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Vintage-inspired Swirled Caramel Sheet Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting. We’re taking a page from our grandma’s cookbooks and I’m adding a few of my own twists. Let’s kick the weekend off right with this absolutely delicious caramel-like butter sheet cake. Buttery vanilla cake swirled with the most delectable, roll your eyes back good, brown sugar and maple “caramel”. Top the cake off with a generous layer of rich, fudgy, chocolate frosting. Sooo much to love here, and simple to make too! Sweet, gooey, with notes of vanilla and caramel, and of course, plenty of chocolate!
In the past year or so I’ve rediscovered sheet cakes and become obsessed with them. I used to strictly make layer cakes. And while I still love a good layer cake, right now I’m embracing the simplicity of the classic sheet cake.
To me, sheet cakes feel very “old school” or vintage, which is something I love. I swear, our grandmas really did know best. Back then simple really meant SIMPLE.
No one thought twice about using a boxed cake mix, and frozen dinners were where it was at. I’m obviously not about frozen dinners, but I can definitely get behind an easy sheet cake recipe.
My Nonnie loved baking sheet cakes, so I’m channeling her today! No box mix though, this is all homemade.
And maybe just a little better than our grandmas used to make.
Here are the details, start with the cake
Start with the vanilla butter cake. This is pretty easy and straightforward, beat the wet ingredients together, add the dry, and then beat in some milk.
I always go heavy on the vanilla with my cakes. This is a vanilla cake after all, so the more vanilla the better, don’t skimp.
The “caramel” swirl
This isn’t really caramel, but I swear it’s better, and so much easier to make. Butter and brown sugar boiled together until thickened slightly. Then lots of vanilla and a little sea salt added in at the end.
The brown sugar melts down adding hints of warm molasses. It really deepens the flavor to create a very gooey sauce that’s perfectly rich and caramel-like. And when you add that splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of sea salt? Well, it really is delectable.
When the batter is made and the caramel is ready, layer the batter with the caramel, then use a butter knife to gently swirl the caramel throughout the cake. This doesn’t need to be perfect.
As the cake bakes up, the caramel melts down to the bottom and caramelizes around the edges. It creates a cake that’s almost gooey throughout with caramelized edges.
It’s different, but in a great way.
The frosting
While the cake is cooling, you can start making the chocolate fudge frosting. It’s just simply three ingredients. Melted chocolate chips, sour cream, and I also added in some espresso powder, which really highlights the chocolate.
For having just three ingredients, this is one of the most magical frostings. Very creamy, rich, and fudgy. And I love that it’s not too sweet – but just sweet enough.
Frost the cooled cake, then top with chocolate curls.
There are three “steps” here, but they’re all very easy, and so very good. Each bite is filled with sweet vanilla butter cake, gooey caramel, and fudgy chocolate frosting. It’s a cake that just about all will love…there’s a little something for everyone!
Looking for other simple sheet cakes? Here are some favorites:
Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake
Swirled Blackberry Lavender Sheet Cake
Easiest Coconut Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Swirled Caramel Sheet Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Swirled Caramel Sheet Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 675 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature
Caramel Swirl
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- sea salt
Frosting
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/3 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stream in the milk, beating until just combined. 3. To make the caramel. Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and maple in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 4-5 minutes, until thickened slightly. Stir in the vanilla and salt. 4. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Drizzle half the caramel over the batter, then pour over the remaining batter (it will not cover the caramel fully). Then drizzle over the remaining caramel. Use a knife to lightly swirl the caramel around, don't over mix. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is just set. Let cool completely. 5. To make the chocolate frosting. Microwave the chocolate chips and a pinch of salt, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Stir in the sour cream and espresso, a dollop at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Swirl the frosting onto the top of the cake. If desired top with chocolate. Slice, eat, and enjoy!!
Notes
Storing: this cake keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
I’m afraid this cake doesn’t know what it wants to be… vanilla cake, caramel… but not caramel and chocolate frosting but sour cream. Should have gone with my gut and just said no. It taste fine, but nothing really stands out. Sorry. I have loved most of your recipes. Just think this one is off.
Hi Angela,
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Making this now and I boiled the caramel as directed but when I tried to swirl it into the cake, the caramel turned into hard sheets and wouldn’t swirl. I’m guessing it’s over cooked, but a side note about this would’ve been helpful in the directions. I’m hoping it still turns out alright, but not sure….
Hi Erin,
So sorry to hear this, yes the caramel was overcooked. I hope you will give it another try! xTieghan
We only had low-fat sour cream at home so I used that in the recipe. I found the flavor of the sour cream too overwhelming – even after adding in much more espresso powder and even adding in powdered sugar. Would full fat sour cream have been a better option?
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, the sour cream really adds a tanginess to the frosting, so it should add some good flavor. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This looks so good! Anyone have hints for high altitude cake baking? We’re at 6500 ft. so homemade cake texture is sometimes not as moist or crumb is tough.
Hi Maria,
You can follow this recipe as is, no adjustments needed:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try!! xTieghan
Looks delicious! I was wondering if this could be made into cupcakes?
Hey Kate,
Sure, that should work well for you, I would just reduce your bake time to 25-30 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
For people who don’t like the flavor of sour cream, is the flavor very pronounced? Can you substitute something else?
Yes the sour cream stands out very tangy even with the expresso powder I liked the cake better without it I’m glad I didn’t frost it?
Hi Barbara,
The sour cream gives the frosting a tanginess to it, you could also use greek yogurt. Please let me know if you have any other questions!! xT
The sour cream flavor was definitely pronounced. I thought the cake was very good, but the frosting was a miss for me – the flavor was strong and didn’t seem to compliment the cake. I’ll either leave it unfrosted next time or add some sort of light glaze.
Hi Liz,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear the frosting was not enjoyed! xxT
I was a little worried that the caramel sauce was too thin, so i added corn starch, but actually it really does not matter if its thin. This cake it great! Buttery delicious! Easy to make! It worked at 5000 ft no problem.
Hi Julie,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! xx
Good morning! This sounds wonderful. I have 2 questions. I only buy unsalted butter. Do I need to add more salt? #2. I made a toffee sauce for a banana bread pudding this week. Can I add maple syrup to that and use it? What quantity of the caramel sauce do I need for the recipe? Thanks for your help.
Hi Diane,
I would add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Sorry, I am confused about your question for the toffee sauce. Are you wanting to make that the caramel sauce? I would just use that in place of the caramel, I am not sure adding maple syrup to that sauce would do anything for it. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Will this work at high altitude?I am at 6000 ft.
Hi Sharon,
You bet, you can follow the recipe as is:) Please let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love the cake!! xx
I have two questions…Does this cake have to be stored in the refrigerator or can you leave it on the counter? Before I could swirl the caramel sauce parts of it started to harden and I was unable to do so. Is this normal? I also used regular sugar in place of maple syrup because I didn’t have it on hand.
Hi Dena,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. You can store in an airtight container on the counter. It sounds like the caramel may have been cooked for too long, I also have no tested with granulated sugar. I hope this helps for next time!! xx
Would this work using almond flour? Do I have to make adjustments in order to make it look as yummy as yours?
Hi Dorinda,
I would recommend using an equal amount of GF flour for this recipe. I hope it turns out amazing for you, let me know if you have any other questions!! xTieghan
An you use almond milk in place of reg milk. Thank you looks yummy
Hi Kathy,
Yes, almond milk will work just fine for you. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
Made this today after seeing the recipe this morning and it is sooo good! I will enjoy every piece and definitely make it again. Great recipe!
Hey Betsy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan
I’m waiting for this to cool so I can frost it and the anticipation is killing me!!! It smells like Heaven! I licked the beater and the spoon I used to stir the caramel and both were delicious. Very easy so far. Can’t wait to taste it fully cooked and assembled.
Hi Michele,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan
This looks delicious and definitely going to make it!!! One question can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in the frosting?
Hi Vicky,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I want to make this. The cake and icing sounds wonderful but not a fan of maple at all. Is there a maple syrup substitute?
I would assume you could use honey:)
Hi Claire,
Honey could work, but you could also try doubling the brown sugar and adding 1/3 cup of cream. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan