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    Home » Recipes » Cupcakes

    Caramel Cupcakes With Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    By: Jessica · Posted: Dec 7, 2021 · Updated: Dec 29, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 12 cupcakes
    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    Caramel Cupcakes With Caramel Buttercream Frosting: These easy caramel cupcakes from scratch are topped with caramel icing and they are bursting with caramel flavor!

    Decadent cupcakes are a favorite dessert at our house, but this caramel cupcake recipe is extra fun with that caramel swirled icing on top! It looks impressive, and it’s actually very simple to create.

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting
    Caramel Cupcake with Caramel Buttercream

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you know that around here we have no shortage of party ideas! Whether it’s for a special event like a birthday baking party or your favorite holiday, or just an excuse to spend time with family and friends, you’ll find lots of yummy party food ideas here on the blog to inspire you.

    But in my humble opinion, every party needs cake (because I know I’m not the only one who loves sweet treats)! Big, multi-level cakes are fun but they take a lot of time, and a fair bit of skill, to put together.

    Cupcake recipes, however? They are cute, tasty, and super easy!

    You’ll especially love these cookies and cream cupcakes and these pink champagne cupcakes.

    The best cupcakes are the ones that look and taste super impressive but secretly are super simple to make…and that’s where these caramel cupcakes come in. I think these might just be the best caramel cupcakes you’ll ever make!

    You’ll also love these pink champagne cupcakes and these red velvet cookie dough cupcakes if you’re looking to make a variety!

    Jump to:
    • Why you’ll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to make caramel cupcakes
    • How to make caramel buttercream frosting
    • How to create the buttercream swirl
    • Substitutions
    • Salted Caramel Cupcakes
    • Storage
    • Expert tips and FAQs
    • Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    This caramel cupcake recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients

    • 3/4 cup white sugar
    • 1/2 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • a pinch of salt
    • 1/2 cup whole milk

    Ingredients for Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/2 cup caramel sauce
    Ingredients for caramel cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting.
    Cupcake ingredients.

    How to make caramel cupcakes

    1. Heat oven to 350 F / 180 C and either spray your muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray or line them with cupcake liners and set aside.
    2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract. Cream butter and sugar mixture with a handheld electric mixer (or beat with a stand mixer on medium speed), scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, till the mixture is light and fluffy and everything is incorporated well.
    3. Add the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, mixing after each addition.
    Add egg to the butter mixture.
    Add eggs, one at a time.
    1. In a medium bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt; mix and set aside.
    Combine dry cupcake ingredients.
    Combine dry ingredients.
    1. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the 1/2 cup of milk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined after each addition- you want everything to be incorporated well, but avoid over mixing.
    Combine dry and wet ingredients.
    Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk.
    1. Divide batter evenly between each of the paper liners, filling each one ¾ full. Bake for 22-25 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cupcake is beginning to turn golden brown on top.
    2. Once baked, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and let them cool down completely on a wire rack while you make the frosting.
    • Fill lined muffin tin with cupcake batter.
      Fill paper liners.

    How to make caramel buttercream frosting

    1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed till it’s smooth and creamy.  
    1. Add 1-2 tablespoon of caramel to the butter and sugar and beat it again till it’s incorporated well.

    Note – you can add more or less caramel depending on the taste and color you want (more caramel will create a deeper caramel flavor and color).

    Beat together caramel buttercream ingredients.
    Frosting ingredients.

    How to create the buttercream swirl

    1. Take plastic wrap and lay it on your working table; now carefully spread a thick line of caramel buttercream frosting down the center.
    2. Next to the line of buttercream, make another, thinner line with the caramel sauce.
    3. Fold the plastic wrap over the buttercream and caramel sauce, ensuring both ends are twisted closed tightly. 
    4. Cut open one end of the plastic wrap and insert this wrapped frosting in the piping bag (or ziplock bag- see FAQs), making sure the open side is towards the large open star tip nozzle. 
    5. Use this to create a swirl of icing on top of the caramel cupcake and enjoy! If you need a bit of extra guidance on how to pipe a swirl of frosting on each cupcake, watch this video.
    Alternate caramel buttercream and caramel sauce on plastic wrap.
    Buttercream and caramel.

    Substitutions

    These caramel cupcakes are delicious just the way they are, but if you are looking for substitutions we have a few ideas for you.

    • Caramel Sauce– you could use dulce de leche instead of caramel sauce, or make your own homemade caramel sauce recipe like this one!
    • Cupcakes– if you have a box mix for vanilla cupcakes, you could easily use that in place of the cupcakes from scratch in this recipe. OR you could use chocolate cupcakes (from a box or from scratch) instead!
    • Frosting– you could replace the buttercream frosting in this recipe with your favourite Swiss meringue buttercream recipe and swirl it with the caramel sauce to keep that caramel-like flavor!
    Caramel cupcake with caramel buttercream frosting in a swirl.
    Caramel cupcakes with caramel buttercream frosting.

    Salted Caramel Cupcakes

    Craving a salty treat? You can easily turn these cupcakes into salted caramel cupcakes by sprinkling some sea salt on top of the cupcakes when you are done icing them! And if you are a really big fan of that salty flavor, you can add a pinch of salt to your caramel sauce to make it more of a “salted caramel sauce” too!

    Storage

    Store your frosted caramel cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

    Expert tips and FAQs

    Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

    Yes, you sure can! If you do use salted butter, you can omit the “pinch of salt” called for in the recipe (unless you are going for more of a salted caramel flavor).

    What can I use instead of a piping bag to ice cupcakes?

    If you have a disposable piping bag or want to purchase them to have on hand, then great! If you don’t though, I’ve had fairly good success with using freezer bags. Taste of Home has a detailed tutorial on their website that explains it nicely!

    Can I store these cupcakes at room temperature?

    Buttercream frosting that’s made with butter should be refrigerated.

    If you are hoping to make these ahead and store them at room temperature, we would recommend you store the cupcakes (unfrosted) in an airtight container at room temperature and the buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge.

    When you are ready to frost the cupcakes, let the buttercream warm up a bit and beat again until it is light and fluffy and then frost away!

    Caramel cupcake with caramel buttercream frosting in a swirl.
    Enjoy!

    Related Recipes

    If you loved these Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting, you’ll also want to try our Chocolate Peanut Butter Salted Caramel Toffee Cake and our Caramel Apple Dump Cake!

    Or if you’re looking for a super fun, wintery-vibe for your cupcakes, see how we took a simple herb to make a winter cupcake that is absolutely adorable!

    📖 Recipe

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting

    Jessica Burgess
    Caramel Cupcakes With Caramel Buttercream Frosting: These easy caramel cupcakes from scratch are topped with caramel icing and they are bursting with caramel flavor! 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 cupcakes
    Calories 397 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Cupcakes

    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • A pinch of salt
    • ½ cup whole milk

    Caramel Buttercream Frosting Swirl

    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • ½ cup caramel sauce
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    Cupcakes:

    • Heat oven to 350 F / 180 C and either spray your muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray or line them with cupcake liners and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, softened butter and vanilla extract. Cream butter and sugar mixture with a handheld electric mixer (or beat with a stand mixer on medium speed), scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, till the mixture is light and fluffy and everything is incorporated well.
    • Add the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time, mixing after each addition.
    • In a medium bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt; mix and set aside.
    • Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the 1/2 cup of milk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined after each addition- you want everything to be incorporated well, but avoid over mixing.
    • Divide batter evenly between each of the paper liners, filling each one ¾ full. Bake for 22-25 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cupcake is beginning to turn golden brown on top.
    • Once baked, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and let them cool down completely on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

    Caramel Buttercream Frosting:

    • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed till it's smooth and creamy.  
    • Add 1-2 tablespoon of caramel to the butter and sugar and beat it again till it's incorporated well.
      Note – you can add more or less caramel depending on the taste and color you want (more caramel will create a deeper caramel flavor and color).

    Swirls:

    • Take plastic wrap and lay it on your working table; now carefully spread a thick line of caramel buttercream frosting down the center.
    • Next to the line of buttercream, make another, thinner line with the caramel sauce.
    • Fold the plastic wrap over the buttercream and caramel sauce, ensuring both ends are twisted closed tightly.
    • Cut open one end of the plastic wrap and insert this wrapped frosting in the piping bag (or ziplock bag- see FAQs), making sure the open side is towards the large open star tip nozzle.
    • Use this to create a swirl of icing on top of the caramel cupcake and enjoy!

    Notes

    To Pipe A Frosting Swirl: You can watch this video for guidance on how to make a swirl on top of each cupcake. 
    For Frosting: You can add more or less caramel depending on the taste and color you want (more caramel will creat a deeper caramel flavor and color). 
    Storage: Buttercream frosting that’s made with butter should be refrigerated. If you are hoping to make these ahead and store them at room temperature, we would recommend you store the cupcakes (unfrosted) in an airtight container at room temperature and the buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge.
    When you are ready to frost the cupcakes, let the buttercream warm up a bit and beat again until it is light and fluffy and then frost away!
    Equipment: If you have a disposable piping bag (like these), or want to purchase them to have on hand, then great! If you don’t though, I’ve had fairly good success with using freezer bags. Taste of Home has a detailed tutorial on their website that explains it nicely!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 106mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 537IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords buttercream icing, caramel cupcake, cupcake, cupcake from scratch
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity

    Hi, I'm Jessica! Are you ready to add simplicity to your busy life? Here you'll find easy recipes, organization hacks, home & entertaining ideas...

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