Salted caramel makes any recipe better, right? Right! But when paired with the perfect fluffy vanilla cupcake and folded through a creamy frosting this version becomes the best way to enjoy homemade salted caramel. Add this salted caramel filled vanilla cupcake recipe to your baking bible and I'm sure you will agree.
How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel
Making homemade salted caramel can be a little scary. The heat of the sugar, the bubbling when the cream is added and the more bubbling when the butter is added is a little much. However, once you know what to expect it really isn't that bad. Follow this recipe to ensure the perfect salted caramel every time.
Apparently, this way of making caramel is called the dry caramel method. This means that water is not added to sugar when you start making it on the stovetop. And this makes all the difference, I haven't had an unsuccessful batch.
In the recipe below for homemade sea salted caramel, you will see that the recipe starts by adding granulated sugar to a pot set over medium heat. You whisk continuously until all the sugar has melted. Once the sugar has melted, allow the sugar to turn a medium amber colour. This happens very fast and without realizing you can actually burn your caramel. So please be patient with the heat and be careful.
Next, the cream is added and then the cubed butter. The hot caramel will bubble viciously so be prepared for this and keep stirring until the caramel is smooth and combined. Whisk through the sea salt, and be careful that it has melted and not settled at the bottom of the pot. Lastly, before you add the caramel to the salted caramel buttercream be sure that it is cool! If you are in a rush, like I often am, let the caramel cool in the fridge (or even freezer). But do not ever add warm caramel to the buttercream. The caramel must be cold and thick.
How to Make Homemade Salted Caramel
Making hidden centre caramel cupcakes are such fun! Adding jam, Nutella or as in this case, homemade salted caramel can add such a surprise to this traditional bake.
To create the hole in the centre of the cupcake I use an apple corer. I place the apple corer over the centre of the cupcake and twist downwards until about halfway. Then left up the corer, the centre of the cupcake will be removed. This creates the perfect place to hide all kinds of unexpected treats. Then use a piping bag filled with the salted caramel to fill the centre of the cupcake and pipe the frosting over this.
How to Make Salted Caramel Buttercream
As the flavour suggests the most important component to get right is the sea salted caramel. If you follow the tips above for the perfect homemade sea salted caramel, this shouldn't be a problem. When the caramel is cooled, have a taste and be sure that it doesn't taste burnt. This has happened to me before and rather than ruin a batch of icing be sure that the caramel hasn't been taken too far.
As with all buttercreams, be sure you are using room temperature butter. If you want perfectly pipeable buttercream, the frosting needs to whip up in volume and this can only be done with room temperature butter. To test if your frosting is at the correct consistency you can add a bit to a piping bag and test it. If the frosting is hard to squeeze out then you will need to re-whip the buttercream.
How to Pipe a Perfect Cupcake Swirl
This comes with practice! And also, the correct tools! I like using plastic piping bags with a Wilton 1M tip. This tip is my go-to for creating sky-high cupcake swirls.
To make a swirl on a cupcake I start by placing the tip of the piping bag in the middle of the cupcake. I then move the piping bag in a circle around the cupcake and once the top of the cupcake is covered in buttercream, I lift up to create a smaller circle of frosting. Once there is a second smaller circle, I lift up again, create the tip and release the pressure from the piping bag.
From the time the tip is placed on the centre of the cupcake to when it is lifted keep constant pressure on the bag and do not release or break the swirl coming out from the nozzle.
Ingredients Needed for this Salted Caramel Filled Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
The ingredients needed to make these salted caramel-filled vanilla cupcakes are really simple. They include,
- Extra large eggs
- Sunflower oil
- Granulated sugar
- Self-raising flour
- Full cream milk
- Vanilla extract
- Table salt
- Icing sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Sea salt flakes
- Whipping cream
Tips for Making the Perfect Salted Caramel Filled Vanilla Cupcakes
These are my top tips for making the perfect cupcakes
- Know your oven, cupcakes are pretty small so the last thing you want is to be baking them in a super-hot oven. The bottoms will burn and you will be sad.
- Be sure you have a smooth lump free batter before filling the cupcake cases, you need to ensure that the mixture has mixed evenly and that all of the ingredients are dispersed.
- Don't fill the cupcake cases more that ¾ of the way full, otherwise you won't have that perfect dome to pipe and the batter will spill over the sides of the cases when baking.
- Wait until the cupcakes are cooled before icing them, if you are in a rush remove them from the cupcake oven tray and place them in the fridge until they are no longer warm.
- Be sure the frosting is well mixed, light and creamy before filling your piping bag. It is impossible to get the perfect cupcake swirl if your salted caramel buttercream hasn't been beaten for long enough.
These cupcakes are perfection and top them with a little bit of crushed Cadburys Crunchie to make them look even more decadent!
Let me know if you've decided to make these salted caramel-filled vanilla cupcakes in your kitchen by tagging me on Instagram or leaving a comment below! If you love salted caramel, try out the chocolate version of this cupcake!
Happy Baking
With Love,
Kitty
📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Filled Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 115 grams sunflower oil
- 3 extra-large eggs
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 290 grams self-raising flour
- pinch of salt
- 270 grams milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Homemade Salted Caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 85 grams unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- 500 grams icing sugar
- 160 grams unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon whipping cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup salted caramel (from above)
- 2 bars Cadburys Crunchie, for decorating
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 170°C and line two cupcake trays with 24 cupcake papers.
- Add the oil, sugar, and eggs to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour and salt together, and add this to the egg mixture, beat briefly on high speed until combined.
- Add the vanilla to the milk and slowly add this to the flour mixture, while the beater is going. Continue until all of the milk has been added. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again to ensure everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
- Pour the mixture into a jug and fill the cupcake papers ¾ of the way. Bake in a preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked. Allow the cupcakes to cool.
Salted Caramel
- Add the sugar to a small pot set over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has melted.
- Allow the sugar to turn an amber colour and then add the cream. The caramel will bubble so be careful. Once the cream has been mixed in, add the cubed butter and whisk the caramel until it is well combined. Whisk through the sea salt.
- Pour the caramel into a glass jar and allow the caramel to cool. Once cooled, keep ¾ of a cup for the buttercream and place the remainder of the caramel in a piping bag, for the hidden centre of the cupcakes.
Salted Caramel Buttercream
- To make the frosting, combine the butter and the icing sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until combined.
- Add the vanilla to the cream and slowly add this to the icing sugar mixture, while beating at high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixing evenly.
- Add the cooled homemade salted caramel to your buttercream and mix again.
- Continue mixing until the frosting is fluffy, add to your piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle.
- To assemble the cupcakes, use an apple corer to remove the centre of the cupcake. Fill the centre with the caramel from the piping bag. Pipe a swirl of buttercream on each cupcake and top with pieces of Crunchie chocolate.
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