Easy to make caramel cupcakes which get their caramel flavour from using both light brown sugar and adding caramel sauce to the mix.
Perfect topped with caramel buttercream.
A few days ago I shared my recipe for caramel buttercream (which you seemed to love 🙂 ), and what better to go with caramel buttercream than a delicious caramel cupcake.
As with all of my basic cupcake recipes I’ve tried to keep them as easy to make as it humanly possible (stick it in a bowl and mix it up – it really is as simple as that) and also to make sure that the caramel flavour really comes through. I should actually call them double caramel cupcakes as I’ve sneaked the flavour in twice, once by using light brown sugar rather than caster sugar (which seems to be the popular way of making caramel cupcakes from what I’ve seen) and then really pushing the caramel favour by mixing lots of caramel sauce into the mix too.
I designed these to go with the caramel buttercream, but they’d actually go brilliantly with other flavours such as chocolate or vanilla too. The reason I like to post my cupcakes as the cake and buttercream separately is that it makes it easy to find the bits to be able to mix and match between the two to create whatever combination you want. I’m in the process of putting together a mix and match cupcake index to keep all the recipes together in one place (as well as some yummy fillings too) so keep an eye out for it over the next few weeks.
Caramel Cupcakes
Easy to make caramel cupcakes which get their caramel flavour from using both light brown sugar and adding caramel sauce to the mix.
Ingredients
- 165 g self-raising flour
- 165 g soft light brown sugar you could use dark brown sugar or light muscovado sugar if that’s what you happen to have in your cupboard.
- 3 large eggs
- 165 g soft margarine or butter
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g caramel sauce 1 batch of my homemade caramel sauce
Extras
- 12 cupcake cases
Instructions
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Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan.
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Place your cupcakes cases into a muffin tin.
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Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl (165g self-raising flour, 165g soft margarine, 3 large eggs, 165g soft light brown sugar, ¼ tsp vanilla extract, 150g caramel sauce) and mix until fully combined (you can do this by hand or using an electric mixer on a low speed).
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Evenly distribute the cake mixture into the 12 cupcake cases.
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Cook for 18-20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
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Once cooked, place onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
These caramel cupcakes are perfect topped with caramel buttercream or if you fancy trying something different then you can find all of my icing flavours in my cupcake index.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a comment and rating at the bottom of the page to let others know what you thought.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Fish-Free
- Crustacean-Free
- Mollusc-Free
- Celery-Free
- Mustard-Free
- Lupin-Free
I’m sharing this recipe with the following blog challenges… #TreatPetite with CakeyBoi and The Baking Explorer and #CookBlogShare with Hijacked by Twins.
I have made this recipe twice and both times when I put them in the oven they rise up then fall completely flat with a large dip in the middle. Maybe I’m doing something wrong but they haven’t worked either time.
Hi Simone, what caramel sauce did you use in the recipe, was it homemade or a shop bought one?
Hello Charlotte – Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe, the cakes turned out perfectly and taste real nice. I love your site.
These cupcakes are scrumptious. I used them with your caramel buttercream recipe and they turned out really well. You should definitely do a large cake recipe version of this…please
It’s on my to-do list 🙂
HI Charlotte,
Can I use this recipe for a cake ? and if yes which tin size can I use?
Thank you 🙂
I haven’t tried it but it should work. This about of mixture would be for a 18cm round tin. If you’re using sandwich tins then it’ll take 30-35 minutes to bake. If you’re using one deeper tin the it’ll be around 45-50 minutes.
Thanks Charlotte. One last question 🙂
Does it work if I cover the with fondant or marzipan ? I mean is it very soft and will crumble or will hold its shape as a cake.
Sorry for asking too many questions.
Thanks 🙂
I’ve not tried it, but it should work.
Hi Charlotte,
Thank you for the recipe, so quick and easy and came out amazingly. Will definitely be trying some more of your recipes. I’m planning to make them again next week for bonfire night, little caramel bonfires. Yummy.
Thanks for this recipe, I tweeked it a little using a caramel & vanilla flavouring inside, then I scooped out the middle of cooled cakes and filled with your caramel. To finish I drizzled more caramel on top and some of the crystallised pieces of caramel from my failed first attempt! I found your buttercream quantity plenty for 12 cakes too. The cakes turned out beautifully, I’ll definitely use this recipe again
Hey! I tried this recipe as stated but my cupcakes were a disaster 🙁 I was so heart broken as to why it happened. Though I bake most of the time and everything comes out to be just perfect but I really dont know what happened here. They were too sticky, somewhat raw and very very dense and collected at the bottom. Even the cupcake liner didnt peel off well and they were very saggy. I used the ingredients in the same quantity mentioned here but it happened this way 🙁 I dont know where did I go wrong
Hi Mahrukh, I’m not too sure what could have gone wrong. Did you make your own caramel sauce or buy it ready-made?
Do you know how to make toffee flavoured cup cakes or one large toffee cake in sponge mixture only l a.c. basic sponge mixture don’t know how to introduce toffee flavoring to it any ideas many thanks
I would suggest switching the caramel sauce in this recipe for a toffee sauce.
My muffins came out very oily and a bit dense, the oilyness masked the caramel flavour 🙁 What did I do wrong?
Hi Casey, I’m not too sure. Was the butter/margarine mixed in thoroughly? You can have that problem if there any any small lumps as they melt in the oven and collect at the bottom.
That swirl on top is stunning Charlotte, your piping skills put mine to shame. Thanks for sharing in Treat Petite x
I only know how to do 2 styles, I’m going to have to practice some more.
I cannot believe how PERFECT these look, I am in awe of them. They look delicious, I must try the low and slow bake for an even rise.
Let me know how it goes
I always hone in on anything caramel. Love the look of these.
Ooh these certainly sound a cut above a regular cupcake Charlotte. I love making my sponge batters with golden caster sugar, it really does seem to add a lovely extra flavour that regular white sugar doesn’t bring – so the use of light brown sugar in the mix must be amazing (something I need to try!)
Angela x
Thanks Angela. I’m planning on experimenting a bit with some other sugars too to see how the cakes turn out.
So beautiful, Charlotte – and I’m sure they must taste amazing. How do you make your cupcakes look so perfect, with such an even rise? Mine come out so variable and not nearly as neat looking as yours! Eb x
I’m not too sure, a bit of luck and trial and error I think. I tend to find that using too much baking powder or cooking them on slightly too high a temperature (so they rise too quickly and crack) tends to lead to them looking a bit uneven. If I reduce either of those they tend to come out better. Also if your oven temperature isn’t even everywhere (very annoying if it isn’t) then they’ll rise more on the hotter side and look lopsided. Finally I usually use a scoop to put my batter into the cases so there’s pretty much exactly the same amount in each.
Thanks, Charlotte. I never use baking powder in mine and I have learnt I need to turn my oven right down – it’s one of those fiercely hot ones, great for traybakes, not so much for baking! A scoop is what I need though – I try to do it by eye and, well clearly my eye is not very good!! 😀 Xx
I bought one that was for cupcakes but an ice cream scoop should work brilliantly too.
These look and sound lovely. And you have lovely piping 🙂 #CookBlogShare
These look to die for.Caramel is always a winner with me.Love the piping too.So going to make these x #CookBlogShare
I think caramel has to be my favourite thing. I hope you enjoy them if you make them x
I adore caramel so anything that uses it is a winner in my books! They look delicious! Thank you for sharing with#CookBlogShare x