Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Salted caramel is practically liquid gold. It’s sweet, savory, and tastes amazing on anything it touches - especially chocolate. There’s something so sinfully decadent about this epic flavor pairing that I dare you to eat just one cupcake. From the moist, fudgy chocolate cake to the whipped salted caramel buttercream frosting, and the drizzled caramel and chocolate flakes on top, it’s a major flavor party, and you’re invited.
Real talk: I love eating healthy, but life is all about balance. So when it’s time to indulge or celebrate, this cupcake has become a go-to in our household and I hope it becomes one in yours. I mean, anytime my husband devours an entire cupcake in under 30 seconds, I take that as a sign the recipe is a keeper.
This recipe uses my classic, from-scratch chocolate cake recipe, but if you are in a time crunch or prefer a simpler route, I’ve got you. I have also created an elevated cake mix recipe, which uses cake mix as the base, applying a few small tweaks to create an extra moist, flavorful cake that tastes homemade. You can find that recipe in my s’mores cupcakes post, and follow all the cake-specific steps to create a great cupcake!
P.S. If you love the magical salted caramel buttercream frosting, you should check out Browned Butter Blondie’s other inspiring creations! I adapted her sensational recipe for these cupcakes.
Ingredients
Recipe yields 18 cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 package instant chocolate pudding (3.9 ounces)
1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (4-5% milkfat)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup warm black coffee
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
7 tablespoons salted caramel, room temperature
1 tablespoon 2% milk
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and move oven racks to top and center of oven.
Line two muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pudding mix. Set aside.
In a large bowl or KitchenAid mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
With mixer on low speed, slowly add dry ingredients. Once dry ingredients are incorporated, increase to medium speed for 30 seconds.
With mixer on low speed, add coffee. Once combined, gently fold-in chocolate chips.
Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with batter. Tap muffin pan on countertop 4-5 times to remove any air bubbles
Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few small crumbs (no wet batter). Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your cupcakes for the last few minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cupcakes fully cool in the pan.
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
In a large bowl or KitchenAid mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and confectioners sugar on low speed, until combined, then increase to medium speed for one minute. I place a towel over my mixing bowl for the initial mixing stage.
Add milk, salted caramel, and salt, mixing on low speed until combined, then increase to medium speed for one minute, until buttercream is light and fluffy. If buttercream is too thick, add more milk. If buttercream is too thin, add more confectioners sugar.
Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. I use a Wilton 2A tip.
Using a spoon, gently drizzle salted caramel on top of each cupcake. An optional added touch is garnishing with chocolate flakes (I finely cut a chocolate bar).
Recipe Notes
Cupcakes are best enjoyed within 1-2 days. Store covered at room temperature.
I used pre-made salted caramel sauce, which can be found in the ice cream toppings section of the grocery store, though you can make homemade salted caramel sauce, if you prefer.
Microwave caramel for 10-15 seconds before drizzling on top of cupcakes. This will make it to looser and easier to work with.
My go-to piping bags are 16 inch Wilton disposable piping bags, but in a pinch, a freezer bag with one corner cut off can work!
If you’re new to piping cupcakes, check out this awesome tutorial video that shows you how to set-up your piping bag and how to frost your cupcake using four common piping tips.
