Salted Caramel Cupcakes

What Makes These the Best Salted Caramel Cupcakes Ever

• No fussing. I fill these cupcakes with caramel using an easy, poke-and-pour method. It’s a quicker alternative to coring the cupcakes and filling them using a piping bag, and you still get plenty of flavor.
• Rich caramel flavor in every bite. The buttery homemade caramel sauce absorbs into the fluffy cupcake crumb, topped with caramel frosting and even more salted caramel. The caramel flavors are over the top and so delicious!
• Make-ahead friendly. Everything can be prepared 1-2 days ahead, from the cupcakes to the caramel sauce to the frosting. Have everything ready to assemble in advance so you don’t have to scramble on the day you’re serving.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make These Cupcakes

Technically, you could use any cupcake as the base in this salted caramel cupcake recipe. I went with my favorite vanilla cupcakes. Salted caramel banana cupcakes or Snickerdoodle cupcakes would also be delicious!

• Caramel Sauce – You could use your favorite store-bought jarred caramel sauce, but homemade is so much better! All you need is butter, brown sugar, and milk (or cream). I’ll show you how to make it, see below.
• Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Butter – Brought to room temperature.
• Sugar – I use granulated sugar for the cupcake batter. You could use brown sugar for a richer flavor.
• Eggs and Vanilla – Take the eggs out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature.
• Milk – Whole milk, 2%, or any dairy or non-dairy milk will work here.

For the Frosting

• Caramel Sauce – Reserve a portion of the sauce you used for the cupcakes.
• Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. Fun fact: You can make powdered sugar by blending regular sugar into a fine powder using the food processor!
• Butter – Again, this should be at room temperature. 
• Milk – Just a little, to thin out the frosting.
• Sea Salt – Make sure to use coarse or flaky sea salt or finishing salt, like Maldon or similar. Table salt does NOT work as a garnish.

Can I Use a Boxed Cake Mix? 

Certainly! If you’re short on time, forego the homemade cupcakes in this recipe and use your favorite store-bought vanilla cake mix instead. Just make sure to pick up any ingredients listed on the box.

3-Minute Homemade Caramel Sauce

This is the world’s most foolproof stovetop caramel sauce ever. No candy thermometer necessary. Just a large saucepan and a kitchen timer:

1. Heat butter, brown sugar (I use light and dark), and milk on the stovetop. Bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Boil for 3 minutes. Then, take the pan off the heat and leave the sauce to cool. That’s it!

Plus, when you make your caramel sauce at home, you can create delicious variations like pumpkin spice caramel sauce and apple cider caramel sauce. I’m already dreaming of a fall version of these cupcakes made with either one!

How to Make Salted Caramel Cupcakes

This salted caramel cupcakes recipe is very beginner-friendly. Follow the steps here, and refer to the recipe card below the post for the printable recipe instructions.

• Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Start by whisking flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Separately, beat the butter and sugar with the eggs and vanilla.

• Add the dry ingredients. Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, alternating with milk, until combined. Do not overmix.
• Fill the pan and bake. Divide the cupcake batter between the lined wells of a cupcake pan. Fill each liner about ¾ full. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350ºF, until a tester comes out clean. Move the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Caramel Frosting

Meanwhile, prepare the caramel buttercream frosting:

• Combine the ingredients. Cream butter and powdered sugar with ¾ cup of your cooled homemade caramel sauce and milk. 
• Whip until fluffy. Whip the ingredients until the frosting is smooth a creamy.

Fill and Frost the Cupcakes

Now, you’ll put the caramel cupcakes together in three simple steps:

• Poke the cupcakes. While the cupcakes are warm (but not hot), use a skewer to poke holes in the top of each cupcake, similar to how you’d prepare a poke cake.
• Add the caramel sauce. Pour the cooled caramel sauce over the cupcake and allow it to soak down into the holes.

• Cool, then frost the cupcakes. Leave the cupcakes to cool completely, then pipe or spread the caramel frosting over each. Lastly, give the frosting a drizzle with extra caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Don’t overcook the homemade caramel. Overheating the sugar causes it to harden once it cools. Set a timer for 3 minutes and don’t allow the caramel to boil too long. Otherwise, it’ll be chewy like homemade caramels instead of a smooth and pourable sauce.
• Avoid overmixing. Only mix the dry ingredients into the wet cake batter until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing leads to dense, tough cupcakes.
• Test that your cupcakes are done baking. Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake, and if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, your cupcakes are done.
• You may have leftover caramel. This shouldn’t be a problem if your household is anything like mine! Use the leftover caramel sauce as a topping for ice cream, popcorn, or drizzle it over brownies and more of your favorite desserts. 
• Make chocolate caramel cupcakes. Swap vanilla cupcakes with chocolate cupcakes for a chocolatey version.

How to Store

• Store at room temperature. Keep the frosted salted caramel cupcakes covered at room temperature for 1-2 days. If you live somewhere warm, consider keeping your cupcakes in the fridge. I recommend bringing them back to room temperature for serving, in this case.
• Freeze the cupcakes. Whenever possible, freeze these homemade cupcakes before filling them with caramel and adding the frosting. Store the cupcakes airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature before assembling.

More Cupcakes Recipes

• Almond Cupcakes
• Gingerbread Cupcakes
• Strawberry Cupcakes
• Confetti Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Cupcakes