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If you love salted caramel, then you’ll love these incredible Salted Caramel Cupcakes! These delicious vanilla cupcakes are topped with a smooth salted caramel buttercream and a drizzle of even more salted caramel on top. These cupcakes are a caramel dream for everyone who loves salted caramel and they are the perfect fall cupcakes.
This salted caramel cupcakes recipe is a fall dream and for all caramel lovers! These vanilla cupcakes are topped with a salted caramel frosting and lots of salted caramel, giving them lots of caramel flavor and making them perfect Thanksgiving dessert cupcakes. The vanilla cupcakes are super soft and fluffy and complements the delicious salted caramel. They are perfect to serve for Thanksgiving or any occasion during the fall and winter.
For more cupcake recipes, try the best Chocolate Cupcakes, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes and Cinnamon Cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Vanilla Cupcakes: The vanilla cupcakes are super soft and fluffy.
- Homemade salted caramel: This is the best and easiest salted caramel!
- Salted caramel buttercream: The most luscious and smooth salted caramel buttercream.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cupcakes. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Granulated sugar: The sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cupcakes and is as well used for the caramel.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cupcakes, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the cupcakes.
- Egg: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking, so it comes to room temperature. (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moister to the cupcakes, as well as helps give the cupcakes a great structure.
- Butter: The butter is used for the buttercream. Bring it out and let it come to room temperature.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Salted Caramel Cupcakes. This recipe needs some bowls, a hand whisk and a electric mixer.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 320ºF conventional oven. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin lined with cupcake paper liners.
HOW TO MAKE THE SALTED CARAMEL
STEP 1: In a medium saucepan, add the granulated sugar and water and stir it together so all of the sugar is wet. Melt it over medium-high heat until golden brown.
STEP 2: When the caramel is golden brown, reduce the heat to medium heat and stir in the butter. Then add the heavy cream, a little at a time, stirring in each addition until incorporated. It will bubble up strongly so be careful of your fingers. Stir constantly until it has gathered.
STEP 3: Turn off the heat and add a pinch of salt and vanilla bean paste. Transfer it to a shallow bowl, and let it cool down in the fridge.
HOW TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES
STEP 1: In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and mix it together. Then add the butter and with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix it together until the butter has coated the dry ingredient and it looks sandy and crumbly.
STEP 2. In another medium bowl add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla bean paste and with a hand whisk mix it all together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and with the electric mixer mix it all together, on medium speed, until smooth. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
STEP 3: Divide the cupcake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 22-23 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely on a wire rack.
BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLING
STEP 1: Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer for 4 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 2 minutes.
STEP 2: Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extra and caramel in 2 parts. Whipping until each addition is fully incorporated on medium-low speed.
STEP 3: Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a round piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1A. Then pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes, creating a small concave with the buttercream. Add the salted caramel into the middle of the buttercream and they are ready to be enjoyed.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, replace it 1:1 with full-fat Greek yogurt.
Yes, make each element the day before, so you only need to assemble it the next day. Store the cupcake at room temperature in an airtight container. Make the salted caramel and buttercream and cover it with plastic wrap so it touches each the surface of the salted caramel and buttercream or in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge. Take the buttercream out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before assembling to come to room temperature. Give the buttercream a good mix and assemble it as instructed in the recipe card.
I recommend using a cake tester or a toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
HOW TO STORE
Store the Salted Caramel Cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container. When wanting to eat it, take it out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. It's best enjoyed within a 2-3 days.
Other Cupcake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Salted Caramel Cupcake
Equipment
- or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE (can be replaced with store-bought caramel sauce)
- 90 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 25 g butter
- 100 g heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 210 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 g butter
- 240 g sour cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
- 200 g butter cool room temperature
- 330 g powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon salted caramel
- 1 - 1 ½ tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
SALTED CARAMEL
- In a medium sized saucepan, add the granulated sugar and water and stir it together so all of the sugar is wet. Flatten it out into an even layer, so it melts evenly. Melt it over medium-high heat until golden brown. Once you can see it starts slightly brown, give it a stir once in a while so it all melts evenly.90 g granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon water
- Once the caramel is golden brown, reduce the heat to medium heat and stir in the butter until it has melted into the caramel. Then add the heavy cream, a little at a time, stirring in each addition until incorporated. It will bubble up strongly so be careful of your fingers. Stir constantly until it has gathered.25 g butter, 100 g heavy cream
- Turn off the heat and add a pinch of salt and vanilla bean paste and stir it in. Transfer it to a shallow bowl, so it can cool down faster, and let it cool down in the fridge. It takes about 30-60 minutes to become room temperature.Pinch of salt, ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- Preheat the oven at 160ºC/320ºF conventional oven and line a 12-cup cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix it together so everything has been combined.200 g granulated sugar, 210 g all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Then add the butter and with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix it together until the butter has coated the dry ingredient and it looks sandy and crumbly.100 g butter
- In another mixing bowl add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla bean paste and with a hand whisk mix it all together until combined.240 g sour cream, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and with the electric mixer mix it all together until smooth, on medium speed. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
- Divide the cupcake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 21-23 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely on a wire rack.
SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
- Sift the powdered sugar and set it aside.330 g powdered sugar
- Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer for 4 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 2 minutes.200 g butter
- Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extra and caramel in 2 parts. Whipping until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give the buttercream a final mix for 1 minute on low speed.1 tablespoon salted caramel, 1 - 1 ½ tablespoon milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a round piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1A. Then pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes, creating a small concave with the buttercream. Add the salted caramel into the middle of the buttercream and they are ready to be enjoyed.
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