Homemade salted caramel sauce is the first ingredient in this cake batter. It creates incredibly moist cupcakes that are impossibly rich and perfectly sweet, with just the right amount of salt to balance it out. I top my caramel cupcakes with brûléed homemade marshmallow fluff that is lighter than air. This is the perfect treat for lovers of all things caramel!
Here’s what you need for the cupcakes:
Make the caramel sauce first so it has time to cool.
Making caramel seems like such an impossible feat if you’ve never tried it, but once you’ve done it a few times, you could do it with your eyes closed. (Just kidding. Please do NOT close your eyes when making caramel!)
Start by stirring the granulated sugar and water together in a heavy pot. There will be bit of bubbling up when you add the fats so choose a pot that is large enough to accommodate for that. Heat on medium-high and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Once the sugar is dissolved, stop whisking and continue to cook the caramel until it turns a rich amber color. If bits of crystallized sugar stick to the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to wipe it down. Keep a steady eye on this as it starts to change color. It goes from perfect to burnt very quickly.
And if you feel like half of your caramel is turning too dark before the other half even changes color, turn the heat down a bit and gently swirl it to evenly distribute the sugar.
Once the sugar has caramelized, stir in the cream and start whisking. It will seize up at first because the cream is a cooler temperature than the sugar. This can be scary the first time, but it’s totally normal. Just keep whisking it until it smooths out.
Finally, stir in the butter and half of the salt until smooth then remove from the heat.
Pour the salted caramel sauce into a bowl to cool and try to resist the urge to dive in face first.
Now turn the caramel sauce into cupcake batter.
Once the caramel is cooled, whisk in the eggs, milk, brown sugar and vanilla.
In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and the other half of the salt.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into the cups. Fill the batter about two thirds of the way up so the cupcakes don’t spill out when they rise.
Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes.
Since these cupcakes are already quite rich, I didn’t want to overdo it by topping them with a rich buttercream. Marshmallow fluff works perfectly with these cupcakes. It’s lighter bodied and less sweet than buttercream.
Homemade marshmallow fluff is nothing like store-bought .
If you have never tried homemade marshmallow fluff, and your opinion of it depends solely on the stuff you find in the jar at the grocery store, please give this a chance. It’s lighter than air, slightly sticky and perfectly sweet. It makes a great topping or frosting for loads of different desserts!
How to make homemade marshmallow fluff:
The process is similar to making Italian meringue. Hot sugar syrup is drizzled into whipped egg whites, cooking the eggs and stabilizing the meringue.
Pour the whites and cream of tartar into a bowl of a mixer with a whisk attachment and whip to soft peaks. While they are whipping, make your sugar syrup. The goal is for the syrup to reach 240 degrees at the very same time the whites reach soft peaks. However if the whites get to soft peaks first, just shut off the mixer and start it again once the syrup is ready.
Slowly pour the hot syrup into the whites while the mixer is going at medium speed. Once it’s all in, turn it onto high and whisk for 8 minutes. Add the salt and vanilla and whisk to just combine.
It should be stiff and glossy.
Pipe or spoon the marshmallow onto the cupcakes. For a finishing touch, toast the marshmallow frosting with a blow torch to give them a nice aesthetic and round out the overall caramel theme!
Keep your cupcakes stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature. After that, I would recommend keeping them refrigerated.
Other recipes to try:
Salted Caramel Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt divided
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 6 tbsp butter unsalted
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Marshmallow Frosting
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Set aside. Make a caramel sauce. Stir together the granulated sugar, and water in a medium heavy-bottom saucepan. Bring to medium and stir until the sugar is dissolved then stop stirring. Continue to simmer the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. This will take a few minutes. There is no need for a thermometer, just keep an eye on it. If sugar begins to crystalilize on the pan, use a wet pastry brush to brush them down. Once the caramel is a deep amber, remove it from the heat and immediately pour in the cream and start whisking. It will bubble up for a moment and the sugar will momentarily clump up, but as the cream heats up it will smooth out. Once the cream is incorporated, add the butter, vanilla and remaining salt. Continue to stir until the caramel is smooth. If there are any remaining clumps of sugar that just wont dissolve, just strain them out through a fine strainer. Pour the caramel into a separate mixing bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes.Whisk brown sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla into the cooled caramel until smooth. Pour the caramel mixture into the flour mixture and whisk a few minutes until smooth with no lumps. Pour the batter into cup cake pans lined with paper cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes. Allow to cool before topping with marshmallow frosting.
Make Marshmallow Frosting
- Place the eggwhites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until it reaches soft peaks. If it reaches soft peaks before the sugar syrup is ready, turn the mixer off. In a small saucepan stir together the sugar, water and corn syrup. Turn on to medium-high heat and simmer until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. At exactly 240 degrees, turn off the heat and with the mixer running on medium, slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the eggwhites. Once all the syrup is in, turn the speed up to high and whisk for 8 minutes then add the vanilla and a pinch of salt and whisk a moment more to incorporate. Spoon the frosting into a piping bag and pipe with a tip of your choice and pipe swirls of frosting onto each cup cake. Use a blow torch to carefully toast the marshmallow.