Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

Ready to steal the show with a beautiful fall treat that tastes even better than it looks?! Introducing Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake topped with caramel corn that's sure to impress your friends & family. And guess what? Betty Crocker's Chocolate Fudge cake mix is your secret weapon—baking made oh-so-easy. Adding sour cream, a couple of extra egg yolks, vanilla extract, and a pinch of coarse kosher salt makes this batter taste like it was made from scratch! The cake mix is your ultimate trick to perfecting this delicious cake without compromising on taste. 

Imagine layers of rich chocolate cake infused with the warmth of fall, topped with an icing that's as dreamy as it gets—  Salted Caramel Frosting. The key? Coarse kosher salt. It's the secret ingredient behind that perfect sweet & salty ratio.

Decorating this cake with the kids was so much fun y’all! Something about baking in the kitchen with Sutton & Rhett always makes for the sweetest memories. I don’t know about you but I always need lots of baking ideas this time of year – go ahead and add this one to your list!

The combination of unsalted butter, cream cheese, and caramel topping makes this frosting stand out from the rest. I added some vanilla extract and a pinch of coarse kosher salt to really amplify the flavors and take this icing to the next level!

I love a good frosting to cake ratio so I doubled the recipe to make sure I had extra to frost the cake!

Whether you're planning a fall gathering, treating yourself after a long day, or simply embracing your love for desserts, this Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake is the answer. It's a slice of indulgence that's perfect for every occasion. Enjoy y’all!

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

Yield: 8-10

Author: Hayden Jordan

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 16 MinInactive time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 H & 16 M

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 8 ounces sour cream
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup water
• 3 whole eggs, room temperature
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch coarse kosher salt
• Non-stick baking spray with flour

Salted Caramel Frosting:

• 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons caramel topping sauce
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 cups caramel corn

Instructions

Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cake mix with the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of coarse kosher salt until combined.
3. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray containing flour.
4. Divide the batter evenly between each cake pan, about 1 ¼ cups each. A baking scale is the most accurate way to measure.
5. Bake for 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before flipping the cakes onto cooling racks. Let them cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.

Salted Caramel Frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter and cream cheese (both at room temperature) on low speed until thoroughly combined.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Then add 3 tablespoons of caramel sauce topping. Finish with a pinch of coarse kosher salt and vanilla.
3. When frosting the cake, do a crumb layer first, refrigerate for 30 minutes, and finish with the remaining frosting.
4. Decorate the cake with caramel corn.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker. 

I like to double the frosting recipe to make sure I have plenty to cover the entire cake. :)

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