Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients
**For the Salted Caramel Sauce:**
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons salted butter softened
- ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
**For the Almond Cupcakes:**
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup buttermilk at room temperature
**For the Salted Caramel Buttercream:**
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup prepared salted caramel sauce from above
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
**For the Salted Caramel Sauce:**
- Add granulated sugar to a large saucepan and heat over medium-low. Let it melt and turn golden, stirring occasionally. This takes about 20 minutes.
- Once melted, add the room temperature butter and stir quickly until combined.
- Add the room temperature heavy cream and stir quickly until fully mixed. If the mixture starts to separate, increase the heat slightly and stir vigorously.
- Stir in the vanilla and salt, then remove from heat and let cool completely before using.
**For the Almond Cupcakes:**
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing on low speed until smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
**For the Salted Caramel Buttercream:**
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and salt with an electric mixer on high until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salted caramel sauce and mix on medium-high until combined.
- Gradually sift in the powdered sugar, mixing on medium-low, then on high until fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a decorative tip.
**Assembling the Cupcakes:**
- Fill a piping bag with the remaining salted caramel sauce.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, remove a small portion from the center of each cupcake (a cupcake corer helps with this).
- Fill the centers with salted caramel sauce.
- Pipe a generous amount of frosting onto each cupcake and drizzle extra salted caramel sauce on top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days. Enjoy these delightful cupcakes!