I must confess….I’ve never been a huge fan of frosting. Not on my cookies, not on my cakes, and not even on my cupcakes. I know, I know…I’ve posted plenty of recipes on here piled high with a variety of lovely and delicious frostings, but almost always whenever I actually sit down to eat it, I only (maybe) leave on a tiny dab. It’s just never been my thing….
…..until now.
Oh. My. WORD. I had absolutely no idea that such deliciousness could exist, until I decided to test out this caramel frosting recipe on a whim while planning for the Cupcake-A-Thon. I had wanted to give it a try because it called for making your own homemade caramel, which I had never done. (And as a sidenote — was way easier than I imagined! Super speedy, and didn’t even have to use a candy thermometer!) But I was not prepared for the rich, sweet, buttery, and caramel-y perfection that resulted in the end. Absolutely amazing.
I guarantee that — especially when paired with this wonderful almond-vanilla cupcake — it will knock your socks off. Don’t even blink an eye at the extra 10 minutes it will take to make the homemade caramel. It’s 500% worth it. (And you can make it in the time the cupcakes bake – piece of cake ;))
So cheers to the “icing on the cake”!!! I believe this officially marked my first time ever licking the frosting bowl clean. My mother would be so proud. :)
Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 4 eggs
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) salted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Add the cake mix, buttermilk, oil, almond extract and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, until the batter is well-mixed. Increase speed to high and beat until thick and fluffy, 2 minutes longer.
- Pour or scoop the batter into the paper liners until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.
To Make Frosting (pics above and below):
- Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla (just start with a tablespoon or two), stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. (Be careful, as the mixture will definitely bubble up and possibly splatter a bit as you add in the cream.) Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.
- Beat the butter ]in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar, and mix until completely incorporated. Turn off the mixer, and then add caramel. Beat frosting on low to combine, and then increase to medium-high and beat until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate if not using immediately (or to harden the frosting a bit).
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Ali’s Tip:
Keep a close eye on the caramel as you make it! It goes from clear bubbles to the “amber” color within about 30 seconds, and then will burn pretty quickly thereafter.
Also, if you absolutely, absolutely don’t want to make the homemade caramel, you can substitute in some caramel topping to put into the buttercream instead.
I made this recipe twice and had much better results the second time. For starters, I felt like their wasn’t a strong enough caramel flavor, so I put in twice as much caramel sauce. Second, I had the same problem as some of you did when you add the cream to the caramel sauce and it immediatly hardened up. The second time I made it I heated the cream up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and THEN added it to the caramel mixture, this time it turned out perfectly and did not harden at all.
This recipe is fantastic and so easy! It is a keeper, thanks for sharing!
Just love the top of this cupcake and the caramel frosting. What tip did you use to achieve this swirl?
Could I do this with light cream or is the heavy cream critical? Excited to try these!
Thanks for the question! I believe heavy cream is critical here for the caramel to set up. But if you try it the other way, would love to hear how it goes. Good luck! :)
~A
These are SO GOOD! Made them for my birthday treat to bring into the office and everyone raved about them for days!! This recipe is a keeper!
How much caramel do you add to the frosting ingredients? It’s not listed in the ingredients. Or did I miss something?? lol. Would really love to try this recipe out.
i tried the caramel last night…it was amazing…i had to put back on the heat as it parts of it hardened up into a thick mass with the heavy cream…but once on the heat it was good to go…the caramel flavour was a bit mild for me though…how can i get a stronger flavor without compromising the texture of the butter cream?
Hello, I cannot make the caramel- I have tried about five times and have not succeeded. how much substitution caramel will I need? Please help.
Curious if I prepare the white box mix as the directions say and then add the additional ingredients or use the listed ingredients you have in replace of the ones on the box? Sounds delish!
Making the frosting to put on a banana cupcake. Getting very excited. Hoping my caramel turned out right.
to help Bobbi (reply 43): after adding the cold cream to the hot caramel it may look like it’s seizing up. that’s normal…..keep the pan on low heat and stir until it heats back up and re-melts….it will all come together beautifully.
to help Latrice (reply 46): there’s a fine line between soft and too soft butter. if a knife can slice through it without you pressing down, it’s good to go. if the butter can’t be picked up without ‘smooshing’ it, it’s too soft, will have no support, and once you start mixing it it will soften even more….this is before adding caramel to it…then it becomes butter soup;-). re-chill it to firm it up a bit, then continue w/recipe.
using this frosting recipe today for a gluten-free hummingbird cake….can’t wait, yum!!