Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
You didn’t think that I’d tease you with salted caramel sauce yesterday and not provide you with something deliciously evil to do with it, did you? As I mentioned when we talked about the sauce, I’ve had a lot of fun with salted caramel baked goods over the last year, and I have loved each and every one of them. Yet, there was something missing. One crucial recipe that I had yet to perfect. Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting. After seeing (and trying) tons of salted caramel cupcakes at various cupcake shops, I kept meaning to make my own. How something like that gets pushed to the back burner, I’ll never know. You all have Michelle C. to thank for getting salted caramel cupcakes back to the front and center of my mind, where it absolutely needed to be. Michelle shared a photo of her brand new KitchenAid mixer that she received as a Mother’s Day gift on the BEB Facebook page. When I asked her the first thing she made, she said she was waiting to break it in with a salted caramel cupcake recipe, and was waiting to see one from me. I can’t have me be the only thing standing in the way of a woman and KitchenAid bliss, so I made it my business to catapult salted caramel cupcakes to the top of my “to do” list. Well, Michelle, I hope you love these cupcakes as much as I did, and that they make your inaugural KitchenAid baking experience fun and delicious!
When it comes to salted caramel cupcakes, there is certainly no shortage of variations. Salted caramel cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. Brown sugar cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. Vanilla cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. Chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. As you can tell, there was definitely one constant – salted caramel frosting. That was perfect, since I already knew, without a doubt, that my cupcakes would be adorned with salted caramel buttercream frosting. Now, what type of base to use?
I thought long and hard about it, and at first was leaning towards an all-salted caramel cupcake, but then stepped back from the ledge. I thought it might be a little overkill. Salted caramel is awesome, but I think the essence of it really shines when it’s used in combination with a contrasting flavor and texture. That’s what makes it such an amazing pairing with brownies, ice cream, and hot chocolate. At the end of the day, I couldn’t ignore my infatuation with all things salted caramel and chocolate. A chocolate cupcake it was!
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While there isn’t any salted caramel used directly in the cupcake itself, there is one part of the process that creates a caramel-like flavor, which adds to the recipe as a whole. Instead of beating together the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl as most recipes would call for, the butter and sugar are cooked slowly in a saucepan until the butter is completely melted. The result is a little bit of a mix between a nutty, caramel flavor and smell, and that of browned butter. I wish I could have supplied you with a scratch and sniff here! That one little step adds volumes in terms of flavor and how well the chocolate cupcake complements the salted buttercream frosting.
So, there you have it. An incredibly moist, amazing chocolate cupcake with just a hint of caramel undertones, topped with a salted caramel cream cheese buttercream frosting. Drizzle a little extra salted caramel sauce on top and finish off with a pinch of flaky sea salt, and you have one seriously phenomenal cupcake.
One year ago: Peanut Butter Brownies
Two years ago: Guacamole
Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- ½ cup (43 g) plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ cup (125 ml) plus 1 tablespoon hot water
- 2¼ cups (281.25 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups (333.33 g) granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (172.5 ml) sour cream
For the Salted Caramel Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (113 ml) salted caramel sauce
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar
To Garnish:
- Salted Caramel Sauce
- Fleur de Sel, or other flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard-size muffin pans with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth, and the butter is completely melted. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is cool, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture, beating until smooth.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix each addition until just incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Frosting: Beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium-high speed for 5 minutes (I like to use the whisk attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer, but it’s not necessary). Pour in the salted caramel and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional two to three minutes, until light and fluffy.
- To finish, pipe frosting onto the top of each cupcake (or use an offset spatula to spread the frosting), drizzle with some additional salted caramel sauce, and sprinkle with a pinch of fleur de sel. (Note: I used an Ateco #864 decorating tip to frost these cupcakes.)
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Hi,
These cupcakes are great! I love the deep chocolate flavor. I was just wondering if you have ever doubled this recipe and how it worked out. I noticed that it is already larger in volume than your other cupcake recipes.
Thanks
Hi Teri, I have never double the recipe; if you do so, let me know how it turns out!
Hi B.E.B,
Quick question…what do you think is the difference between these cupcakes and your other chocolate cupcakes that incorporate cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate?
Thanks for your posts.
Jocelyn
Hi Jocelyn, Because you cook the butter a little here, they have a little bit more of a browned butter/caramel flavor; the others have more of a pure chocolate flavor.
Hi! I am hoping to make this into a cake but I only have a 9 X13 cake pan. What would you recommend I do to the recipe?!
You can use the recipe as-is, but will need to increase the baking time slightly. I would just check it every few minutes until it is done, so you don’t overbake it.
Holy moly!!!! Where have these been all my life!!!
I must say this is one of my all time favorite recipes. I will say that I had some trouble when caramelizing the sugar. More like LOTS of trouble. I used a non-stick pan and followed the recipe to a T. Well, I tried it 5 times to be accurate. The sugar was melting beautifully but would not deepen in color and of course, the more time I waited, it turned into a rock hard mess! This happened every time so Im sure you can imagine my frustration. I refused to waste the 10 bucks worth of heavy cream and vanilla beans. Thanks heavens I dont have a live video blog. I did a good hours worth of youTube-ing and Google-ing and am convinced I did everything correctly. I went to my mother in-laws house to borrow a different pan and was practically in tears over this damn sugar issue. My husband decided to help and wouldnt you know…….it worked perfectly the first time!!!! He, however, did NOT follow the recipe and did not use the water. Just the sugar
Sorry for making a short story a long one :)
Love this site!!!! Its my ultimate fave!!!
Holy moly!!!! Where have these been all my life!!!
I must say this is one of my all time favorite recipes. I will say that I had some trouble when caramelizing the sugar. More like LOTS of trouble. I used a non-stick pan and followed the recipe to a T. Well, I tried it 5 times to be accurate. The sugar was melting beautifully but would not deepen in color and of course, the more time I waited, it turned into a rock hard mess! This happened every time so Im sure you can imagine my frustration. I refused to waste the 10 bucks worth of heavy cream and vanilla beans. Thans heavens I dont have a live video blog. I did a good hours worth of youTube-ing and Google-ing and am convinced I did everything correctly. I went to my mother in-laws house to borrow a different pan and was practically in tears over this damn sugar issue. My husband decided to help and wouldnt you know…….it worked perfectly the first time!!!! He, however, did NOT follow the recipe and did not use the water. Just the sugar
Sorry for making a short story a long one :)
Love this site!!!! Its my ultimate fave!!!
These cupcakes are absolutely delicious….tested this recipe for an upcoming work bake off…everyone loved the sweet salty chocolately flavors all together! I needed to make some adjustments after having trouble making the homemade caramel sauce…decided to try stirring in butterscotch pudding mix to taste (2T) with 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp Fleur de sel. I also thought the cupcake needed some richness added inside so I injected some thick chocolate salted caramel sauce I found at my local store…before frosting them and drizzling with slightly warmed caramel sauce and a dash or two of the Fleur de sel. Brought the remaining cupcakes to the salon with me to share and they were a huge hit with many requests for the recipe. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe…I will be entering this cupcake in my work bake off and will let you know how we do!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I have never made caramel and found the directions to be a big help. I didn’t have a candy thermometer but because of the detailed instructions managed to get it right! I also didn’t have a piping bag so I just used a plastic ziploc bag and cut the corner. They turned out perfect! These cupcakes are so delicious and everyone loved them. Thank you again!!
OK, so I finally had a chance to make these and they were TO DIE FOR!! It took two tries with the caramel sauce but it was well worth it! It came out fantastic!!! So good in fact that I think I ate 1/2 cup while baking :-/
Everything came out great! I tried two variations though and may only make one change next time……
1/4 of the cupcakes were done to the recipe specifics (delish)…..3/4 I used the smaller diameter Wilton frosting tip (big end) and took a chunk out of the cake middle. I filled the hole with the caramel and frosted as usual. I must say that the caramel filled ones were probably the best thing I’ve ever tasted!!! I think next time I MAY leave the cream cheese out of the frosting and add more butter…..we’ll see though.
Thank you so much Michelle for this recipe!! It’s everything I wanted and more!
Made the salted caramel sauce and made the buttercream frosting tonight and turned out great! I used my own chocolate cake recipe with a chocolate ganache filling! Perfect!
Seriously phenomenal cupcake indeed!.. by far my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, even my friend who dislikes chocolate cake enjoyed these… as always thank you for the wonderful recipe Michelle.
oh my look at all that cupcake caramel drizzle, its baking time and time to put on some calories!
I made the salted caramel chocolate cupcakes and i have to say the sauce and frosting were amazing. My cupcakes texture were a tad bit dry, i made exactly as outlined on your recipe. I’m wondering if the butter/sugar mixture temp had anything to do with it. In your recipe it says to let cook 4-5 mins, but the mixture was not cooled completely – should it be? I proceeded as recipe outlined. The flavor of the cupcakes, though, was outstanding, I used Penzey’s high fat dutch process cocoa and it was incredible depth of flavor.
*cool (not cook) 4-5 minutes (typo)
Hi Betty, Yes, you should let it go until it is completely cool. Depending on how hot your mixture got (this will vary from stove to stove), it could take less time or more time. I’m glad that you did enjoy the flavor of the cupcakes!
Thank you michelle, I’m going to make these again next week so I’ve taken note!
Hi Michelle! I’d love to turn these cupcakes into my birthday cake? Any tips Re baking time, etc. for using this recipe for a standard round layer cake? Thanks!
Hi Amy, You’ll need to increase the baking time; I would start checking around 30 minutes or so just to be sure you don’t overbake. I would probably lean toward 8″ cake pans, but if all you have is 9″ that will work too.
does not make 22 to 24 cakes.
I made these for a party and they were a huge hit! The caramel sauce is divine! Thanks for sharing!!!
I want to taste it!
I just made these cupcakes. The salted caramel was easy to make – success on the first try without a thermometer. The cake recipe was easy to follow and rose beautifully, and the icing was amazing! My partner who does not like cake, really liked them!
Hey Michelle!
I’m making a fondant cake, and want to use this frosting. But I think that the cream cheese component will not be good since the cake will need to be unrefrigerated. Do you think I can make the frosting the same way, but without the cream cheese?
Hi Beth, You definitely can! Just replace the cream cheese in the recipe with an equal amount of butter.
So instead of 2 sticks of butter, use 4?
Yep, you got it!
Made these last night. They are fabulous! I could drown in the frosting. (swoon)Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Great idea! Sweet caramel with a touch of salty flavor. It can neutralize too much sweetness on this cupcake.
Wow these look beautiful..hmm makes 24 to share or not to share..these would go down with no trouble. Salted caramel frosting is next on my reciepe to do list!
Some of the prettiest cupcakes ever! I love the combination of sweet and salty and especially salted caramel. I am not big on cupcakes but I want to try these. They look so good. What a way to break in the Kitchenaid Mixer!
drooling…
they look & sound delish! Can’t wait to get back home for baking. Happy weekend!
These are mouth-watering!
The amount of salted caramel in and on these should be illegal! :)
You are a girl after my own heart. I am loving the flood of recipes lately with salt, chocolate and caramel. YUMMMMM. I made a note for myself to pick up the Ateco #864 decorating tip since I made delicious cupcakes over the weekend, but frosting decorating turned out horrendous. I needed a larger tip for sure! Thanks!! You’ve been buzzed.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! I can’t wait to make these!!! I’ll post pics the second they’re frosted :-)
oh my goodness!!! those look amazing!
i love anything and everything salted caramel!!