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?
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Is the butter/sugar mixture supposed to be grainy?
I cooked it on med/low until almost boiling, and the sugar still had not melted. I transferred to my kitchen aid anyway, and 10 minutes later it still is not cool.
Is this how it’s supposed to be? I’m still at the point of being able to restart if necessary. I appreciate any help, as this is my daughter’s birthday cake. :-/
Hi Lori, It should be smooth and melted and the sugar should have dissolved. On medium-low, it shouldn’t be close to boiling, so I would try a lower heat on your stove.
Your salted caramel sauce recipe is my go-to, I love it! Not exactly sure what happened, but this time I had some issues cooking it consistently. The sugar clumped up and wouldn’t melt, however I could smell it burning/candying so I went ahead and added the butter and cream. Still didn’t incorporate, so I ended up getting candied pieces of uncooked sugar that I had to break down with an immersion blender to salvage it. Somehow it still came out delish, even if lacking a bit of the nuttiness and rich texture it normally has.
I was a bit hesitant about the actual cupcake, thinking maybe it needed some ganache or caramel filling to make it interesting if not moist, however I’m so surprised to say how much I LOVE this cake recipe! Toasting the butter/sugar mixture gives it so much flavor, and if you pull them out of the oven RIGHT at 18 mins (even though the tops give way to touch and seem underdone) they are super moist and the exact perfect density that I don’t even want a filling in these. Plus that frosting? Man. My coworkers wanted extra to put on their bagels for breakfast. I will say that I used maybe 3/4c if not slightly more of caramel in the frosting instead of the 1/2c listed because it wasn’t a very strong salted caramel flavor otherwise.
I’m not one to repeat a recipe, but you can bet this will become a staple in my kitchen! Thank you!!!
I absolutely love this recipe! Such a great pairing with the salted caramel and the chocolate cake is so moist and delicious!
Question, if I wanted to make this recipe into a 9-inch layer cake with two layers, would I be able to use the same recipe but just bake the cakes for longer? Would I need to increase the amount of batter or frosting? I’ve only baked cupcakes and have never made a layer cake before, but my co-worker is requesting this cake for her birthday. Thanks in advance!
Hi Jenny, Yes, you can use the same recipe and will just need to increase the baking time. If you want to both fill and frost the cake with the frosting, I would double it.
Thanks, Michelle! I made this into my second layer cake ever this morning, and it turned out great! I decreased the baking time to 300 degrees (to try to decrease the dome) and baked for about 35 minutes. I still got the dome, but the cake was perfect!
They are seriously good!! But do these cupcakes have to be refrigerated?
Hi Helen, If you need to store them overnight or for an extended period of time, I would refrigerate them.
Hi! Just made the salted caramel sauce and am looking forward to making the cupcakes in a couple of days. I read that I will need to warm the sauce in order to have it the right consistency for the frosting. Assuming I let it cool so it doesn’t ruin the frosting going in warm. Is that right? Sorry if you have already answered this… I tried to look through all of the comments! Thanks!
Hi Katharine, Yes, definitely let it cool down. Enjoy the cupcakes!
I am making these cupcakes friday for a baby shower i am hosting Saturday> I guess my question is will they be okay sitting over night? Will they dry our? Should i wait and frost them before i leave saturday?
Hi Haley, You can frost them on Friday, but I would store them in an airtight container.
The frosting is soooo goooood but it is very runny. I followed the recipe, thought..I had to put the frosting in the refrigerator for 45 min so I can pipe it. Maybe I beat it too long… but over all, I loved it !!!
Thanks
Hi, if I were to turn this into an 9-inch layer cake, how long would you suggest I bake it? Thanks. :)
Hi Reg, I have not made this particular recipe into a cake, so I don’t know how long exactly, but likely a little bit longer than the cupcake recipe.
I made these cupcakes and they are amazing. The chocolate cupcake is moist and rich. The frosting is creamy(it doesn’t taste to Caramely so you might want to use the extra for a garnish). Also we baked a rolo in the middle for extra yummyness. I give this recipe five stars.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Found this recipe and made it for a cupcake contest at my local library. These cupcakes were so unique and very yummy! I won the ‘People’s Choice Award.’
Thanks, Brown Eyed Baker!
Hi Michelle, I would like to make mini cupcakes with this recipe. Do I still bake them the same amount of time as standard size cupcakes?
Thank you
Hi Summer, No, you would need to reduce the baking time.
Michelle, Which recipe do you personally like better, these or the Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes, aside from the Caramel and the Ganache difference.
Can you sub greek yogurt for sour cream?
Hi Ashliee, I have not tried this substitution and am not sure how it would affect the recipe.
Love these cupcakes! I core and fill with the caramel and then top with the frosting. I’ve gotten many requests for these. I’ve even made it into a cake. I poked holes all over the bottom layer and drizzled the carmel sauce, let it soak through and then frosted, placed the top half on and frosted the entire cake. It was a big hit!
Hi
I tried making these cupcakes with the exact measurements.after about 15 minutes in the oven they over flew the cases despite having fill them half way.what could be the problem?thanks your helping in advanced.
Hi,
could you also maybe post the recipes in grams, i tried with cups/converted them to metric and it came different each time.. but i love the recipes you post… thank you
Does this recipe work when doubled? I need to make a ton of cupcakes…..
Yes, it shouldn’t be an issue.
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and the chocolate cupcake recipe is my favourite yet! I was wondering if this recipe would work fine if I doubled (or tripled) it to make a layer cake?
Hi Michela, I’ve never tried converting this to a cake, so I can’t speak to how it would work. If you try it, let me know how it works for you!
I made these cupcakes substituting in a gluten free flour blend, which always makes me nervous the first try, but they came out so incredibly fluffy and light. No crumbly mess. I did have to bake them an extra 12 minutes though.
I went with a buttercream frosting sans caramel in it but then drizzled the salted caramel over top of it. Huge hit. Thanks for the great recipes!
I was trying to find a delicious and interesting recipe for baking cupcakes and landed up here! This was my second batch of cupcakes I’ve ever baked and I was nervous. I used this recipe, varying as little as I could from the ingredients, and I made an amazing batch! Thank you for posting everything online! I only used the cupcake part of the recipe but I love it so much I want to try to make the icing next time. :)
Can this cupcakes be frozen with the salted Carmel frosting?
Hi Randi, I would not recommend freezing these with the frosting. If you’d like to freeze them, freeze just the cupcakes, then thaw and frost when you plan to serve them.
I made these the other day for my family (hello procrastibaking!) and they were literally the BEST THINGS I HAVE EVER TASTED!!! Thank you!
I will be making the Chocolate Salted Caramel; as well as Lemon Limoncello and Mocha with Espresso, for a bake sale at my husbands work (to support The Wounded Warrior Project). I can’t wait to share your wonderful cupcakes with some wonderful service personnel. I would also like to thank you for such a wonderful website/blog. Your cupcakes (Lemon-Limoncello, Mocha with Espresso Buttercream, Margarita, and Irish Car Bomb cupcakes were enjoyed immensely at our daughter’s wedding in March. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
I have tried baking this cupcake. Replaced the sour cream to plain yoghurt. Super moist chocolate cupcakes. But how come my cupcake turn out not evenly flat but look like a small mountain shape. Why is this so?
Hi Christina, Some cupcakes will have a little bit of a dome to them; mine are not perfectly flat either.
Can advise me the grams in each items:
-1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
-1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
-2 & 1/4 cup purpose flour
-1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
-1 & 2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
thanks
Made these chocolate cupcakes but reduced sugar to one cup and used another recipe I was familiar with for the caramel. These cupcakes are crazy delicious and the best I’ve ever made.. can’t wait to make another batch! Thanks for sharing:)
I made. I loved so kept making them as gifts. Everyone went crazy over them
Does it matter if the Dutch processed cocoa is sweetened or not? Most of the ones I’m finding online from William Sonoma or Ghiradelli are sweetened. Which brand do you use?
Thanks.
Hi Amy, True Dutch-processed cocoa should not be sweetened at all. You don’t want any sugar added to any cocoa powder that you use. I use either Penzeys or Valrhona Dutch-process cocoa powder.
These look amazing! I’m super excited to try them. But, I was wondering if it would still work if I half the recipe?
I haven’t halved the recipe myself, but I think it should work okay. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Michelle ,
when do u add the salt to the caramel sauce.
Hi Nona, At the end.