Last Updated on October 5, 2022
This Duncan Hines caramel cake recipe is easy to make, packed with delicious sweet and chocolatey flavors, and has an uber decadent texture.
What makes this recipe even better is that you can make your batter in less than 5 minutes! You can just combine the ingredients and it’s ready to bake! So, give it a try and let us know what you think.
What You Need To Make Our Delicious Duncan Hines Caramel Cake Recipe
Ingredients for the cake
- 2 boxes (8.4 ounces each) Golden Fudge Easy Cake Kit
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce, divided in half
Ingredients for the frosting
- 1 cup salted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Golden Fudge Easy Cake Kit Chocolate Frosting
Equipment
- 10-inch cake pan
- Non-stick baking paper
- Non-stick cooking spray (or melted butter)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula
- Cooling rack
- Cake stand or board
- Piping bag, optional
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Prepare your ingredients and equipment
To start, preheat the oven to 360ºF (180ºC). Then, line a cake pan with non-stick baking paper and cooking spray. Set it aside.
Make sure that all your ingredients are measured out before starting to make the recipe.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients
First, sift together the dry cake mix, sugar, cake flour, bicarbonate of soda, and fine salt. Use a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients to ensure they are well distributed. Make a small well in the center and set it aside.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients
Next, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Make sure they are well beaten, especially the eggs, so they can easily incorporate into the batter.
Step 4: Finish the caramel cake batter
Next, slowly pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient mixture. While you do this, continuously whisk at a medium speed with the electric mixer.
Keep beating the ingredients together until you have a smooth creamy batter that is uniform in consistency.
Step 5: Bake the cake
Next, carefully pour the caramel cake batter into your lined baking pan. Only fill it 1/2 way. If you don’t have multiple cake pans, then just keep the batter aside until your one layer is finished baking.
Then, bake each layer of cake for roughly 35-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool your cakes
As the cakes finish, remove them from the oven and leave them on a cooling rack inside their pan. Allow the cakes to cool for roughly 15 minutes. Then, remove them from the pan and leave them to cool on the wire rack.
Step 7: Make the frosting liquid base
While your cakes are baking and cooling, make your chocolate caramel frosting. To start, melt together your butter and brown sugar. Then, increase the heat so the ingredients simmer.
Once it starts simmering, add the heavy cream. The mixture will stop simmering, but just keep it on medium heat until it simmers again. Keep heating until the sugar has melted.
Step 8: Finish off the caramel chocolate frosting
When the liquid starts simmering again, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
Once cooled, add the caramel to a stand mixer or large bowl. Then, whisk in the powdered sugar at a high speed. Once you have a uniform fluffy frosting, add your Duncan Hines chocolate frosting and beat the two together well.
Step 9: Assemble your cake
To start, set the cake onto a cake board or cake stand. Then, add a generous amount of frosting between each layer. When you reach the top, you can either pipe on frosting or just put it on rustically.
To finish off the cake, drizzle it with the remaining caramel sauce.
Expert Tips And Tricks
- If you cannot find the Duncan Hines caramel cake mix, use a vanilla mix instead. But, make sure it is 15 ounces in total or the recipe won’t work as well.
- Use this cake pan converter to find another size pan that will work for this recipe. Our batter makes about 14 cups of batter.
- We prefer 1 to 2-inch thick cake layers. But, if you want to make them thicker you can always fill the cake pan higher. But, never exceed the 3/4 inch mark. The cake batter will likely overflow when it is baked, leading to wasted cake.
- As a garnish for this Duncan Hines caramel cake recipe, we like to add other caramel-flavored treats. This can be something as simple as caramel candy, or caramel biscuits (like Speculoos). You can also add chocolate shavings or chocolate chips.
Preparations Times And Servings
| Preparation Times | Baking Times | Servings |
| 20 minutes | 35-50 minutes | 8-10 |
In Conclusion
As you can see, this Duncan Hines caramel cake recipe is much easier than you may have initially thought. It takes some time to make, but it is well worth every second. At the end of the day, you have an uber-rich, creamy, decadent cake that will make your fellow bakers drool!
If you want more recipes like this, go have a look at our site for more!
FAQs
How do you make Duncan Hines cake mix?
It depends on the cake mix you are using. The boxes come with instructions and the ingredients you need to make their cake. However, as with most cake mix recipes, we like to add additional ingredients to make them even more tender, moist, and fluffy. Generally, for these mixes, you only have to mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Does caramel cake need to be refrigerated?
Caramel cake doesn't have to be refrigerated. But, as with most cakes, it is always best to keep them inside an airtight container in the fridge. This helps prevent the frosting from melting on hot or humid days. And, it helps slow the spoilage of perishable ingredients in the cake like butter, eggs, and dairy.
Does icing sugar caramelize?
Powdered or icing sugar cannot caramelize. This is because it contains impurities that inhibit this process from happening. The same goes for brown sugar. Only refined granulated white sugar has the ability to caramelize.
What makes a cake moister and fluffy?
Ultimately, a moist cake is achieved by having a perfect ratio of wet and dry ingredients. But, it isn't as simple as that. If, as an example, you use only eggs as the moist ingredient, you will end up with a rubbery dense cake. So, your cake also needs to have the perfect ratio of different wet ingredients that perform different functions.
Easy Luxurious Duncan Hines Caramel Cake Recipe In 2 Hours
Equipment
- 10-inch cake pan
- Non-stick baking paper
- Non-stick cooking spray or melted butter
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand or stand mixer
- Rubber or silicone spatula
- Cooling rack
- Cake stand or board
- Piping bag, optional
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cake
- 2 boxes (8.4 ounces each) Golden Fudge Easy Cake Kit
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce, divided in half
Ingredients for the frosting
- 1 cup salted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Golden Fudge Easy Cake Kit Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients and equipmentTo start, preheat the oven to 360ºF (180ºC). Then, line a cake pan with non-stick baking paper and cooking spray. Set it aside.Make sure that all your ingredients are measured out before starting to make the recipe.
- Mix the dry ingredientsFirst, sift together the dry cake mix, sugar, cake flour, bicarbonate of soda, and fine salt. Use a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients to ensure they are well distributed. Make a small well in the center and set it aside.2 boxes (8.4 ounces each) Golden Fudge Easy Cake Kit, 1/2 cup granulated white sugar, 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon fine salt
- Mix the wet ingredientsNext, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Make sure they are well beaten, especially the eggs, so they can easily incorporate into the batter.4 large eggs, room temperature, 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature, 1 cup sour cream, room temperature, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup caramel sauce, divided in half
- Finish the caramel cake batterNext, slowly pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient mixture. While you do this, continuously whisk at a medium speed with the electric mixer.Keep beating the ingredients together until you have a smooth creamy batter that is uniform in consistency.
- Bake the cakeNext, carefully pour the caramel cake batter into your lined baking pan. Only fill it 1/2 way. If you don't have multiple cake pans, then just keep the batter aside until your one layer is finished baking.Then, bake each layer of cake for roughly 35-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool your cakesAs the cakes finish, remove them from the oven and leave them on a cooling rack inside their pan. Allow the cakes to cool for roughly 15 minutes. Then, remove them from the pan and leave them to cool on the wire rack.
- Make the frosting liquid baseWhile your cakes are baking and cooling, make your chocolate caramel frosting. To start, melt together your butter and brown sugar. Then, increase the heat so the ingredients simmer.Once it starts simmering, add the heavy cream. The mixture will stop simmering, but just keep it on medium heat until it simmers again. Keep heating until the sugar has melted.1 cup salted butter, 3/4 cup granulated brown sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Finish off the caramel chocolate frostingWhen the liquid starts simmering again, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.Once cooled, add the caramel to a stand mixer or large bowl. Then, whisk in the powdered sugar at a high speed. Once you have a uniform fluffy frosting, add your Duncan Hines chocolate frosting and beat the two together well.Golden Fudge Easy Cake Kit Chocolate Frosting
- Assemble your cakeTo start, set the cake onto a cake board or cake stand. Then, add a generous amount of frosting between each layer. When you reach the top, you can either pipe on frosting or just put it on rustically.To finish off the cake, drizzle it with the remaining caramel sauce.