These caramel cupcakes are filled with buttery caramel, frosted with caramel buttercream, and drizzled with gooey caramel! They’re a caramel lover’s dream.

What more could you want in a caramel cupcake, right?!

The Vanilla Cupcake Base

This caramel cupcake recipe is based on my classic vanilla cupcake recipe.

My biggest tip when making these caramel cupcakes is to be sure not to over-mix the batter! Over-mixed batter can lead to dense, chewy cupcakes.

By mixing the batter just until the ingredients are combined you are guaranteed tender, soft cupcakes.

The Caramel Filling & Drizzle

Now onto my favorite part of these cupcakes, the filling!! The homemade caramel sauce in this recipe is on double duty. It’s used to fill the cupcakes and garnish them.

As the caramel cools it thickens and becomes the perfect consistency to fill these cupcakes. It’s decadent and has a gooey consistency almost like a caramel square!

After the cupcakes are frosted we heat the caramel up a bit to allow us to drizzle it over the frosting. This gives the cupcakes a beautiful finished look without requiring any extra work!

The Caramel Buttercream

Now just making a caramel cupcake wasn’t enough. I wanted to make caramel buttercream too!

But I had to figure out how much frosting we needed. When it comes to cupcakes, you don’t need a ton of frosting. To make just the right amount, I modified my caramel buttercream recipe to make a 1/4 batch.

Substitutions and Swaps – Caramel Cupcakes

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that the recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
• Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar as it will change the texture of these cupcakes.
• Eggs – If you have an egg allergy you can try subbing in 2 flaxseed egg.
• All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten free flour blend if needed.
• Sour Cream– You can also use full fat yogurt, whole milk, buttermilk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free.
• Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can be used in place of the vanilla extract, or it can be omitted if needed.

Substitutions and Swaps – Caramel Buttercream Frosting

• Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place.
• Vanilla Extract – Other extracts can be used in place of the vanilla extract.
• Caramel Sauce – You can use store-bought caramel sauce if you don’t have time to make the homemade caramel in this recipe.
• Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (coconut, soy, almond, oat) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.

Tips for Making These Caramel Cupcakes:

• Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
• Ingredients at room temp mix together best! Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Mix your cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
• Use one batch of batter to make one 9×13 inch caramel sheet cake. Bake it at 325 F / 163 C for 33-38 minutes.
• Make these caramel cupcakes vegan or dairy free! Use your favorite type of dairy free milk to replace the sour cream and heavy cream, vegan butter sticks in place of the butter and flax seed eggs.

Making These Cupcakes in Advance

Make these caramel cupcakes in advance!! If stored unfrosted in an airtight container, they can last for:

• 1 day at room temperature
• Up to a week in the fridge
• Up to 3 months in the freezer

Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature overnight in an airtight container, but I find frosting them right before serving is best.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you make this recipe for caramel cupcakes, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Leave a rating and comment below.

Also please tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media.

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