Dulce de Leche Cupcakes 

This recipe for Dulce de Leche Cupcakes is made from soft chocolate cupcakes made with sour cream and oil for extra moistness that are then swirled with a silky dulce de leche cream cheese frosting. They are the perfect birthday cupcake recipe for caramel and chocolate lovers!

If you love trying out new cupcake recipes, have a look at these delicious Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes, these Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes, or this recipe for Pecan Pie Cupcakes.

Ingredients

You will need the simple ingredients listed below to make these easy dulce de leche cupcakes. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

• Extra-large eggs 
• Sunflower oil 
• Granulated white sugar
• Self-raising flour
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Salt
• Whole milk
• Sour cream 
• Strong brewed coffee
• Vanilla extract
• Unsalted butter
• Icing sugar
• Cream cheese 
• Dulce de leche 

Extra large eggs - if you don't have extra large eggs, work out how many eggs you will need by cracking and weighing them. My eggs weigh 56 grams each out of their shell.

Sunflower oil - sunflower oil is a type of vegetable oil that is great to use in bakes as a substitute for butter or alongside butter. It ensures light and moist cupcakes. All vegetable oils have different properties and tastes, so choose a neutral-tasting oil like sunflower oil or canola for this recipe. 

Self-raising flour - if you don't have self-raising flour, you can make your own by sifting together cake flour and baking powder. Check the packaging of your baking powder to work out how much should be added. 

Cocoa powder - choose an unsweetened quality cocoa powder for this recipe.

Strong brewed coffee - I make a cup of strong coffee using ground espresso beans and a French press, do the same to ensure you have a great quality coffee to add to your cupcake batter. You can also brew espresso, or use ground espresso powder mixed with hot water. 

Cream cheese - choose a full-fat cream cheese for this recipe, and make sure it is at room temperature to avoid a lumpy frosting.

Dulce de leche - I used store-bought dulce de leche, a tin of Nestle caramel treat, to make this frosting, it is quite thick out of the tin and thus doesn't affect the consistency of the buttercream. Try finding a similar caramel, to make your own dulce de leche. See the variations section below for tips on how to do this. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

To make this dulce de leche cupcake recipe follow the simple steps below. First, you will make the chocolate cupcakes, then the creamy dulce de leche frosting, and lastly decorate the cupcakes with extra caramel.

Instructions for cupcakes 

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2x 12-hole cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

STEP 2: Beat sugar, oil, and butter. Add the butter, oil, and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.

STEP 3: Add the eggs. Add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.

STEP 4: Sift dry ingredients. In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

STEP 5: Combine wet ingredients. In a jug mix together the cooled coffee, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.

STEP 6: Add the wet and dry ingredients. With the mixer's motor running at medium-low speed, add the wet ingredients and the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Do this by alternating between the two. Starting with the flour and ending with the wet ingredients.

STEP 7: Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix the cupcake batter again. Ensuring that it is well-mixed and lump-free.

STEP 8: Bake. Using a jug or ice-cream scoop pour the chocolate cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake liners and bake in a preheated oven for about 12 - 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. 

Step 9: Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool in their tin for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Instructions for dulce de leche frosting

STEP 1: Beat icing sugar and butter. Add the icing sugar and butter to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed 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 and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 2 minutes.

STEP 3: Add caramel, vanilla, and salt. Add the dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt, and beat again at high speed. 

STEP 4: Beat until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat at medium-high speed for a further 3 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle. Add the remaining dulce de leche to a plain piping bag.

STEP 5: Decorate. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake and then pipe a dollop of caramel on top of the frosting. Decorate with chocolate shavings if desired, serve, and enjoy!

Hint: For a lump-free smooth buttercream make sure both the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Otherwise, you may get lumps of cold cream cheese in your frosting. 

Variations

This is the perfect dulce de leche frosting recipe for decorating cakes and cupcakes because of its smooth texture. If you can't find tinned dulce de leche you can make your own by boiling a tin of condensed milk.

To make homemade dulce de leche, submerge an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a large pot filled with boiling water set over high heat. It should take 2 to 3 hours to boil. Make sure you are topping up the water as it evaporates, there must be enough water to cover the tin at all times. Once the caramel is done, only add room temperature dulce de leche to your frosting otherwise the frosting will melt. 

If you want to try out a vanilla version of this recipe, then use this easy Moist Vanilla Cupcake recipe instead and follow this recipe for the frosting and decorating! You can also choose to use the extra caramel for a dulce de leche filling inside of the cupcake rather than piping it on top of the cupcake. If you are baking for caramel lovers why not do both!

Equipment

For these chocolate caramel cupcakes, you will need x2 12-hole cupcake tins, 24x paper liners, a cooling rack, 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 they are baked. If you don't have time to decorate the cupcakes the same day as baking them, store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container or cover the cupcake trays in plastic wrap until the next day.

For any leftover filled and frosted cupcakes, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.

To freeze these delicious 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.

My favorite birthday cake growing up was a chocolate cake covered in dulce de leche, and this recipe reminds me so much of those celebrations! This cupcake recipe is everything you want from a delicious bake - a soft sponge, a silky frosting, and in this case a generous dollop of caramel!

If you make these dulce de leche chocolate cupcakes and love them, please leave a comment and star rating below - I love hearing from all of you!

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Happy Baking 

With Love, 

Kitty