Chocolate Cupcakes filled with homemade caramel sauce, topped with decadent vanilla buttercream and finished with a piece of salted caramel? Yes, I went there and these Salted Caramel Cupcakes were worth every single step.
As I have stated before, I love caramel! I’ll take it in gooey liquid form over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a sticky coating on a Granny Smith apple, or a homemade square of the delicious salted variety. Heck, I’m no food snob, I’ll even partake in the caramel goodness of a Cow Tail.
Have you ever had a Cow Tail? Oh. My. Word. If not, get yourself to the corner gas station and buy yourself one immediately. Just don’t be fooled with its nasty spin-off of the Caramel Apple variety, it’s less than amazing. While you’re there, don’t be afraid to pick up a Nerds Rope, which is another personal fave!
This post is not your typical MBA post; meaning there is no recipe. This is more like a framework which will help you to build your caramel masterpiece. I’ll link you some of the components, but you add in your favorite cake and frosting recipe.
January 17th, 2011
Making Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- made one of my favorite chocolate cupcake recipes according to the recipe directions (you’ll see my fave in an upcoming fundamentals post). Use whatever recipe floats your boat. Yellow cake would be equally as amazing.
- find a basic vanilla buttercream recipe. I usually combine 3 sticks of softened unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract, 2 pounds of confectioners’ sugar and enough milk to reach the desired consistency (about 4-5 tablespoons).
Directions:
- hollow out a small circle in the center of each cupcake; I use an apple corer because I am anal and obsessed with symmetry. You can also use this piping tip from Wilton which allows you to inject frosting into cupcakes.
- add in a bit of homemade caramel sauce to the hollowed center and replace the small piece of cake you removed from the center.
- top the cupcake with buttercream frosting
- finish with a square of homemade Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel Caramel.
Notes:
- homemade caramels can get a little pliable when sitting at room temperature, add these to your cupcakes right before serving.
- you can definitely cheat a little and use store bought caramel, heck you can even use high quality caramels
- I piped the frosting using the large round tip from bake it pretty. You can check out my video piping tutorial found in this post.
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! These are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever seen!
I only wish I had one in front of me
Chocolate & Caramel YUM! Two of my favorite sweets! These sound amazing, especially with the caramel center! I can’t wait to try your homemade caramel recipe!
Lovely way to combine a whole lot of my favorite things. I will totally be making these
These cupcakes sound unbelievably good and I will definitely baking them. Thanks, Jamie!
Oh man, you are KILLING me over here. I still have not made my own caramel and this post is pushing me over the edge! (Also, I heart Cow Tails. That is all).
Absolutely gorgeous! Starring these!
I used to be neutral about caramel but lately I am loving it, especially when salted! These look outrageous!!
Stunningly delicious looking!
I’ve been looking for a good recipe to try these cupcake and a good excuse to use my new KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer. This is it!
Wow those look amazing! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Yum yum yum yum yum. That is all.
Absolutely delectable photo!!
Such an adorable looking cupcake! Thanks for the tips
these are truly stunning cupcakes…they’re beautiful!
These are fantastic tips, thanks for sharing! Caramel probably comes in second to chocolate, but it still counts as one of my favorites. Your cupcakes look divine and rich; I look forward to trying out my hand at caramel-making.
A question: do you ever have issues with your caramel leaking or soaking through your cake? Or do you typically get it to a viscous enough consistency that it will stay in place until consumed?
oh. my. goodness. I seriously want one. now
I have to try this wen I get home from holidays!
These look gorgeous!! Looking forward to your go-to chocoalte cupcake recipe!
Yum! I still haven’t made your salted caramels, but they are on my list! These cupcakes look perfect!
Stunning!! And I am sure entirely delicious!!! Great job!
i really don’t like baking but since I have found your blog i started. your recipes are amazing! I can’t even stand looking at them because i am pretty sure i gain 5 pounds every time you post something new.
Oh wow wow WOW – those are gorgeous and they sound AMAZING!!!
These look divine! I go crazy over salted caramels and to put them on a cupcake is just pure brilliance!
I can’t decide if I love you or hate you for this recipe…you devilish baking genius.
I have to make these, cupcakes are my favourite with salted caramels a close second!
Salted caramel is one of my absolute favorite things. I can’t wait to try it in a cupcake.
These are just beautiful. I love the salt and the caramel combination. Melt in your mouth good!
Your photo made me want to lick the computer screen. Oh my lands, these look divine!
I adore salted caramel! In fact, I posted a salted caramel frosting today… Great minds think alike! These cupcakes look divine… I will save the recipe for the next time my caramel cravings strike!
Almost too pretty to eat… almost!
Definitely want one of these.
OMG these cupcakes look amazing! I love the salted caramels on top too and yes, Cow Tails are amazing! Your photo is making me drool
I love these, and have been waiting to see them all day. I couldn’t get them to come up earlier when I saw them on twitter.
I can’t take it! *UNCLE* Seriously, these have everything I adore and CRAVE. Salt + caramel = BLISS.
And they’re darling to boot!
Wow, do these look drop dead decadent!
DUDE! You’re killing me with this!
I can’t imagine anything better, and that’s serious.
These look absolutely scrumptious! The perfect afternoon snack of sweet and salty!
I love the photo. Absolutely stunning
Of course love the salted caramel cupcakes as well.
This is such an ingenius idea! I love salted caramel and chocolate, the salted caramel hot chocolate from starbucks is one of my favorite things on the planet, but these cupcakes might beat it out! Salted caramel is so in vogue right now, and these look amazing. Thanks for the idea!
These are definitely the best sounding cupcakes I’ve seen floating around in awhile! I would totally go for one right now!! And I agree, cowtails are a gas station treasure!
By far the most beautiful and delicious looking cupcakes I have ever seen. They are simply stunning!
{and I want one!}
I made filled cupcakes for the first time over the summer, and didn’t realize what I was missing. These will definitely get a test drive around here…wonder if I should tell my husband about them or just keep them for myself?
they look beautiful and i’m sure they taste amazing! I love sweet and salty treats.
These look really delicious and I bet they are fantastic!
These look crazy delicious!! Thanks for posting these. Definitely something worth trying this Valentine’s day!!
You just made my day! These look delicious! Beyond delicious!!
caramel will always be my first love before chocolate but not before The Professor – he stil claims that top spot! you always make me want to bake Jamie!
These look about perfect! I am thinking Valentines…
Truly a delicious creation!
THese cupcakes are beautiful!
Those look incredible!
Okay, after finding this on Taste-spotting, I’ve prepared all of the elements of this deliciousness. Just waiting for the caramel sauce and cupcakes to cool. I can attest to the perfect salted caramels, as I must of course test several while waiting for everything to cool. Lawdy-Lawdy, they are good! I’ll report back once I’ve consumed one or twelve.
How did you keep the caramel from absorbing into the cupcake? I made them and within an hour or so after dropping the dollop of caramel into the hole it was all absobed throughout the chocolate cake. Don’t get me wrong, it was moist and yummy, but I was really hoping for a more concentrated caramel surprise in the middle. Advice, please!
Oh my god these look amazing. I feel like ruining all my hard earned Pilates efforts by making a batch. Worth it? I think so!
YUM!
I featured on my blog today
http://blog.shopdirtylaundry.com/posts/2011/12/30/39-the-dirty-2011-trends.html
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Mmmm I adore salted caramel in every shape and size too!
You can take these cupcakes to the next level by using a beer and chocolate cupcake recipe with cream cheese caramel frosting and salted caramel on top
These flavours are a match made in adult heaven…. my colleagues *demand* these cupcakes when we have morning teas!
http://thebrooklynkitchen.wordpress.com/2008/05/20/best-in-show-the-prizewinning-cupcakes/
beautiful idea – I have to give it a try in my kitchen! I love the mixture of sweet and salty…
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