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This Caramel Cloud Cake is the most unique and delicious caramel cake you will ever have! Unlike most caramel cakes which tend to be quite heavy, this cake is soft, light and creamy with a beautiful subtle caramel flavor – it really is like a “cloud”. Made with layers of brown sugar chiffon cake, caramel chocolate ganache and a delectable caramel whipped cream frosting, it will leave you completely awed!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
The inspiration for this recipe
The idea for this recipe came from my recent visit to Pakistan, in which I had the Caramel Crunch Cake from the popular cafe Burning Brownie. I am not usually a big caramel fan, but fell in love with how soft and moist that cake was, and how the caramel flavor was really subtle. That cake really had a lot of “crunch” from caramel shards, but I personally was a bigger fan of the softer textures without the crunchy bits (not to mention crunchy caramel shards don’t remain crunchy for long). So I decided to make my own take on the recipe and call it a Caramel Cloud Cake.
3 components of this cake
This Caramel Cloud Cake has 3 main components:
- Brown Sugar Chiffon Cake. The cake itself is a chiffon cake made by separately whisking the egg whites into a meringue and folding them into the remaining cake batter. This type of cake is exceptionally soft and light in texture without being dry, and the use of brown sugar instead of white brings in more of that caramel flavor we want. It is definitely a technical cake to perfect, but following the quantities and instructions precisely will get you there!
- Caramel Whipped Cream Frosting. This has to be one of my favorite creations of all time! Unlike caramel buttercreams, this frosting is made with just heavy whipping cream and sugar, no butter, and is therefore extremely light, creamy and refreshing. It is also quite stable due to the caramel, making it a true winner.
- Chocolate Caramel Ganache. Caramel and chocolate are a match made in heaven, and the subtle chocolate flavor complements the caramel flavor wonderfully in this cake. You can also use a plain milk chocolate for the ganache, but using a milk caramel chocolate, like this one from Ghirardelli, will get you extra points
Process with photos
The detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let’s go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
For the caramel whipped cream, start by melting the brown sugar on low heat:
Whisk in hot cream, let it cool down a bit, then whisk in cold cream, salt and vanilla. Transfer to the fridge:
For the brown sugar chiffon cake, whisk the egg whites while slowly adding in brown sugar until a glossy meringue forms:
Separately, whisk the yolks with all the wet ingredients until combined:
Sift in the dry ingredients and gently whisk them in:
Very gently fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter in 2-3 batches until a thick and fluffy batter forms:
Divide into cake pans and bake:
Make a chocolate caramel ganache and let it cool down. Also prepare a brown sugar simple syrup.
Once the caramel cream has chilled, whisk it until it becomes thick and spreadable:
To assemble, divide each cake into 2 layers. Start by brushing with the brown sugar simple syrup:
Spread a layer of the caramel whipped cream. Make a well and pour in a layer of the ganache:
Repeat with all layers, cover the cake with the whipped caramel cream, and you’re ready to enjoy!
Tips to perfect this recipe
This recipe is not hard, per se, but can be a bit technical, and I want to make sure you get the best results possible. Therefore, here are some handy tips to get it right:
- Use a weighing scale (this is my favorite one) instead of measuring cups, if possible, especially with ingredients like flour. Cups are not very accurate and the slightest changes will alter the outcome
- Make sure the egg whites have no bits of yolk in them, and use a clean bowl and clean whisks. Any small amount of fat in them can prevent them from whipping up properly
- Whisk the egg whites on medium speed and slowly add the sugar until they become shiny and stiff. Whisking on high speed can cause them to overwhip and become grainy
- Fold the meringue into the remaining batter very slowly and gently. Use a spatula or whisk in a “J” folding motion, applying little to no pressure, until the whites are just mixed in. This is crucial, as overmixing will cause the batter to deflate, leading to a dense cake
- For the caramel, melt the brown sugar on the lowest heat setting. Don’t try to rush it, and be patient! You can stir a little once the sugar starts melting, but avoid touching it too much
- Let the caramel cream chill completely before whisking it to stiff peaks. If it is not thoroughly chilled, it will not whip up properly
FAQs
Yes, you can, but the flavor and texture won’t be exactly the same. For the caramel, you may need to cook the melted sugar for a couple more minutes for it to get caramelized before adding the cream. Everything else can be made the same way.
This is typically because of overmixing the batter. When folding the meringue into the batter, make sure you are being extremely gentle and do not overmix, so the batter remains light and fluffy.
This can happen if you add too much flour (which is why I recommend a scale) or from overbaking. The cake will not become golden, so do a toothpick test and stop baking as soon as it is done!
Yes, you can prepare this cake 1-2 days in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Don’t leave it at room temperature for too long.
Keep the cake covered in the fridge for 5-7 days.
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Ingredients
Caramel Whipped Cream:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (100g)
- 3 cups heavy cream (720g), chilled and divided into 1 cup and 2 cups
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
Brown Sugar Chiffon Cake:
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (100g); divided into 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80g)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (35g)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup flour (65g)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (40g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
Brown Sugar Simple Syrup:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (65g)
- 1/3 cup water (80g)
Chocolate Caramel Ganache:
- 100g milk caramel chocolate (or milk chocolate)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (120g)
Instructions
Caramel Whipped Cream:
- Spread the brown sugar on the bottom of a large saucepan. Place on the lowest heat setting and wait for the sugar to melt; this can take 8-10 minutes. Once it starts melting, you can gently stir to encourage all the sugar to melt uniformly. Keep heating and gently stirring for ~3-5 minutes until the sugar is fully melted and runny, and any lumps have dissolved (but don’t overdo it)
- Alongside, heat 1 cup of heavy cream until warm. Once the brown sugar is done, turn off the heat and add the warm cream. Whisk rigorously so it dissolves. If the caramel seizes up, return to low heat and stir so it becomes smooth
- Let the mixture cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then add the remaining 2 cups of cold heavy cream and stir it in. Add the vanilla and salt.
- Strain, and place in the fridge for at least 90 minutes until the cream is fully chilled. While the cream is chilling, you can work on the other components of this cake
- Then whisk on medium speed until the cream becomes thick and spreadable like a frosting (~2-4 minutes). Keep refrigerated
Brown Sugar Chiffon Cake:
- Pre-heat your oven to 325F and line 2 8″ cake pans with parchment paper
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks in 2 bowls
- Whisk the egg whites on medium speed, and once they become frothy, start adding brown sugar 1 tbsp at a time (you will use 1/4 cup brown sugar here in total). Keep whisking until a shiny, glossy and stiff meringue forms which holds shape (“peaks”); this can take several minutes. Do not whisk more after this point
- To the egg yolks, add the remaining sugar, milk, oil, and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Then sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt, and gently whisk until just combined
- Add a third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture, and very gently fold it in. Do not apply pressure and take it slow so you don’t knock out the air from the meringue. When done, pour this mixture into the remaining meringue and fold together until just combined. Do not overmix; you should have a light and fluffy cake batter
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake pans. Place the pans in a larger sheet pan, and pour about 1/2″ of boiling water into the sheet pan so the cake pans are in a water bath
- Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with a few light crumbs
- Let the cakes cool down inside the pans
Brown Sugar Simple Syrup:
- Simmer the water and brown sugar on low heat until the sugar has dissolved fully. Remove from heat and let cool
Chocolate Caramel Ganache:
- Bring the heavy cream to a gentle simmer. Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Cover and wait for 5 minutes, then gently stir until a smooth shiny ganache forms. Refrigerate until cooled (but still pourable)
Assembly:
- Once all components are ready and cooled down, it is time to assemble! Use a long serrated knife to divide the 2 cakes into 2 layers each so you have 4 layers total
- Place one layer onto a turntable / cake stand. Brush it with the brown sugar simple syrup. Then spread on a thick layer of the caramel whipped cream. Use a spatula to push the cream down in the middle so the edges are slightly raised, creating a shallow “well” or “damn”. Add the ganache on top and spread it out; the raised edges of the whipped cream should prevent the ganache from spilling
- Repeat until all layers are done. Slather the cake with the caramel whipped cream (I like to do a thin crumb coat first, let it chill, then add the remaining frosting). Decorate with swirls of the chocolate ganache
- Serve & enjoy!!
Video Tutorial
Notes
I strongly recommend reading the tips provided in the blog post above, and watching the video tutorial for this recipe to get it right!
Comments
Bev
26/7/2026 hi Zoha im wanting to make this cake but just wondering if i could use cake flour instead of plain flour & cornstarch would it work thanks Bev
Zoha Malik
Hi Bev! Yes, that will work. Replace the total quantity of all purpose flour + cornstarch with cake flour!
Bev
28/7/2026 thank you Zoha for replying to my question ill let you know how it goes 😊 Bev
Zoha Malik
Good luck, Bev!
Umm Nusaibah
I was nervous to try this cake as i saw on the comments that a lot of people had trouble, but it worked out well! I wish I could attach a picture, I made the crunchy caramel bits and everything. I only have spring form pans, so I put water in the bottom tray and put the cake tins on a wire rack on top of it. I might double the caramel, and make the ganache out of dark chocolate for next time.
For the ones who failed at this recipe, make sure your whisk attachment and bowls have no residue of butter or any grease on them. It stops the meringue from forming properly.
Zoha Malik
Thank you for the detailed feedback! It’s def tricky to perfect chiffon cakes as tiny mistakes can mess them up. Glad it worked out well for you 🙂
Annie
I spent an hour with my brown sugar on the lowest heat setting and I just couldn’t get it to become liquid. I left it untouched for maybe 20-30 minutes before I turned the heat up just a tiny bit. Eventually it started to melt but then it became taffy like. I was able to pull it together by adding the hot cream to the taffy mixture but I’m wondering if anyone else had this problem and what I was doing wrong?
Zoha Malik
Hi Annie! If that happens just increase the heat a bit. It’s also possible your pan wasn’t very wide making the layer of sugar thicker, which then takes longer to melt. If it clumps up or becomes toffee like, you can still keep stirring and it will eventually melt
Namratha
Today made this cake first my whipped cream went grainy but I did it again and it was perfect,the cake I made it overnight and assembled the items in the morning it was so light and yummy
Manal ALALEM
Hi Zohaaaaa:)
I made this cake today. I followed all your easy and clear step-by-step instructions, it was a light as a feather cake with amazing taste:) thank you so much:)
Zoha
Hi Manal!! ‘Light as a feather’ is exactly the goal!! 😍 So happy it turned out perfectly — thank you for making it and sharing your experience!
Nk
I made this for my family and it was a huge hit, great and easy-to-follow recipe.
Zoha
Yay, made my day!
Annie
This cake is so soft, light and tastes incredible.The steps are explained well and are easy to follow.
Thank you Zoha for sharing this amazing recipe.
Zoha
You made my day, thank you so much, Annie!
Ayesha
I followed all the steps but ended up witha disastrous sponge haven’t made chiffon cake maybe thats the reason 2 hours of hardwork in drainnn
It came out sticky not dense idk how to expalin and broke apart as soon as i tried to release it from pan
Zoha
Hi Ayesha! Chiffon sponges are definitely very tricky. What did your batter look like?
Irene Sigudu
Once you bite into this cake, you understand where the name “cloud cake” comes from! It is deliciously light and fluffy, melting on the tongue with a wonderful caramel flavour that is not overly sweet. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Zoha
Aw, thank you so much!!
Niharika
hey zoha wanted to know if I could replace the egg i wanted to make this cake for my birthday but I don’t consume egg .
Zoha
Unfortunately i haven’t tested an egg alternate for this recipe 🙁 I’m sorry!
Eisha Zeb
Hi,
What would be an alternative to heavy cream in Pakistan?
Fouzia
hi zoha please can u tell which brand of hand mixer you are using and how many watts it is.
Susan
I am an experienced baker but sadly this cake didn’t work for me. The batter looked nice and fluffy when it went into the oven although I thought there should have been more of it. I was very careful about folding in the egg whites so as to not knock the air out. I have a very successful sponge recipie I make regularly which requires folding in egg white so I know the technique. The cake came out really rubbery. I felt there was far too much humidity in the oven from the boiling water. I was unable to get the brown sugar to melt. It started melting but turned into lumps and hardened, well before it was melted, even though I had it in the lowest heat. Ultimately I served the actual cake pieces cut into squares with some syrup and whipped cream on!!
Matt
What type of brown sugar are you using? Does light vs dark make a difference?
I find the brown sugar does not melt on the stovetop, even after 40+ minutes. It just burns.
benish
i made it and Oh, it turned out sooooo Gooood~
Zoha
YAY!
Haiya Tirmizi
better than chocolate cake
Zoha
Wow thank you!
Zonaira
I’m planning to make it next week. wanted to know a few things before I try it for a party
1. can I use 3 6″ pans instead of 2 8″ ones ?
2. can we use store bought caramel tin instead of making caramel at home ?
Zoha
Hi there! Yes, 3 6″ pans will work too but make sure to adjust baking time accordingly. I think storebought caramel will work too but haven’t tried it myself
Rabab
Zoha how can we do half the recipe? and can we bake in 6” inch round pan?
What would be the ratios and baking time
ken
hi! im planning to turn this into a rolled cake. do you have any recommendations for the dimensions of a rectangle pan i could use for this purpose? bake time and temp recommendations would also be good! thank u
Zoha
Hi Ken! Unfortunately that’s not something I have attempted so I don’t feel too comfortable giving you a recommendation about what will work. I suspect a 9×13 inch pan will work, though!
Molly
I tried making this cake and it was a disaster, it didn’t rise at all. I followed the instruction to the tea, but it was flat, the taste was good not going to lie but the aesthetic of the cake looked lumpy and uneven. It also took a while to cook through, I’m not sure what I did wrong.
Zoha
Hi Molly! With chiffon cakes it mostly comes down to ensuring the meringue is whipped properly (should be shiny and thick), and you don’t overmix when folding the meringue into the batter. You have to go really slowly and gently because if you knock out the air, the texture doesn’t end up right. It takes a little practice but you can do it!
Narmeen
Made this cake 3 times now and absolutely love that it truly turns out like a cloud!
However just one issue if you can help me out with – i am unable to cut the cake layers in half to make a total of 4 layers. The sponge is too soft to do so. Can you guide me what am i doing wrong?
Zoha
Hi Narmeen, chiffon cake is very delicate. Firstly make sure the batter is prepared properly and very fluffy. Then make sure you bake the cake fully and it’s not underbaked. Let it cool then use a sharp serrated knife to cut into layers. But honestly if it is such a struggle, you don’t even have to cut into layers 🙂
Sonia Mirza
Hello Zoha
I want to make 3 layer 8 inch cake can you advise how to adjust the recipe for this?
Zoha
Just divide the batter in 3 8″ pans and bake – no need to slice the cake layers into half 🙂 Baking time will be a few minutes shorter
Lisbeth
Será posible obtener el video en español ❓por favor 🙏 gracias por su atención