Salted Caramel & Vanilla Bean Sponge Cake
The dreamiest cake for this weekend’s fall baking!! This Salted Caramel & Vanilla Bean Sponge Cake made with olive oil is super light vanilla bean cake topped with a homemade salted caramel and layered with a melt-in-your-mouth Italian meringue buttercream for a decadent showstopper this holiday season!!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- olive oil
- eggs
- granulated cane sugar
- cake flour, or all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- buttermilk, or whole milk
- vanilla bean paste
- butter
- heavy cream
How to Prep the Cake in Advance:
You can bake the cake layers the day prior, and once completely cooled, wrap in parchment paper then wrap tightly in Saran Wrap until ready to frost.
Alternatively, you can prep the entire cake the day in advance and store in a cake container on the counter away from direct sunlight/heat. This cake actually gets better with time too!
How to Store Homemade Salted Caramel Cake:
Store the leftover cake slices in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2-3 days, or in the fridge up to 4-5 days. You can store long-term in freezer-safe bags, each sliced separate by parchment paper, for up to 2 months.
Bake with me!
Salted Caramel & Vanilla Bean Sponge Cake
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Bean Sponge Cake:
- 10 tbsp. California Ranch Olive Oil
- 6 large Eggs room temperature
- 2 cups Granulated Cane Sugar
- 3 cups Cake Flour
- 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 1 ½ cups Buttermilk or whole milk, room temp.
- 1 tbsp. Vanilla Bean Paste
For the Salted Caramel:
- 2 cups Granulated Cane Sugar
- 8 tbsp. Unsalted Butter cubed
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp. Salt
For the Italian Meringue Buttercream:
- ¾ cup Granulated Cane Sugar
- 4 Egg Whites room temperature
- 1 lb. Unsalted Butter
- Optional 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
To Make the Vanilla Bean Sponge Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter three 8-9” cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the olive oil and eggs. Beat until foamy.
- Slowly pour in the sugar as you beat until doubled in volume, about 5-6 minutes.
- Mix in the baking powder, salt, and vanilla.
- Add the olive oil and buttermilk. Mix until smooth.
- Add the flour and mix just until combined.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 22 minutes, then reduce heat to 325F to finish baking until set in the centers and lightly golden on top, about another 8-10 minutes. Use a toothpick to insert into the centers and test if it comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pans at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Salted Caramel:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 4-5 minutes.
- Once dissolved, stop stirring and allow the mixture to reach an amber color and 320F.
- Reduce heat to LOW, then stir in the cubed butter.
- Remove from heat to whisk in the heavy cream.
- Once smooth, stir in the salt and vanilla.
- Let cool completely in a glass jar.
To Make the Italian Meringue Buttercream:
- Add a few inches of water to a small saucepan. Place over medium high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- In a bowl that’s larger than the saucepan, combine the egg whites and sugar. Place over the saucepan and reduce heat to medium.
- Whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved. To test when done, pinch some of the mixture and rub between your fingers for any graininess.
- Immediately transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on HIGH speed until stiff peaks and the bowl has cooled to room temperature, about 8-10 minutes.
- Working a few tablespoons at a time, add the cubed butter and beat until fully incorporated. You may only need to add 3 sticks of butter. The buttercream is done when it’s light and fluffy and can hold it’s shape.
- If the frosting is too hot when you add the butter, place in the freezer for 30 minutes then beat again until fluffy. You can also add powdered sugar to help firm up the frosting, if needed.
- Fold in the vanilla.
To Assemble:
- Slice the very tops of each cooled cake to have even cake layers.
- Add a tablespoon of frosting to the bottom of your cake plate, followed by a cake layer. Spread about 1/3 cup of the salted caramel on top.
- Add a generous scoop of the buttercream to even spread out. Repeat with the second cake layer, followed by the third cake layer without salted caramel on top.
- Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining buttercream. Drizzle remaining salted caramel on top for decoration. Enjoy!
I truly hope you all enjoy this treasured recipe that has nestled its way into our hearts here in the ABM kitchen! ’till next time… xxL
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
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I was so excited to make this…and it was pretty good.. I will say my frosting got a little stiff i would say…Im not sure exactly what i did wrong…But still delicious and I did get a compliment!! also, my cakes were already done if not overdone at the 22 minutes….I didn’t need the extra time at a lower temp. Maybe it’s just my oven but to anyone else just keep checking on them!!
Haven’t assembled anything yet but everything came out really well. Though maybe I can’t read but I was confused in the cake steps (3 and 4).
it says
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat until foamy.
4. Slowly pour in the sugar as you beat until doubled in volume, about 5-6 minutes.
So did you mean to froth the eggs first then slowly add sugar? Or both together?
Then I was a little confused about when to switch from a whisk attachment to a mix attachment.
My cakes needed that extra few mins at 325 so that was great.
ALSO for the caramel sauce, it took about 10ish minutes for my sugar to start dissolving and way longer for it to completely become smooth. I don’t know if that’s just my stove, but don’t be alarmed if you don’t see results in 4-5 mins. Tastes insane though.
Also love the Bible verse woo woo
hi Olivia! im so happy to hear everything’s coming together!! so its beating the olive oil and eggs until foamy, and then pouring in the sugar in a steady stream – my apologies for any confusion! here to help with any other questions even though it sounds like youre doing awesome!!