Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake

This cake is a delicious combination of salted caramel, salted caramel frosting, caramel vanilla cake, and salty caramel popcorn. You will find a step-by-step video tutorial so that you can replicate this showstopper successfully. By the way, have you tried my salted caramel cupcakes yet?

The cake is a vanilla cake, but I added brown sugar instead of white sugar to get a caramel-ish taste. It is easy to make, and you need just 8 ingredients.

Start with combining flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until creamy. Then add eggs and vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk. Divide batter into two 9“ springform pans equally and bake.

For making the frosting, you need to make the salted caramel first. Therefore melt butter over medium heat. Then add brown sugar and heavy cream.

Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes until it is getting thicker. Stir constantly that the caramel doesn’t burn. Trust me. This can happen very quickly when you are not constantly stirring. Then remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and salt.

It needs to come to room temperature before further proceeding. Once it is cooled, you can go on with the frosting.

Mix the cooled caramel with sifted powdered sugar. Add about 1-1.5 cups at a time and mix until combined. It will look crumbly, but this is ok. It will get creamy when you add the heavy cream.

I recommend starting with 5 cups of sifted powdered sugar and ¼ cup of heavy cream. Add more sugar or heavy cream little by little if the consistency is too liquid or too little creamy.

• Too liquid – more sugar.
• Too little creamy – more heavy cream.

The consistency is right when it is creamy but firm enough that you can spread it easily. You can go up to 6 cups of powdered sugar or ½ cup of heavy cream.

I used the cooked caramel sauce for the topping as well. Cook it exactly like before. Then let it cool for a few minutes that it is not hot anymore but still liquid and pour 1 cup caramel sauce over 10 cups of popped corn and stir until evenly moist.

Pour the remaining caramel around the edges of your chilled cake that it drips down the sides. Place the popcorn on top. The cake with the popcorn on top will be super high. Just saying.

If you don’t use all the caramel popcorn for the cake, then enjoy it later in front of the TV.

You may also like a rainbow cake, galaxy cake, chocolate cake, or esterházy torte.

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cake Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Author Sabine Venier

Calories: 724kcal

Servings: 20 servings

Prep 1 hour

Cook 35 minutes

Chill 4 hours

Total 5 hours 35 minutes

Print Pin Rate

This cake is a delicious combination of salted caramel, salted caramel frosting, caramel vanilla cake, and salted caramel popcorn.

Ingredients

  

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cake

• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
• ▢ 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup butter, room temperature (226g)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups brown sugar (300g)
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups milk (300ml)

frosting

• ▢ 1 cup butter (226g)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups brown sugar (300g)
• ▢ ¾ - 1 cup heavy whipping cream (180-240ml)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 vanilla beans (or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• ▢ 5 - 6 cups powdered sugar (600-720g)

topping

• ▢ 1 cup butter (226g)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups brown sugar (300g)
• ▢ ½ cup heavy whipping cream (120ml)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 10 cups popped corn (100g)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom of two 9“ springform pans with parchment paper and lightly grease the sides. Set aside.
• Cake: In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt to combine. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment beat butter and sugar until creamy for about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla* and mix until combined. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk and mix on low speed just until combined. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Divide batter into the two prepared springform pans equally. Bake for about 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick centered in the middle comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.
• Frosting: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add brown sugar and ½ cup of heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk continuously. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla* until combined. Transfer to a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Let cool to room temperature. 
• Add 5 cups of powdered sugar to the cooled caramel little by little and stir on medium-low speed until it's starting to get crumbly. Add ¼ cup heavy cream and mix on medium speed until combined and creamy. Add more sugar or heavy cream little by little if the consistency is too liquid or too little creamy. The consistency should be creamy but firm enough to spread. Add salt and stir to combine. When you add more sugar, you may increase the salt amount to your taste. 
• Cut cake layers in half horizontally. Spread with ¼ of the frosting. Place a second cake layer on top and frost again. Repeat two more times. Spread remaining frosting on top of the cake and around the sides. Chill in the fridge at least 4 hours. 
• Topping: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add brown sugar and ½ cup of heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk continuously. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla* until combined.
• Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl and pour 1 cup of the cooked caramel sauce on top. Stir until popcorn is evenly moist. 
• Pour the remaining caramel around the edges of your chilled cake that it drips down the sides. Place the caramel popcorn on top of the cake. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

*First, cut off the straight end of the vanilla bean. Then place the tip of your sharp knife below the curled end and cut the vanilla bean through the middle of the bean lengthwise. Although you don't need to cut it all the way through, it's ok when you do so. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of your knife. Just use the seeds.

Video

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Nutrition

Calories: 724kcal

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword caramel cake, caramel popcorn cake, popcorn cake

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