Salted Caramel Cupcakes – Deliciously moist and fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with a silky cloud of Swiss meringue caramel buttercream, and filled and drizzled with salted caramel!
Remember that dreamy Salted Caramel Sauce recipe I brought you guys the other week? Well, today I bring you a recipe using it – Salted Caramel Cupcakes!
These salted caramel cupcakes are SO moist and fluffy, infused with vanilla, and filled with indulgent homemade salted caramel sauce. I’ve topped them off with some gorgeous Swiss meringue buttercream that I’ve flavoured with more caramel and a little vanilla extract.
And I just couldn’t resist drizzling even more caramel on top.
These are the perfect salted caramel filled cupcakes for all you caramel lovers out there!
How to make Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients you’ll need:
- cake flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- large eggs
- caster/granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- Greek-style yogurt
- salted caramel sauce
For the frosting:
- large egg whites
- caster/granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
To make these cupcakes, Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Whisk together the eggs. Add the sugar, and whisk until combined. Add the butter, vanilla, and yogurt, and whisk until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases, filling only 2/3 full.
Bake for 14 – 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Using a cupcake corer or knife, scoop out the centres of the cooled cupcakes. Fill the cupcakes with the salted caramel sauce.
For the Swiss meringue buttercream, I have very detailed instructions below in my printable recipe card. 🙂
How long will these cupcakes last? Cupcakes can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Cover the frosting, and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Can I freeze these cupcakes? Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Try these delicious cupcakes next!
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Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Deliciously moist and fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with a silky cloud of Swiss meringue caramel buttercream, and filled and drizzled with salted caramel!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) cake flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) caster/granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) Greek-style yogurt
- homemade salted caramel sauce, to fill cupcakes and drizzle on top
For the Frosting
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup (200g) caster/granulated sugar
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened and cubed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (80g) homemade salted caramel sauce
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin cases, and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs. Add the sugar, and whisk until combined. Add the butter, vanilla, and yogurt, and whisk until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases, filling only 2/3 full.
- Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Using a cupcake corer or knife, scoop out the centres of the cooled cupcakes. Fill the cupcakes with the salted caramel sauce, leaving some to drizzle on top.
For the Frosting
- In the heat-proof bowl of your stand mixer over a pan of simmering water, add the egg whites and sugar. Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch and all the sugar has dissolved (should not feel gritty between your fingers) - about 5 minutes.
- Attach the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk for 10 - 15 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool.
- With the mixer on medium-low speed, gradually add the butter, piece by piece, mixing well after each addition. Once all the butter has been added, whisk in the vanilla, and salted caramel sauce. Whisk until silky and smooth.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and frost the cooled cupcakes. Drizzle with the extra salted caramel.
Notes
*Make your own cake flour! Measure out 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) of plain/all-purpose flour, remove 3 tablespoons, and replace with 3 tablespoons of cornflour/cornstarch. Sift well.
Leftover cupcakes can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Cover the frosting, and store in the fridge until ready to use.
If using my homemade salted caramel sauce, this recipe makes enough to fill cupcakes, add to frosting, and drizzle on top.
Nutrition information does not include the salted caramel sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12 cupcakesServing Size:
1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 407Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 0gSugar: 37gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Kelsey
Saturday 29th of August 2020
These cupcakes are great, I made them exactly according to your recipe and they're super flavorful and dense! One note on the frosting though, I think that you need to add an edit about getting the egg white and sugar mixture to 160 degrees. Timing is really not the most important factor when making meringue buttercream whereas temperature of the egg whites is crucial.
H
Saturday 22nd of August 2020
Maybe we don’t have the right tastebuds but these were just okay. The homemade salted caramel recipe that you provide was amazing but we found the cake a bit dry and the frosting too airy for our taste.
Marsha
Saturday 22nd of August 2020
Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed the homemade caramel :) Cupcakes can dry up pretty quickly if even slightly overbaked. Cupcakes are done when a light touch to the tops springs back. For the frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream isn't for everyone, so you might want to use American buttercream instead.
Alexia
Friday 26th of June 2020
Hi! I cannot wait to try these! I don't have a stand mixer though, will an electric hand mixer work? Thanks!
Marsha
Friday 26th of June 2020
Yes, of course! Enjoy :)
Jess
Friday 12th of June 2020
These cupcakes are delightful although my meringue didn’t go to plan and was runny. Looking at the link left for another lady, my butter was too soft and I think that was the issue! Could you not add the butter and just use the meringue mix ontop of the cupcakes? This topping however was too sweet for me. I will use the cupcake mix again with a plain topping. Thank you for sharing
Marsha
Friday 12th of June 2020
You can certainly top cupcakes with just the meringue (omitting the butter)! Let me know if you try it this way :)
Amanda
Tuesday 17th of December 2019
Hi, my salted caramel has been in the fridge for two days now and has thickened up. I wanted to use it again to fill up cupcakes. How would I get it back to a thinner consistency so I can pipe in to the cupcakes? Thanks.
Marsha
Wednesday 18th of December 2019
You can heat it up in the microwave, stirring every few seconds, until it's reached desired consistency.