Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Inspired by the Starbucks Salted Caramel Latte, these cupcakes are the best thing since sliced bread! Start planning your beginning of Spring garden tea party because this is a recipe to impress!
These cupcakes are the best of everything...a beautiful moist cupcake with a oozy caramel filling and on top a delicious caramel buttercream!
It's a longer recipe but well worth the effort!! xx
Brown Sugar Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Preheat oven to 325 °F. Line muffin tin with paper or foil liners.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with 1/2 of the buttermilk, stirring after each until everything is combined.
Pour batter into prepared muffin tin until each liner is 3/4 full.
Salted Caramel Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
In a medium saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat, whisking as it melts.
When it turns a deep amber color, add the butter and stir until it is melted. Add the heavy cream and whisk until the caramel is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool. (I totally forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but I promise this will turn into caramel!)
Using a large pastry tip or a paring knife, cut a small round piece out of the top of each cupcake.
Pour in around 1-2 teaspoons of caramel in each cupcake
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Fleur de sel for sprinkling (optional)
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water and cook over medium-high heat. Boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream and vanilla, whisking until it is very smooth. Let cool for around 20 minutes, until it’s just barely warm and still pourable. (And yes, you do have to make this second round of caramel because you'll use all of the first batch filling the cupcakes!)
Meanwhile, beat butter and salt together until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat until thoroughly combined.
Pour in the cooled caramel and beat on medium-high speed until light and airy (around 2 minutes). Spread or pipe onto filled cupcakes (if frosting is too runny, the caramel was too warm when added – refrigerate for around 15-20 minutes until frosting is stiffer). Sprinkle each cupcake with a small pinch of fleur de sel (french sea salt) or fine sea salt.
