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Mary Berry Salted Caramel Cake Recipe

Mary Berry Salted Caramel Cake Recipe

Mary Berry’s salted caramel cake has a moist brown sugar sponge, salted caramel filling, and a silky salted caramel buttercream.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling and Assembly Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 10 Slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 610
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Brown Sugar Sponge:
  • 225 g unsalted butter softened
  • 175 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 50 g golden caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 225 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Salted Caramel:
  • 200 g golden caster sugar
  • 90 ml water
  • 150 ml double cream warmed
  • 75 g unsalted butter cubed
  • 1 tsp flaked sea salt — plus extra
  • Salted Caramel Buttercream:
  • 200 g unsalted butter softened
  • 400 g icing sugar sifted twice
  • 4 tbsp cooled salted caramel
  • 1 –2 tbsp whole milk if needed
  • Pinch of fine salt
  • Decoration:
  • Remaining salted caramel flaked sea salt, gold leaf (optional)

Method
 

  1. Make salted caramel: dissolve sugar and water over medium heat without stirring — cook to deep amber 8–12 minutes. Remove from heat — add warm cream carefully (will bubble vigorously). Add butter and salt — stir smooth. Cool completely. Reserve 4 tbsp for buttercream.
  2. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm tins. Beat butter and both sugars 4–5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Sift in flour and baking powder — add milk — fold gently. Divide between tins — weigh for even layers. Bake 22–26 minutes. Cool completely.
  3. Beat butter alone 4 minutes. Add icing sugar in 3 batches. Add 4 tbsp cooled caramel and salt — beat 2 minutes. Add milk if needed.
  4. First sponge upside down on plate — drizzle 2–3 tbsp caramel over. Spread one-third of buttercream over. Top with second sponge. Spread remaining buttercream over top.
  5. Drizzle remaining caramel over top — let it run down the sides. Scatter flaked sea salt. Add gold leaf if using. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Slice.

Notes

Cook caramel to deep amber — pale caramel lacks the bitterness and complexity of proper caramel.
Warm the cream before adding to hot caramel — cold cream causes violent spattering.
Cool caramel completely before adding to buttercream — warm caramel melts the butter.
Dark brown sugar in the sponge gives the background caramel note that suits this cake.
Flaked sea salt is the specific detail that makes this salted caramel — do not use fine table salt.
Freeze unfrosted sponge layers for up to 3 months.
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