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Chocolate Cupcakes filled with homemade caramel sauce, topped with decadent vanilla buttercream and finished with a piece of salted caramel? Yes, I went there and these Salted Caramel Cupcakes were worth every single step.
As I have stated before, I love caramel! I’ll take it in gooey liquid form over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sticky coating on a Granny Smith apple, or a homemade square of the delicious salted variety. Heck, I’m no food snob, I’ll even partake in the caramel goodness of a Cow Tail.
Have you ever had a Cow Tail? Oh. My. Word. If not, get yourself to the corner gas station and buy yourself one immediately. Just don’t be fooled with its nasty spin-off of the Caramel Apple variety, it’s less than amazing. While you’re there, don’t be afraid to pick up a Nerds Rope, which is another personal fave!
This post is not your typical MBA post; meaning there is no recipe. This is more like a framework which will help you to build your caramel masterpiece. I’ll link you some of the components, but you add in your favorite cake and frosting recipe.
Making Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- made one of my favorite chocolate cupcake recipes according to the recipe directions (you’ll see my fave in an upcoming fundamentals post). Use whatever recipe floats your boat. Yellow cake would be equally as amazing.
- find a basic vanilla buttercream recipe. I usually combine 3 sticks of softened unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract, 2 pounds of confectioners’ sugar and enough milk to reach the desired consistency (about 4-5 tablespoons).
Directions:
- hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corer because I am anal and obsessed with symmetry. You can also use this piping tip from Wilton which allows you to inject frosting into cupcakes.
- add in a bit of homemade caramel sauce to the hollowed center and replace the small piece of cake you removed from the center.
- top the cupcake with buttercream frosting
- finish with a square of homemade Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramel.
Notes:
- homemade caramels can get a little pliable when sitting at room temperature, add these to your cupcakes right before serving.
- you can definitely cheat a little and use store bought caramel, heck you can even use high quality caramels
- I piped the frosting using the large round tip from bake it pretty. You can check out my video piping tutorial found in this post.
Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
I have made several of your recipes and they are fantastic. I have tried other web based Baker recipes, but yours are far and away the best. I am going to make this caramel sauce for my son. I tried a different caramel recipe and although it tasted good, had a very grainy consistency. I thought it needed some liquid and of course yours calls for corn syrup. I should have known to stick with you! Thanks, you are very talented and explain things really well.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Emily!
I had the caramel absorb into the cake as well. Even when it was in the refrigerator. To solve this I put a small coating of buttercream inside the cupcake to “line” in before I filled with caramel. It acts as a barrier.
Great idea, Lisa!
beautiful idea – I have to give it a try in my kitchen! I love the mixture of sweet and salty…
Mmmm I adore salted caramel in every shape and size too!
You can take these cupcakes to the next level by using a beer and chocolate cupcake recipe with cream cheese caramel frosting and salted caramel on top :D
These flavours are a match made in adult heaven…. my colleagues *demand* these cupcakes when we have morning teas!
http://thebrooklynkitchen.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/best-in-show-the-prizewinning-cupcakes/
YUM!
I featured on my blog today :)
http://blog.shopdirtylaundry.com/posts/2011/12/30/39-the-dirty-2011-trends.html
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Oh my god these look amazing. I feel like ruining all my hard earned Pilates efforts by making a batch. Worth it? I think so!
How did you keep the caramel from absorbing into the cupcake? I made them and within an hour or so after dropping the dollop of caramel into the hole it was all absobed throughout the chocolate cake. Don’t get me wrong, it was moist and yummy, but I was really hoping for a more concentrated caramel surprise in the middle. Advice, please!
Jamie:
I can find recipe for making Making Salted Caramel Cupcakes or the ingredient for making the Making Salted Caramel Cupcakes. And don’t understand the directions. I also would to know how you how did you keep the caramel from absorbing into the cupcake? I made them and within an hour or so after dropping the dollop of caramel into the hole it was all absobed throughout the chocolate cake. Don’t get me wrong, it was moist and yummy, but I was really hoping for a more concentrated caramel surprise in the middle. Advice, please!
Betty, there aren’t actual ingredients or directions for making the cupcakes here because I wanted you to use your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and buttercream recipe. It’s really more of a method/idea post. I would suggest refrigerating the cupcakes after you’ve added the caramel. That should prevent the cupcakes from absorbing the liquid caramel.
– Jamie