This Dulce de Leche Frosting recipe is for a silky frosting made from cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, and a tin of decadent dulce de leche. This is the perfect frosting for spreading over cake layers and piping onto cupcakes.
This Vanilla Tray Bake or this Bar One Chocolate Caramel Cake would be delicious with this frosting!
Why This Dulce de Leche Frosting Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Dulce de Leche Frosting
- Ready in: 30 minutes
- Serves: 3 cups
- Main ingredients: Dulce de leche, icing sugar, butter, cream cheese, and salt.
- Perfect for: Decorating cakes and cupcakes, this recipe makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes or one two-layer 22cm (9-inch) cake.
- Why I love it: The creamy caramel flavour of this frosting is delicious! And adding cream cheese keeps it from being too sweet.
- Calories: 1309kcal
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If you love dulce de leche baking recipes, you have to try these Dulce de Leche Cookies, these Dulce de Leche Cupcakes, and this Churro Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting.
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Key Ingredients
- Cream cheese - Choose a full-fat cream cheese for this recipe, and make sure it is at room temperature to avoid a lumpy frosting. I like using Philadelphia cream cheese.
- Dulce de leche - I used a tin of Nestle caramel treat to make this frosting, which is quite thick out of the tin and thus doesn't affect the consistency of the buttercream.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
This is the perfect cream cheese 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.
Have a look at this recipe for Salted Caramel Frosting if you would like to make your own salted caramel from scratch using sugar, heavy cream, and butter.
If you are looking for the perfect bakes to spread this frosting over, take a look at this Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Oil, this Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes recipe, or this Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting recipe.
How to Make Dulce de Leche Frosting
- Step 1: 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 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 the dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt, and beat again at high speed.
- Step 4: Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat at medium-high speed for a further 3 minutes, or until the frosting is light and fluffy. The frosting is now ready to use on cakes or cupcakes.
How to Avoid a Lumpy Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting
It's happened to me countless times: lumpy cream cheese frosting that's too soft to pipe because I overwhipped it trying to get rid of the lumps! The only way to avoid this is to use room-temperature butter and cream cheese. The butter is what causes the lumps, so make sure it is softened and mixed into the icing sugar properly before adding the cream cheese. If frostings scare you a little, you may want to try this Banana Bundt Cake with Caramel Drizzle instead!
Storage
You can make this homemade caramel frosting ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Before using, bring it to room temperature, rewhip until light and fluffy, then use it to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
Leftover frosting can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store it away from strong-smelling foods. I do not recommend freezing buttercreams.
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature butter and cream cheese.
- Be sure to beat the frosting for long enough. Depending on the temperature of your butter, it can take 10 minutes or longer to get the right consistency.
- Use an electric mixer to achieve a fluffy buttercream.
- Never decorate warm cupcakes or cakes; the buttercream will melt.
- Always use the buttercream to decorate as soon as it has finished beating; this is when it has the perfect consistency for decorating.
- If decorating is difficult because the frosting is too hard, add it to a bowl of a mixer and beat it again.
- Always cool your cupcakes or layer cake on a wire rack before frosting.
Dulce de Leche Frosting FAQs
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 not to melt it.
When in doubt, keep mixing - getting a fluffy frosting takes time, so if your frosting looks too hard to spread, then keep beating it. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl often so the frosting mixes evenly.
The answer is yes, although this would be difficult to do! When adding cream cheese to a frosting recipe, you risk overbeating the mixture, and it won't be salvageable. This is why it is so important to ensure the butter is at room temperature. You may see little lumps in your frosting and be tempted to keep mixing, hoping they'll disappear, but unfortunately, they won't. These lumps are caused by not using room-temperature butter or cream cheese.
To make homemade dulce de leche, submerge a sealed tin of sweetened condensed milk in a large pot of boiling water over high heat. It should take 2 to 3 hours to boil into dulce de leche. 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, allow it to cool completely. Only add room-temperature dulce de leche to your frosting; otherwise, the frosting will melt.
More Caramel Dessert Recipes
This creamy dulce de leche buttercream frosting is so delicious, I promise you'll be licking it off the beater! I love how beautifully this recipe pipes onto cupcakes; it really does give you that iconic cupcake swirl! Don't believe me? Try out these Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cupcakes and see for yourself!
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at these Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes!
📖 Recipe
Dulce de Leche Frosting
Ingredients
- 600 g powdered sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 250 g cream cheese
- ½ cup dulce de leche
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt and beat again at high speed.
- 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. The frosting is now ready to use on cakes or cupcakes.
Notes
- To avoid a lumpy frosting, ensure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before you begin baking.
- Only use this frosting on cakes and cupcakes once they have cooled completely.
Catherine says
The texture of this frosting is amazing!