Caramel cupcakes from scratch made with a rich buttery brown sugar cake topped with caramel buttercream frosting and golden sprinkles or caramel syrup.
Have you ever had a really good, sweet caramel cake? Caramel is at the top of my cupcake flavors that I just love, and this recipe is one of my favorites. I find it has the perfect balance of sweetness and flavor between the caramel cake and caramel frosting.
If you are a fan of extra sweetness, try my caramel cupcake recipe with caramel filling.
If you’re looking for more fall cupcake flavors, check out my 36 Fun Fall Cupcakes!
Ingredients for Caramel Cupcakes
- Butter
- White Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Milk
Ingredients for Caramel Frosting
- Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Confectioners' Sugar
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Gold Sprinkles or Caramel Syrup for topping
How to Make Caramel Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a regular-sized muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter with white and brown sugar. Slowly add both eggs into the bowl until each is well blended. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together and alternate adding sifted ingredients and milk to the mixing bowl, being sure to blend well after each addition.
- Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full, approximately 3 tablespoons of batter. Bake in the oven for 12-18 minutes until cooked through. Test a cupcake by inserting a toothpick into the center, and if it comes out clean, the cupcake is done.
How to Make Caramel Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream. Begin slowly adding confectioners’ sugar and mix until well blended.
- If too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream until the desired consistency.
How to Decorate Caramel Cupcakes
I always recommend the YouTube vlogger Cakes by Lynz's piping tutorials to show beginning tips and the basics of cupcake decorating.
And if you feel comfortable with the basics, she has all kinds of new tricks to try on her YouTube channel.
Caramel Cupcakes Toppings
Caramel frosting is an obvious choice for frosting, but what else can you top them with? I used gold sprinkles on some cupcakes and drizzled caramel syrup on others. Sprinkling a few grains of sea salt is tasty if you are looking for a salted caramel flavor. Placing a small piece of caramel candy on top or chopped peanuts is delicious too!
Which icing tip do I use?
For the caramel cupcakes, I used Wilton’s 1M on the cupcakes in the photos. A 2D star tip can also be used, or a round 1A tip gives a popular modern look.
Check out my cupcake baking guide that answers all of your questions about baking, ingredient substitutes, and decorating the perfect cupcakes!
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- 24 Karat Gold Cupcakes
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- Pumpkin Cupcakes
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Caramel Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Caramel Cupcakes
- ½ cup Butter softened
- 1 ¼ cup White Sugar
- ½ cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Milk
Caramel Frosting
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 1 ½ cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
- 4 cups Confectioners' Sugar
- ⅔ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- Gold Sprinkles or Caramel Syrup for topping
Instructions
Caramel Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a regular-sized muffin pan with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter with white and brown sugar. Mix both eggs into the bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding sifted ingredients and milk to the mixing bowl, being sure to blend well after each addition.
- Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ full, approximately 3 tablespoons of batter. Bake in the oven for 12-18 minutes until cooked through. Test a cupcake by inserting a toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean they are done.
Caramel Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream. Begin slowly adding confectioners’ sugar and mix until well blended.
- If too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream until desired consistency.
Dayzia Gray says
So when it says milk does it mean buttermilk?
Tiffany says
Hi Dayzia,
This recipe calls for milk, not buttermilk. I’ve used whole milk and 2% and both work well.
Tiffany