You'll love this smoked caramel cake recipe. Not only is this an easy recipe to make, but it's also a delicious dessert recipe to cook in your smoker! The taste of caramel with the smoky flavor of smoked cake creates a truly epic dessert. Find out how simple it can be to make this amazing cake.
When I tell people I am making a cake in a cast iron pan in a smoker, I get strange looks. But when that smoky scent paired with cake hits their senses, they're excited and ready to enjoy!
We served this to friends last night with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and they said it was one of the top 5 desserts they had ever had.
All you need is a pellet smoker or smoker of your choice and simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen!
Be sure to try this Smoked Cheesecake and this Smoked Apple Pie for two other fun smoked desserts.
Ingredients
- Brown sugar - For sweetness in the caramel sauce.
- Salted butter - The fat needed to make the caramel.
- Heavy cream - Adds creaminess to the sauce.
- Smoked salt - Adds more smoky flavor. You can use smoked sea salt, fleur de sel, or any other type with a smoke flavor.
- White sugar - For sweetness in the cake batter.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla naturally enhances the other flavors.
- Eggs - Adds texture to make a fluffy cake.
- Sour cream - Adds moisture and makes the cake tender.
- Flour - The basis of the cake mixture.
- Baking powder - For texture. Always make sure it is in date.
- Salt - Salt will enhance the other flavors of the cake.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Smoked Caramel Cake
Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
Step One: To make the caramel, mix the butter, sugar, and cream in a small pan. Bring to a boil, and be sure to stir almost the whole time.
Step Two: Stop stirring, and then let the mixture boil for 2 minutes. You want it to be about 220 on a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer.
Step Three: Take the pan off the heat and add the salt. You can add it to taste. The caramel is hot so just be careful when taste testing.
Step Four: Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
Step Five: Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and eggs.
Step Six: Add the sour cream and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Step Seven: Spread the mixture into a greased cast iron skillet.
Step Eight: Drizzle ⅓ of the caramel source over the batter. This is about ⅓ of a cup.
Step Nine: Smoke for 60-90 minutes or until set.
Step Ten: Warm up the leftover caramel sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds. Serve with the smoked cake.
Top tip
You can add a bit of cooking spray to the cast iron skillet before adding the cake mixture. This way, it won't stick while serving! You can also use a cake pan or glass dish if you prefer.
Substitutions
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour for this cake recipe, but you could use a flour of your choice.
Variations
- Toppings - Have fun adding toppings to this delicious cake! Melt dark chocolate or milk chocolate and drizzle on top to make it taste like a smoky chocolate cake. You can also add chopped smoked chocolate or chocolate chips.
- Fruit - The flavor profile of this smoked cake reminds me of pineapple upside down cake so I think some fresh pineapple slices or smoked pineapple would be amazing with this. Smoked bananas would also be perfect!
Equipment
To make this simple cake, you'll want to have a cast iron pan, a small saucepan, a rubber spatula, a large bowl for mixing ingredients, and high-speed mixer.
Storage
Storing leftovers of this yummy cake is a breeze. Let the cake cool, then store any leftovers in an airtight container. Keep the cake in the fridge until you are ready to eat. You can reheat the cake for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave, or enjoy cold. Either way works!
Common Questions
Visual cues are great! Once the cake starts to turn golden brown, it's close to being done. You can also do the toothpick test. Stick a clean toothpick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean without any cake batter on it (moist crumbs are ok), the cake is done smoking and ready to remove.
If you notice a dry texture to the cake, it's likely overbaked. This is pretty impossible to do on a smoker because you are cooking at a low temperature. Another great reason to smoke dessert!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Smoked Caramel Cake
Equipment
- Traeger Grill or other smoker
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt
Cake
- 4 oz salted butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Caramel
- Combine the butter, sugar, and cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stop stirring and let boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add salt. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Cake
- Preheat smoker to 225.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract and the eggs.
- Add the sour cream and mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Spread in a greased cast iron pan.
- Drizzle about ⅓ of the caramel sauce over the batter.
- Smoke for 60-90 minutes or until set.
- Warm up the remaining caramel by microwaving for 30 seconds. Serve the cake warm with extra caramel.
Nutrition
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Tim says
This dessert was SO yummy...it literally may be a contender for my favorite dessert. Stop what you're doing and bake this 🙂