Caramel Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Caramel Cake
2 cups (250 g) flour – plain, all purpose
¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
2½ tsps baking powder
½ tsp salt – omit if using salted butter
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter – room temperature
¼ cup (55 g) unflavoured vegetable oil – I use canola oil
1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
½ cup (100 g) soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs – room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract/essence
½ cup (120 g) sour cream – room temperature
½ cup (120 g) milk – full fat, room temperature
Caramel Frosting
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter – room temp
1½ cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
2 cups (510 g) evaporated milk – 1 and 1/2 12 ounce (340g) cans
¼ tsp salt – omit if using salted butter
⅓ cup (80 g) cream – room temp, any cream (whipping, heavy cream, etc.) will work
1½ tsps vanilla extract/essence

DIRECTIONS:

Caramel Cake
Preheat oven to 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on (see note 1 if you don’t have a fan function) and grease or line two 8 inch cake tins (I use my homemade cake release).
Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
In a large bowl combine butter, vegetable oil, white sugar and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine – see note 2), cream together for 2 minutes until light and creamy.
Add in eggs one by one, mixing well in between each addition (about 10-15 seconds between eggs).
Next add in sour cream and vanilla and mix until well combined. Now set your mixer aside as the remainder of the batter will be finished by hand.
Finish off by adding in half of your premixed dry ingredients to your wet mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula until just combined. Then add in the milk, and fold it in until just combined. Lastly, add in the remaining dry ingredients and gently fold it into the mixture until just combined. Do not overmix (see note 3).
Distribute the batter evenly into the two 8 inch cake tins, and bake for 28- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked, allow the cake layers to cool in the cake tins for about 15-20 minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack to completely cool before frosting with the caramel.