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.
I love adding dulce de leche to a cream cheese-based frosting because it helps cut the sweetness of the caramel. So, if you love caramel-flavored frostings but aren’t a fan of super-sweet desserts, then this is the frosting recipe for you!
If you love trying different frosting flavors on your favorite cake and cupcake recipes then I have more recipes for you to try! Like this Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting, this Peanut Butter Buttercream, or this recipe for Pistachio Buttercream.
Ingredients
To make this delicious frosting you will need the simple ingredients listed below, remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Cream cheese
- Dulce de leche
- Sea salt
- Vanilla extract
Unsalted butter – use unsalted butter rather than salted butter for this recipe. It is also essential that you use room-temperature butter.
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 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. Try finding a similar caramel. To make your own dulce de leche, see the variations section below.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
To make this dulce de leche frosting, follow the simple steps below. Ensure that the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before starting this recipe.
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. 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. The frosting is now ready to use on cakes or cupcakes.
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 or butter in your frosting.
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.
To make homemade dulce de leche, submerge a closed tin 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 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.
Have a look at this recipe for Salted Caramel Frosting if you would like to make your 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, this Chocolate Cupcakes recipe, or this Vanilla Cake recipe.
Equipment
To make this luscious dulce de leche buttercream you will need a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer for the best results. Beating the frosting can take up to 10 minutes so you’ll need some help!
If you'd like to use this recipe to decorate cakes and cupcakes you will need a piping bag, decorating tip, or an offset spatula.
Storage
If you want to make this homemade caramel frosting ahead of time, you can. Once made, store it in an airtight container or large bowl covered with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge.
Before using it, remove the frosting from the fridge and bring it to room temperature for a couple of hours before beating it again until it is light and fluffy. Once the frosting is soft and fluffy 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 buttercream.
Top Tips
Use these top kitchen tips below to help ensure you are making the perfect Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- 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 help you get 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.
FAQ
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.
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 that the frosting can mix evenly together.
The answer is yes, although this would be difficult to do! When adding cream cheese to a frosting recipe you can run the risk of 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 that these will disappear but unfortunately, they won’t and these lumps are caused by not using room temperature butter or cream cheese.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
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!
I hope you give this caramel icing a go, and if you do please leave a comment and star rating below – I love hearing from all of you!
Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and follow along at @with_love_kitty to make sure you never miss a recipe. Keep an eye out for my Dulce de Leche Cupcakes and Dulce de Leche Cookie recipes that I will be sharing soon!
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 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.
Catherine says
The texture of this frosting is amazing!