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.
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Caramel Cupcakes
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
- Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan.
- Place your cupcakes cases into a muffin tin.
- 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).
- Evenly distribute the cake mixture into the 12 cupcake cases.
- Cook for 18-20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Once cooked, place onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
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
Libby Bailey says
This is the third time I have made these cakes now, and I have to say that they’re DELICIOUS!! I am a 15-year-old baker, and both the cupcakes themselves as well as the icing and the sauce and really easy to make and go very nicely together. Will definitely be making these again for the fourth time!!!
Nicola says
Hi Charlottes
Caramel sauces and buttercream is so delicious but the cupcake is not nice and crispy.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that, although glad you enjoyed the buttercream and caramel sauce.
serap says
We don’t have “self rising flour” out here. We have all purpıse flour only. Do you think I should use baking powder?
Charlotte Oates says
Add 2 tsp of baking powder to your all purpose flour and you should get the same results.
serapk says
thank you for a speedy answer. much appreciated. Actually I was about to begin to make the cupcakes when I read your reply. Awesome!. Will share the outcome.
Alli says
Can I ask – how do you get your cupcakes to be flat? Mine always rise up in the middle!
Charlotte Oates says
It that using this recipe? If it is then I’m not too sure why yours would be different to mine. Did you use a homemade caramel sauce or a ready-made one? Did you use a fan or non-fan oven?
Anuja Gangar says
Hi ,I love ur recipes but m vegetarian so what can use as a substitute for eggs n if I use it then the proportion of other ingredients change?
Charlotte Oates says
Sadly there’s not a simple substitution for eggs (take a look at my vegan vanilla cupcakes to read a bit more about egg substitutions). However, it’s something I can look into working on in the coming year.
Simone says
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.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Simone, what caramel sauce did you use in the recipe, was it homemade or a shop bought one?
Charlotte Oates says
It’s on my to-do list 🙂
Clare Preston says
Hi I’m looking to use this recipe and wondered if you could use the same quantities to make a cake with instead. Probably 20cm size. Thank you Clare
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it so I’m not sure of the best conversion – sorry.
Menna says
HI Charlotte,
Can I use this recipe for a cake ? and if yes which tin size can I use?
Thank you 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
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.
Menna says
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 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it, but it should work.
Hannah says
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.
H says
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
Mahrukh says
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
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Mahrukh, I’m not too sure what could have gone wrong. Did you make your own caramel sauce or buy it ready-made?
see says
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
Charlotte Oates says
I would suggest switching the caramel sauce in this recipe for a toffee sauce.
Casey says
My muffins came out very oily and a bit dense, the oilyness masked the caramel flavour 🙁 What did I do wrong?
Charlotte Oates says
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.
Stuart Vettese says
That swirl on top is stunning Charlotte, your piping skills put mine to shame. Thanks for sharing in Treat Petite x
Charlotte Oates says
I only know how to do 2 styles, I’m going to have to practice some more.
Chonnie Johnston says
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.
Charlotte Oates says
Let me know how it goes
Elinor aka Beachhutcook says
I always hone in on anything caramel. Love the look of these.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
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
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Angela. I’m planning on experimenting a bit with some other sugars too to see how the cakes turn out.
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
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
Charlotte Oates says
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.
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com says
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
Charlotte Oates says
I bought one that was for cupcakes but an ice cream scoop should work brilliantly too.
Louise Fairweather says
These look and sound lovely. And you have lovely piping 🙂 #CookBlogShare
jenny walters says
These look to die for.Caramel is always a winner with me.Love the piping too.So going to make these x #CookBlogShare
Charlotte Oates says
I think caramel has to be my favourite thing. I hope you enjoy them if you make them x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I adore caramel so anything that uses it is a winner in my books! They look delicious! Thank you for sharing with#CookBlogShare x