recipe card she gave me when I got married, it simply says, “My Mom’s Cake.”

Cake Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups of sugar

¾ cup of butter or 2/3 cup of oil

3 eggs

2 ½ cups of self-rising flour

1 ¼ cups of milk

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, combine the flour and sugar together. Mix well. Then, add butter or oil, eggs, and milk. Beat until really smooth. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by lightly greasing with butter or oil and then sprinkling with flour. Pour the batter equally into the two cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and then cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning the cake layers out onto wax paper to cool.

Caramel Icing Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of sugar

1 small can of evaporated milk

2 sticks of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla        

To make the icing, combine all the ingredients and stir over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cook it “until you can drop it like candy, which can be tested in water.” Beat the icing while it cools for creaminess.

So, how did my baking experiment go? The cake part turned out excellent, but I need to work on the icing. I stirred the icing for a long time over low heat but could never get it to thicken up much. It tasted good, though. My boys laughed at the way the icing dripped off my cake, but they enjoyed eating it!

If you decide to make it, let me know how your cake turns out. I would love to hear any tips on the icing!

Read The Final Song!

“They were all sitting in the living room, trying to stay awake after a large dinner. Victoria had cooked even more than usual, including a caramel cake, to keep her mind off the letter.”

The Final Song, Chapter 40