Today, I thought you deserved something special.
And by special, I mean luscious salted caramel. Tucked inside perfectly moist chocolate cupcakes. Does that qualify?
No? Hmmm… How about if I throw in some salted caramel buttercream frosting? I thought so. I knew you’d be into this. What’s not to be into? These cupcakes are a little taste of heaven in every bite. Well, if you like chocolate and salted caramel…and the food-gasm that entails once you’ve achieved that perfect salty-sweet combination. That’s what salted caramel is all about, after all – and chocolate is an obvious match for it.
Caramel…shall we discuss? I have a feeling we’ve talked this one through before, but just in case you’re new here, let me tell you: It’s not that hard to make. Try it, if you never have, and you’ll likely surprise yourself. The trick I can let you in on – and it’s not exactly a secret – is that caramel turns quickly from velvety and smooth to a hardened, burnt mess. As long as you’re paying attention, you’ll be fine. This is not something you want to be doing while talking on the phone, while licking the cake batter bowl clean, while trying to braid your dog’s hair with your toes.
Just kidding…I don’t have a dog. And if I did, I’m fairly certain it’s hair wouldn’t be long enough for me to perform such a task. Dog people – is this possible? Just wondering.
When I first set out to make these babies, I saw a lot of recipes from crazy (talented!) people who wanted me to make one caramel to fill the cupcakes, and then another one to make the buttercream. Why? How about we keep things simple – because clearly salted caramel-filled chocolate cupcakes are brimming with simplicity – and use the same caramel for both the filling and the frosting? It’s a win for everyone.
Trust me. You won’t want any more leftover salted caramel. You’ll eat enough frosting while making these to satisfy your craving. I’m nauseous - in a good way, if that makes any sense – just thinking about this frosting.
Please – if you make these and feel the same way, tell me. If you want to make them, and are quite sure you’ll feel the same way, tell me. I need to know I’m not alone in this.
And if you want to watch me make caramel in a video – albeit a different kind, this one turns into caramel candies, it’s the same process, and you’ll get the idea of what to expect. Maybe you’ll see that it’s nothing to be afraid of at all!
Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Martha Stewart
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup warm water
- Salted Caramel Filling, recipe below
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add eggs, buttermilk, oil, extract, and the water; beat until smooth and combined.
Spoon the batter into liners about two-thirds full. Bake approximately 15-17 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Transfer tins to wire racks and allow to cool for 10 minutes; turn cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 1 month in air tight containers.
Use a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece (about 1/2 inch deep) from the center of each cupcake and throw away the pieces. Make the salted caramel.
Salted Caramel
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 1/2 teaspoons flaked sea salt, preferably Fleur de Sel
Heat sugar with the water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until syrup is clear; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan and stop stirring.
Cook until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush as needed. Boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is caramelized and just reaches 360°F. Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream; stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in sea salt.
Let cool for about 15 minutes; if caramel begins to harden reheat gently until pourable. Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons warm caramel into each hollowed-out cupcake. The caramel will slightly sink into the cupcake – just add a bit more. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over filling.
Use the leftover caramel for the frosting.
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 – 4 cups powdered sugar
- About 1/2 cup leftover caramel sauce from above
Caramel should now be cool enough to use for the frosting. Make sure it’s slightly warm to the touch, and still pourable. If it’s hardened too much, gently reheat until pourable.
In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium-high speed for a few minutes until light and airy, and completely mixed. If the frosting looks like it needs to set up a bit, refrigerate it for 15 – 20 minutes. The caramel walks a fine line between being either too warm, or too thick and unpourable if it gets too cool, so this affects the temperature of the frosting and you may need to compensate for that by refrigerating if the caramel warmed the frosting too much. Add more confectioners’ sugar, in 1/2 cup increments, to make the frosting stiffer if you need to.
Use a pastry bag with a medium open-star tip and pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are filled and frosted. Store at room temperature in airtight containers.
Makes approximately 21 cupcakes.
These look excellent! Now I’m craving salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks since I can’t bake at work.
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Thank you! Can you believe I’ve yet to try one of those? I can never seem to let go of my pumpkin spice latte…
you had me at salted caramel
Y.U.M!!
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I love cupcakes. That is doubled when the cupcake has a filling inside, specially something as delish as this caramel filling. Yum!
I will have to try this out. My little girl will surely be ready with the kitchen tools when she says the picture of what we will be making. Keep posting!
I made these and brought them to work today for a co-workers going away party. The cupcakes were a huge success! So many people said it was the best cupcake they ever had! Will definitely be making these again
Lauren, so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed them! You just can’t go wrong with these babies…
This recipe looks amazing! Planning to make them on Wednesday. Thanks for the post, Sarah!
Quick question:
Is there a way to make the caramel so that it doesn’t soak into the cupcake and turn mushy? They almost look like mini “Better than Sex” cakes. Thoughts?
Addie – The caramel inside the cupcakes actually didn’t soak into them at all. As the caramel cools, it firms up. So the trick is not to fill them right away. If you make them, let me know what you think!
My niece made a simlar recepie but the caramel got really hard on the inside. Any suggestions to keep this from happening
Hi, Miss K! I think that’s all about how long you’re cooking the caramel for. If you cook it too long, it will harden. Good luck!
These were amazing!! I made them tonight for my daughter’s 17th birthday and she was super-thrilled. I wanted to eat just a bucket of frosting alone.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Donna! So glad you both enjoyed them. And I know what you mean about the frosting…dangerous!
Made these today. I was a little concerned when I saw how thin the batter was but they turned out great. I had never made caramel before, was impressed that it wasn’t that difficult. Thanks for sharing. Shared these w/neighbors this afternoon, waiting for their reaction. My husband thought they were great, he really liked the icing. ONE THING I WAS REALLY SURPRISED ABOUT WAS THE BUBBLY REACTION WHEN I POURED THE CREAM INTO THE HOT SYRUP TO MAKE THE CARAMELS. I was glad I poured slowly. Reminded me of when you make Toffee & add the cream of tartar. Thanks for sharing a really GREAT RECIPE!!
Just made these cupcakes and they are wonderful! So easy to make too! Thanks for the caramel video I needed to see the “scary part” so when it was my turn to experience it wasn’t so scary. Love your site! Aloha!
Yay, Melisa! Glad the video helped you out. And even more glad you enjoyed the cupcakes. Aloha!
i am DEFINITELY making these tonight.
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These are delicious! Made them for my boyfriend’s bday and he loves them! Thanks for sharing!! I linked this blog post to pinterest!
Hi I want to make these cupcakes and you say to make and fill with caramel filling but in the picture the inside filling looks chocolate, I’m I missing something? Thanks
Hi, Audrey. It is actually caramel pictured – it might look darker against the chocolate cupcake
Sarah,
I am making these for my husbands potluck. I want to know how long in advance can I make them before they “go bad”. I am thinking a day ahead of time.
Lahuna, I made them one day in advance and they were just perfect. Nothing tells me you couldn’t go another day, but I’d stick with one if that works for your schedule just to be safe. Good luck!
I just made these cupcakes and let me tell you what, they were a HUGE hit! I believe one person’s comment went along the lines of “By the power of Grey Skull, these are the best cupcakes EVER!!! Will you marry me?”
I would say that is a solid thumbs up for this recipe! A proposal and an 80′s cartoon reference, Huzzah!
My caramel was a little grainy, but I think that’s because I stirred my sugar mixture during the boiling phase and the sugar crystals formed. I also removed the centers of the cupcake with an apple core remover. It worked like a charm, and was a lot less trouble than digging it out with a spoon. Excellent recipe! Thanks!!!
I just found you and I think we should be friends
I was going to eat healthy for a while, but this recipe has me changing my mind. Can’t wait to try them
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! I made these today and everything turned out great except for the buttercream. It tastes divine but when I added the caramel it separated. I added more icing sugar but now it’s a soft fudge consistency. Any ideas on what I did wrong?
You are so welcome! I am sad, however, that your buttercream didn’t turn out because it might be my favorite part. I wonder if it had something to do with the temperature not being right – caramel is very finicky. I found this article and it’s not about frosting but it explains why caramel in general sometimes separates, so maybe it will help.
I hope we can figure it out so that you can get your proper frosting!
I made the buttercream again and it turned out amazing! Thanks for sending the article! I have learned a lot about caramel in the last few days I believe you are right about the temperature. I found the caramel was too thick the first time so I added 1/4 cup more cream and made sure the caramel was at room temperature before adding it to the icing mixture. Also, a great trick I learned when making caramel (not that you need it but some of your readers may find it useful) is to pour the water into the saucepan first then pour the sugar in a pile in the middle of the water. The sugar will dissolve in the water and you don’t need to worry about crystallization on the sides of the pan that can happen by stirring at the beginning. Just swirl the pan when the mixture starts to turn colour. Thanks again and happy baking!
I just made these cupcakes and I’m going to bring them into work tomorrow because there are 2 birthdays to celebrate! I was only given the directions “make something with chocolate”… I think these will do the trick.
Because I didn’t have buttermilk in the fridge, I made Martha Stewart’s “easy” chocolate cupcakes as my base. They’re a little dense, but I think they’ll nicely compliment the light texture of the caramel frosting.
I’m looking forward to trying other recipes you’ve posted, Sarah! Thank you!!
This recipe its brilliant, thank you for sharing it with us. I made theses for a Co-workers birthday and they were very successful here at the office. I was a little worried about the extra sprinkle if salt right before icing, but it was perfection. The contrast of the salty and sweet did it’s job and left my taste buds dancing for minutes after the cake was gone.
Yes, Michael! So glad they were a hit! xxSAS
I made these today and was nervous because I’ve never made homemade caramel before, but everything turned out perfectly! Will definitely make these again
For those of us who are faint of heart in the kitchen, can one use ready caramel sauce instead?
Sure, why not? I will say, though, the caramel is easier to make than you think. Did you watch the video? It’s a different recipe but same idea – seeing it in action always helps. Good luck! xxSAS
I made these tonight. The cupcake itself was quite good, though not the best chocolate cupcake I’ve ever had. I even added King Arthur’s cake enhancer to ensure moistness. The caramel was another question. My candy thermometer registered a little over 300 when I finally took it off the stove. And I took it off because it was starting to smoke. The sugar wasn’t just cooked, it was burnt. I think the buttercream would have been phenomenal but for the caramel. The caramel itself I am going to throw out.
Hey, I just made these cupcakes, the caramel is DELICIOUS. The cake is super moist, but for some reason my frosting just didn’t hold up. I had chunks of caramel in the frosting, and it was super runny, I’ve let it cool down and it’s marginally better, but what did i do wrong?
Just thought you’d like to know, I love this recipe. I’m making it for the third time this week. We are serving them at our wedding on Sunday! Along with Carrot Cake Cupcakes (with Cream Cheese frosting, of course) and Double Banana Cupcakes.
You were right – I love to know these things! That sounds like a fabulous selection of cupcakes, and I really can’t even tell you how thrilled I am to know that mine made the cut.
Enjoy your special day and CONGRATS to you both! xxSAS
Hey, I just made these cupcakes but am having trouble with the caramel sauce..it came out very grainy…suggestions? Help? First time making caramel.
Hi, MK. Grainy caramel means you’ve got some sugar crystallization going on. I haven’t had this problem but I did find this article which may help you out.
Thank you! I will try again when I have more time, seems candy making type activities are just not my thinh, heh. The cake recipe is amazing and the frosting turned out perfect!
I favorited this recipe on foodgawker to make a while ago, finally got the baking urge today and MAN are these delicious! I had leftover carmel and couldn’t stop myself from drizzling it on the cut out parts, I think I have a tummy ache but totally worth it!!
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Theese were wonderful! I baked some in small glass mason jars to ship across the country to relatives and they turned out great!
The salted caramel was absolutley delicious.
Hi,
For the salted caramel you mention that it should reach 360°F before it’s done, is that correct? I don’t have a lot of experience with caramel but on my candy thermometer 360 is in the deep fry range, candy is in the 240-300 range. Your other recipe for fleur de sel caramel, which is for hard caramel, has the mixture reaching 248. I just wanted to double-check, thanks
Hi, Richard! Well, I’m no caramel expert either but most caramel sauce recipes I’ve seen range from 350 – 370 degrees. 248 degrees falls in the firm ball stage, which is why it works for the candies, but caramel sauce for whatever reason happens at a higher temperature. Seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I try to use my eyes as judgement when making caramel sauce because I never trust my thermometer and once it starts getting in that range, it gets hot very quickly. I hope this helps you!
So delicious! Thank you so much!
Sarah – I’ve been looking for the perfect chocolate/caramel cupcake for a while now and this one sounds amazing! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!
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Just made the caramel sauce so it would be ready when I get to the cupcakes. Very disappointed in the recipe. My sugar/water/corn syrup never turned to amber but I went ahead and added the cream when I hit 340 anyway. It’s a light tan color. Also, very gritty. I washed down the sides of the pan as recommended but there’s still a LOT of grit. For me the recipe was a failure. Will be looking for another caramel filling recipe.
Correction: I have a typo in my post. I added the cream at 360, not 340 as in my post.
Hi JR, I’m sorry you had issues with the caramel! It’s a finicky thing to make, and one thing I can offer is the possibility that your thermometer is off. I know that one of mine is for sure, and so I’ve made it without even using the thermometer and instead just going by the visual. It definitely needs to become amber first. Also, the grittiness could be caused by the sugar not dissolving completely before you get up to boiling, or reintroducing sugar granules via the pastry brush when the mixture is boiling. I’m no expert by any means but I hope that helps!
Sarah, thanks for the hints. I actually did use two thermometers – a probe which I clipped to the pan, and an infrared scan thermometer to make sure the probe was accurate. They were both within a degree of each other the entire time so I think the thermometer wasn’t the issue. I think next time I try a caramel recipe I’ll forego the stirring in the beginning. I’ve just watched a couple videos on making caramel sauce and neither recommends stirring in the beginning of the process because of the possibility of getting those dreaded sugar crystals on the side of the pan. When my caramel began to set up, it actually looked like I had mixed sand in it so obviously something with the sugar just wasn’t right. I’m not giving up, tho!
I made these gluten free and dairy free they were to die for! So amazing. I can’t wait to make them again! Thank you
Thank you so much for posting your recipes and the video! I just made the cupcakes and they are to die for! Feel free to check out my experience baking these delicious cupcakes on my blog!
http://bakencreate.wordpress.com/2013/01/06/chocolate-salted-caramel-cupcakes/
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