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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.
This cake is delicious, super moist, and not difficult to make, even for a super novice baker like me. Everyone agreed that the cake is so good on its own and the frosting isn’t really necessary. The frosting did seize when I was making it, but I was able to sort of bring it back. It was kind of a relief to read in the comments that others had similar issues. Thank you for the recipe! And thanks for putting the video in your stories, the timing was perfect!
Hi Christina,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
The cake is amazing. Have u trued it without parchment paper and just greasing and buttering the pan. I felt like I lost a lot of caramel to the paper.
Hi Jennifer,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Sorry, I haven’t tried that, but you could! Have the best week:)) xT
This cake is delicious! I was a little wary of a sour cream-based frosting, especially after reading some of the other reviews, so I decided to make a chocolate buttercream frosting instead. It was delicious and VERY rich—everyone was satisfied with one small square of this cake. The crumb on the cake was tender and the flavor was delicious. I’m not a maple fan so I made the caramel with brown sugar only; I also made slightly less than was called for, with one stick of butter and about 150 grams of brown sugar, and it was still plenty. I think this cake would also be delicious without any frosting (the chocolate buttercream felt a little like gilding the lily) or with a cinnamon crumble-type topping that I saw someone else suggest on here.
One question for Tieghan: I have a hard time finding espresso powder in my grocery store, but I see you use it a lot in your baking recipes. Would instant coffee be a good substitute, in general, for espresso powder?
Hey Sara,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Yes, instant coffee would also work well for you. Have the best week:)) xT
Love it!! I too, liked the cake by itself. I did add the chocolate frosting but think the cake can stand on its own. If you keep stirring the frosting as you add the sour cream dollop by dollop it will come out soon. My chocolate sezied up too but as I kept stirring in the sour cream it came out smooth.
Hi JoAnna,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
WOW! My kitchen smells amazing. Great recipe, easy and common ingredients. Can’t wait to take it for dessert tonight at my daughters. I’m sure it’s going to taste amazing.
Hey Susan,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
It tasted great but there was too much caramel swirl. The cake just fell apart and wouldn’t hold on it’s own. I did like the fudgy frosting –
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Julie, sorry to hear about the caramel! Let me know if I can help in anyway!! Tieghan
I made this yesterday for a dinner with friends and kids and they loved it! The caramel cake was SO amazing, I could have eaten it without the frosting. I did have trouble with the chips firming up as soon as I added the cold sour cream so next time, I’ll try to get it to room temperature first (I am not a baker so I’m sure it was more user error of not heating chips enough). I don’t understand the last line that it will stay in the fridge for a few days…why? There wasn’t anything left!! 😀 Delicious, give it a try!
Hi Julie,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
One word- AMAZING!! So easy to make. Cake was perfectly moist and fluffy. Melted in my mouth. This is my new go-to cake.
Hi Stephanie,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
I made this tonight it was delicious! The caramel was perfect and I love how it got sticky around the edges once cooked? the frosting was good but I kept it on the side instead of frosting the whole cake I actually like the cake best without it, it doesn’t need it I would have left a photo but couldn’t find the option ?
Hi Melondi,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! xx
Made this tonight and it is delicious. The frosting is super rich but yummy. I’d love to try the cake with vanilla frosting because I think that would really bring out the yummy caramel in the cake. Will definitely make this again.
Hi Sherry,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! xx
The cake portion is great. Almost tender to a fault. Relieved that the caramel was easy to make. Not sure about the frosting. I did not add and espresso powder and felt that it was too tangy. The chocolate also seized up when I added the sour cream and I had to heat everything up again.
Hi Kerri,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! The sour cream makes it tangy:) xx
Great recipe! I read the other comments and I let my sour cream get to almost room temp and kept stirring until it was finished. No seizing turned out perfect! I didn’t know how I was going to like the sour cream in the chocolate but it’s so good. Gives the cake a perfect balance! Super easy but really delicious!
Hey Kate,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
Hi Tieghan! What cooking time do you recommend for a 9×9 pan? -Thx 🙂
Hi Austin,
You are probably going to have leftover batter using a 9×9 pan, but I would start checking for doneness at 30 minutes and just keep an eye on it from there. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can I ask what brand and size the copper pot is?
Hi Anita,
Sorry, I do not have that info, it was a vintage find. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Made this last night and it was delicious!! I was a bit worried pulling out of the oven (even baked a few minutes extra as the center still jiggled a bit) – but even still the top of my cake never got that flaky crust like yours! The caramel created some wells and dips in the cake, of course once it was frosted you couldn’t see and still tasted delicious – but I’m a bit of a perfectionist ?? any tips? Maybe should have baked longer?
Hey Whitney,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! That is really just the nature of the cake with the caramel:) ☘️xx
The cake was moist and yummy! I did not have sour cream so I used greek yogurt. The frosting was super tart. And I’m glad I only put it in half the cake. Everyone like the cake without frosting.
I think next time I will add a cinnamon sugar crumble top!
Hi Catherine,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that you have enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!! xx
Hmm, made this today and i could not distinguish the flavors? Too much strong chocolate frosting flavor and did not taste any carmel????
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xx