When you can’t decide between chocolate and vanilla, pick caramel. I promise these Caramel Filled Cupcakes won't disappoint.
These delicious cupcakes are made from soft vanilla cupcakes filled with a homemade salted caramel filling and swirled with a smooth cream cheese caramel frosting. Honestly, this is my all-time favorite cupcake recipe and if you give it a go, I’m pretty sure it will be yours too!
If you love caramel recipes, then you have to try this recipe for a Salted Caramel Cake, this recipe for Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes, or this recipe for Caramel and Peppermint Crisp Cupcakes.
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Ingredients
To make this easy cupcake recipe you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Sunflower oil
- Extra-large eggs
- Granulated white sugar
- Self-raising flour
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- Sea salt
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
- Salted caramel pieces
Sunflower oil – these cupcakes use oil instead of butter for extra moistness! Use neutral-tasting vegetable oil for this recipe like sunflower or canola oil.
Extra-large eggs – out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Self-raising flour - if you can't find self-raising flour, you can use cake flour or all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder. Check the recommendations on the packaging of your baking powder to decide how much should be added.
Vanilla extract – choose a quality vanilla extract rather than essence to give this recipe a great vanilla flavor. You can also use vanilla bean paste.
Unsalted butter – use unsalted butter rather than salted butter for this recipe. It is also essential that you use room-temperature butter.
Heavy cream - Heavy cream refers to creams that have a fat content higher than 36%, in South Africa, these creams are often called whipping cream. Please don’t make the mistake of confusing this with double thick cream, it isn’t the same!
Sea salt – for the caramel I used fleur de sel or flaky sea salt, I recommend doing the same.
Salted caramel pieces – use blocks of store-bought caramel candies cut into small pieces to decorate your cupcakes. This is optional.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make these caramel cupcakes follow the simple instructions below. First, you will make the fluffy vanilla cupcakes, then the homemade caramel sauce, and finally the salted caramel buttercream.
instructions for cupcakes
STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 170C (340F) and line 24 cupcake liners into two 12-hole cupcake pans.
STEP 2: Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
STEP 3: Add dry ingredients. Sift together the salt and flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
STEP 4: Add wet ingredients. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a jug, and slowly pour this into the cupcake batter with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
STEP 5: Bake. Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a jug or ice cream scoop, filling each case two-thirds of the way up. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then to cool completely on a cooling rack.
instructions for salted caramel
STEP 1: Melt sugar. Add the sugar to a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat.
STEP 2: Allow the sugar to turn amber. Whisk continuously until the sugar has melted. Once melted, stop whisking and allow the sugar to turn a light amber color. Be careful not to burn the sugar.
STEP 3: Add the cream. When amber in color, remove the sugar from the heat and add the cream, whisk until incorporated.
STEP 4: Add the butter. Slowly add the cubed butter to the caramel, one at a time, whisking as you go. Once all the butter has been added, continue to whisk until it has all melted.
STEP 5: Add salt. Add the sea salt to the caramel and whisk to combine. Pour the caramel into a glass jar and allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.
instructions for frosting
STEP 1: Beat icing sugar and butter. Add the icing sugar and butter to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
STEP 2: Add cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.
STEP 3: Add caramel. Add ½ cup of the cooled caramel and beat again.
STEP 4: Beat until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat at medium-high speed for a further 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Fill a piping bag with the frosting. Fill a second piping bag with the remaining caramel.
STEP 5: Assemble cupcakes. Use an apple or cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill the center of each cupcake with the homemade caramel and then pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Decorate with caramel pieces and extra caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Hint: For the perfect caramel cream cheese frosting, make sure the cream cheese and the butter are at room temperature.
Variations
You can choose to use store-bought caramel instead of making your own. Use a tin of dulce de leche in the same way as you would the homemade caramel.
Equipment
For these salted caramel cupcakes, you will need x2 12-hole cupcake tins, 24x paper cupcake cases, a wire rack for cooling, two disposable piping bags, a piping nozzle, and an electric mixer.
I always use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to make the buttercream as they help ensure a fluffy frosting. I also always use an accurate kitchen scale when baking.
Storage
Cupcakes cool quickly and dry out just as quickly so try to frost them the same day that they are baked. If you don’t have time to decorate the cupcakes the same day as baking them, store them in an airtight container or cover the cupcake trays in plastic wrap until the next day.
For any leftover frosted cupcakes, store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
To freeze these cupcakes, place any leftover cupcakes in a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze them for up to three months. Defrost properly before consuming them.
Top tips
For the best results follow the tips below
- Test the true temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer.
- Caramel can burn quickly so make sure you are keeping an eye on it as it changes colour.
- Make sure the caramel has cooled completely before adding it to the frosting.
- Ensure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before starting the frosting.
FAQ
The eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren’t sure if you have the same eggs – weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.
Check the temperature of your oven and make sure you haven’t overfilled the cupcake cases. Overfilling the cases can result in misshapen cupcakes.
Wait - having room-temperature butter is the most important step in a successful frosting. Choose to wait until the butter has reached room temperature before making this recipe, or cube the butter and heat it gently in the microwave, being careful to not melt it.
Caramel when on the stove can burn very quickly, and you will notice it by the smell of the sugar. If this happens, it is better to start again as the caramel will be very bitter.
These sea salt caramel cupcakes have proven to be a crowd favorite time and time again, so I hope you do give this recipe a go! If you decide to make these please leave a comment and star review below, I love hearing from you!
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Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Caramel Filled Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2x 12-hole cupcake pans
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 120 ml sunflower oil
- 3 eggs extra-large
- 250 g sugar white granulated
- 290 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 270 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Salted Caramel
- 100 g sugar white granulated
- 60 ml heavy cream
- 80 g butter unsalted
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
Caramel Frosting
- 600 g powdered sugar
- 100 g butter unsalted
- 250 g cream cheese
- ½ cup salted caramel from above
- 100 g salted caramel pieces
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line 24 cupcake liners into two 12-hole cupcake pans.
- Add the oil, eggs, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
- Sift together the salt and flour then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
- Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a jug, and slowly pour this into the cupcake batter with the mixer's motor running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
- Pour the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a jug or ice cream scoop, filling each case two-thirds of the way up.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Salted Caramel
- Add the sugar to a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat.
- Whisk continuously until the sugar has melted. Once melted, stop whisking and allow the sugar to turn a light amber color. Be careful not to burn the sugar.
- When amber in color, remove the sugar from the heat and add the cream, whisk until incorporated.
- Slowly add the cubed butter to the caramel, one at a time, whisking as you go. Once all the butter has been added, continue to whisk until it has all melted.
- Add the sea salt to the caramel and whisk to combine. Pour the caramel into a glass jar and allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.
Caramel Frosting
- Add the icing sugar and butter to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.
- Add ½ cup of the cooled caramel and beat again.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat at medium-high speed for a further 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Fill a piping bag with the frosting. Fill a second piping bag with the remaining caramel.
- Use an apple or cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill the center of each cupcake with the homemade caramel and then pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. Decorate with caramel pieces and extra caramel sauce. Enjoy!
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