If you love salted caramel, this cake is going to be your new favorite. It has soft vanilla layers, a rich caramel frosting, and a smooth caramel drip on top.

The best part is that it’s completely dairy free. I used dairy free butter and soy milk in the cake, and coconut cream for the caramel, so there’s no regular dairy anywhere in it.

Making caramel from scratch might sound a little scary, but it’s really just sugar and water cooked until it turns golden. I’ll walk you through it step by step.

The three layers make it feel special, which is why I like to bake this for birthdays and holidays. It always gets a good reaction at the table.

Give it a try and I think you’ll be surprised how easy a layer cake like this can be.

Why This Recipe Is a Keeper

Rich Brown Sugar Flavor – Brown sugar, vanilla, and butter create a warm, deep flavor in every tender cake layer.

Silky Salted Caramel – Coconut cream makes the caramel smooth and creamy, with flaky sea salt adding perfect balance.

Soft, Tender Texture – Cake flour and soy milk create delicate layers that stay light, moist, and easy to slice.

Caramel In Every Bite – Frosting and caramel between the layers ensure every forkful tastes rich, buttery, and wonderfully complete.

Here’s What You’ll Need

For the Vanilla Brown Sugar Cake

2 3/4 cups Cake Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Fine Salt
3/4 cup Dairy Free Butter, Softened
1/4 cup Neutral Oil
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
4 Large Eggs
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk

For the Salted Caramel

1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Full-Fat Coconut Cream, Warmed
3 tbsp Dairy Free Butter
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 tsp Flaky Sea Salt

For the Caramel Frosting

1 1/2 cups Dairy Free Butter, Softened
5 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Prepared Salted Caramel
2 tbsp Unsweetened Soy Milk
1/4 tsp Fine Salt

How to Make It

Step 1

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly coat the sides with neutral oil.

Step 2

Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the dairy free butter, neutral oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 3 minutes, then beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla extract.

Step 3

Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the soy milk in two additions. Divide the batter among the pans and bake for 22 to 26 minutes, then cool the layers completely.

Step 4

Combine the granulated sugar and water in a saucepan and cook without stirring until deep amber. Carefully whisk in the warm coconut cream, then simmer for 1 minute until smooth.

Step 5

Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the dairy free butter, vanilla extract, and flaky salt. Cool it completely, reserving 1/2 cup for the frosting and keeping the remainder for filling and decorating.

Step 6

Beat the dairy free butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Beat in the reserved caramel, soy milk, and fine salt until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Step 7

Stack the cooled layers with caramel frosting and a thin drizzle of salted caramel between them. Frost the top and sides, add the remaining caramel as a drip around the top edge, and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

Measure The Batter Evenly

For layers that bake at the same speed, divide the batter as evenly as possible between the three pans. Using a kitchen scale is the easiest way to keep the layers the same height.

If you do not have a scale, use the same measuring cup for each pan and add the batter in several small portions. This helps prevent one pan from getting noticeably more batter than the others.

Use Softened, Not Melted, Butter

The dairy free butter should be soft enough to press easily, but it should still hold its shape. Melted butter will not whip properly with the sugars and can make the cake layers dense.

Beat the butter, oil, and sugars for the full 3 minutes so the mixture becomes lighter and smoother. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one so the batter stays smooth.

Mix The Batter Gently

Add the flour mixture and soy milk in the listed alternating pattern, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix only until the last streaks of flour disappear.

Overmixing after the flour is added can make the layers less tender. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl once, then stop mixing as soon as the batter is even.

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