Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

4.99 from 166 rating

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

These chocolate caramel cupcakes are moist, filled with caramel, and topped with the most delicious caramel buttercream! It's truly a match made in heaven.

Prep Time15

Cook Time18

Additional Time30

Total Time1 3

Course: Cupcakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Calories: 696kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Equipment

Ingredients

Caramel Filling & Drizzle

1 cup granulated sugar 200g
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature 85g
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 60g
1/4 tsp fine salt 2g

Chocolate Cupcakes

3/4 cup water, warm 180g
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso or coffee 3g
1/3 cup milk or dark chocolate chips, melted 60g
1/3 cup unsweetened or dark cocoa powder 30g
2 large eggs, room temperature 114g
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 75g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
1 tsp white vinegar 4g
3/4 cup all-purpose flour 100g
3/4 cup granulated sugar 150g
1/2 tsp baking soda 3g
1/2 tsp fine salt 2g

Caramel Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
1/4 tsp fine salt 1g
4 cups powdered sugar 500g
1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, room temperature 15g
1/4 cup caramel - recipe shared above 80g

Chocolate Drip - Optional

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 95g
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 80g

Instructions

Caramel Filling & Drizzle

Make the caramel first, because it needs time to cool and thicken before it's used to fill and drizzle over the cupcakes. Making caramel from scratch might seem a little intimidating, but I promise it's easier than you'd think!
Place a pan over medium heat. Once the saucepan has warmed up, pour in 1 cup of sugar gradually, adding 1/4 cup at a time. Wait until the sugar is mostly liquified, then add in the next bit of sugar. As the sugar melts, it will slowly deepen in color. If you feel like the sugar is burning, remove the pan from the element and turn down the heat a bit. Stir as needed until the sugar is fully dissolved and is an amber color. Turn off the heat.
Slowly mix in 6 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp at a time. Stir until each addition of butter is fully incorporated before adding the next bit. Then stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 tsp salt. The mixture will be very thin but will thicken as it cools. Pour the caramel into a separate container and set aside to cool.

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners and set aside.
Pour 3/4 cup of warm water into a large bowl. Mix in 1 1/2 tsp of coffee or espresso powder and stir until dissolved.
Add 1/3 cup chocolate chips that have been melted and 1/3 cup of cocoa powder. Whisk together until the ingredients are fully combined.
Whisk 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp vinegar into the cocoa mixture.
Add 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt into the chocolate espresso mixture and whisk until just combined. The batter will be thin, but that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate the pan halfway through to help the cupcakes bake more evenly. Remove the pan from the oven.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then place them on a wire rack to finish cooling. If you're in a rush, place the whole pan in the freezer for 30 minutes to accelerate the cooling process.

Caramel Buttercream

While the cupcakes bake and cool, make the caramel buttercream. In a large glass bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 1 cup of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a hand mixer or paddle attachment until smooth.
Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp of heavy cream on a low speed. Once combined, mix in 1/4 cup of cooled caramel sauce. The caramel should still be pourable, but shouldn't be hot to the touch.
Mix on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting seems too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it's too thin, add another 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.
Stir by hand with a rubber spatula for a couple of minutes to make the frosting extra smooth. Place the frosting in a large piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip and seal the top of the bag with a rubber band or clip. Set aside.

Chocolate Ganache Drip

Place 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
Heat 1/3 cup heavy cream in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until it's steaming and just starting to bubble. If you don’t have a microwave or prefer to use the stovetop, you can heat the cream over medium heat in a pan until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat.
Gently pour the heavy cream over the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is fully covered by the cream. Let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes.
Stir the mixture together until the cream and chocolate are fully combined and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is just slightly warm to the touch.

Decorating These Caramel Cupcakes

Use the wide opening of a large frosting tip or a small knife to remove the center from each cooled cupcake.
Fill each cupcake with a little less than a Tbsp of cooled caramel.
Pipe swirls of caramel frosting on top of each cupcake. Chill the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help the frosting firm up.
While the cupcakes chill, warm up the remaining caramel in 10-second intervals until it is thin enough to be drizzled.
Remove the cupcakes from the fridge or freezer and drizzle with warm chocolate ganache and caramel. Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, then enjoy!

Notes

For a detailed list of ingredient swaps and substitutions that can be made in each component of this recipe, please refer to the "swaps and substitutions" section above.

Making Mini Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

If you want to make mini chocolate cupcakes, this recipe can be baked in mini muffin tins! It makes about 40 mini cupcakes, and they only need to bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F/175°C.

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure and then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
Once you add the flour, mix the cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure the cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
Use a large cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners. It also makes sure the cupcakes end up being the same height.
Seal off the top of your piping bag with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from seeping out of the top of the bag and make the piping bag easier to use.

Chocolate Caramel Cupcake Variations

To make gluten-free chocolate caramel cupcakes, swap in your favorite gluten-free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for. Be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for the best results.

Making These Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips

You can make these cupcakes in advance! Frosted cupcakes can sit at room temperature overnight or be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

They can also last up to a month in the freezer. If you plan to freeze them, I suggest waiting to fill and frost them until they're thawed.

The caramel can also be made up to a month in advance. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container. When you're ready to use it, heat it in 10-second intervals until it reaches the right consistency to fill and drizzle over the cupcakes.

You can also make the buttercream ahead of time or save any leftovers. This buttercream frosting will last in the fridge for up to a month.

Be sure to give the frosting a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.

You can also store buttercream in a piping bag in the fridge. I find buttercream keeps its consistency well in piping bags and doesn't require any mixing after it's thawed.

Nutrition