Coffee Caramel Cake

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This Coffee Caramel Cake is a beautiful homemade layer cake with soft coffee-flavored cake, fluffy coffee buttercream, and a rich caramel drip. It tastes sweet, buttery, and full of cozy coffee flavor. This cake looks fancy, but the steps are simple enough to make at home for a birthday, holiday, or special dessert.

Prep Time35

Cook Time28

Cooling And Chilling Time1 30

Total Time2 33

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: caramel drip cake, coffee buttercream, coffee caramel cake, coffee dessert, coffee layer cake, homemade caramel cake

Cooking Method: Oven, Stovetop

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 826kcal

Author: MelanieCooks.com

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter softened
3 large eggs
¾ cup brewed coffee cooled
½ cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp instant coffee granules optional
1 cup unsalted butter softened, for buttercream
3 ½ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp brewed coffee cooled, for buttercream
1 tsp vanilla extract for buttercream
1 tbsp heavy cream or milk, if needed
⅛ tsp salt for buttercream
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter for caramel
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract for caramel
⅛ tsp salt for caramel
¼ cup chocolate chips or chocolate-covered coffee beans

Instructions

Make The Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, then mix in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.
Stir the cooled coffee and buttermilk together. Add the dry ingredients and coffee mixture to the butter mixture in batches, mixing just until combined.
Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 22 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make The Caramel Sauce:

Add the brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream to a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until melted and bubbling.
Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt, then let cool until thick but pourable.

Make The Coffee Buttercream:

Beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in the cooled coffee, vanilla, and salt until fluffy.
Add a little heavy cream or milk if the frosting is too thick.

Assemble And Decorate:

Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate, spread with coffee buttercream, then repeat with the second and third layers.
Frost the top and sides with a thin layer of buttercream, leaving some cake showing for a semi-naked look.
Chill the cake for 20 to 30 minutes, then spoon the cooled caramel over the top and gently push some over the edges to make drips.
Pipe buttercream swirls on top and decorate with chocolate chips or chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Notes

Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before adding the frosting.
Chill the frosted cake before adding caramel so the drip sets neatly.

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