If you grew up or have spent any time in the South, you’ll recognize this caramel cake – and it’ll probably have you drooling if it’s left in your presence. A true southern-style caramel cake is baked with a soft, lightly sweetened yellow cake that tastes light and fluffy but serves more as a vehicle to get the rich, wonderful caramel icing into your mouth as quickly as possible.

(We understand if any of the caramel icing doesn’t make it onto the cake; it’s extremely impossible to resist sneaking some before it even comes close to the cake.)The task of making the icing follows next. Some will say that it’s not a true Southern caramel cake (thus, “Southern-style”) until you spend (literally) hours over the stove making the icing, but that’s not our style of baking/dessert preparation.

Our icing comes together in less than 15 minutes, so once the cake has set, pour it over it and let it drip down the sides until it’s coated to your taste.A word of caution: caramel may be picky, so think about your alternatives when icing this bad boy. If your icing is on the thinner side, it will drizzle neatly over the surface of the cake; if it is on the thicker side, you may need to assist it. Those who desire a completely glassy-topped cake should leave the frosting alone and not touch it.

If you don’t mind a somewhat more rustic look, smooth everything down with a rubber or offset spatula, making sure the sides are uniformly coated. Following these methods will result in a delicious, decadent dessert that will bring back memories of your time spent in the South…If you haven’t gone to the south and tried this cake yet, you’ll be happy to know about it now and will be planning your next trip to make it. Just wait and see how everyone reacts to this!