Nothing screams fall louder than these caramel spice cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. A moist cupcake that has just the right amount of spice, filled with salted caramel and topped with a light and fluffy salted caramel frosting.
About The Recipe
These caramel spice cupcakes are made with my favorite homemade salted caramel sauce, it takes minutes to make and can be used in so many different desserts! And one batch is more than enough for this recipe.
These spice cupcakes are an oil-based cake batter, which means no need to cream butter and sugar, which also means no tools are needed! Just a whisk and a bowl. Also, the flavor of spices in these cupcakes is just right, not too much or too little. Once the cupcakes are cooled, they’re filled with salted caramel sauce, this takes this dessert to a whole new level!
For the salted caramel frosting, I decided to make a salted caramel whipped cream instead of a buttercream, because the cupcakes are already sweet, and a buttercream would make them too sweet and also quite heavy. And yes the frosting is also flavored with my homemade salted caramel sauce.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Ingredients for spice cupcakes
Oil: use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil.
Brown sugar: I used light brown sugar, but dark brown will work as well.
Corn Starch: give the cupcakes a soft crumb making them super moist.
Spices: for this recipe, I used nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and clove all in powdered form.
Yogurt: use full-fat yogurt or sour cream. The creaminess of yogurt keeps the cupcakes moist and its acidity helps to activate the baking soda.
Ingredients for filling and salted caramel frosting.
Powdered Sugar: used to sweeten the whipped cream frosting.
Salted Caramel Sauce: This is used to fill the cupcakes and also to flavor the salted caramel frosting. Use my recipe to make your own in minutes without any corn syrup.
Heavy Whipping Cream: use cold heavy whipping cream that has a fat percentage of 35% or higher.
How To Make Caramel Spice Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Frosting
Step 1: Make the spice cupcakes.
In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients.
Combine both the wet and dry ingredients until everything is fully combined and the batter is smooth. Divide the batter into a prepared cupcake pan. Bake in an oven preheated at 180 °C / 350 °F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once the cupcakes are baked, let them cool down completely before filling them.
Step 2: Fill the cupcakes with caramel!
Using a piping tip press into the center of the cupcakes to remove some cake out of the center, make sure not to press to the bottom or the filling will leak out. Fill the cupcake with salted caramel sauce. Add as much or as little as you like.
Step 3: Make salted caramel frosting.
Pour the cold whipping cream into a large bowl, add in the powdered sugar, and beat using a hand or stand mixer (or even a whisk) until stiff peaks form (6-7 minutes). Add in some salted caramel sauce and beat until fully combined. The frosting is now ready to be piped onto the cupcakes.
Step 4: Pipe on the salted caramel frosting, drizzle on some more caramel and enjoy!
Use any piping tip you want, I used a basic star tip. I’m gonna tell you a secret, I’m not that good when it comes to piping, some of the cupcakes did look better than other’s, and if you struggle with this as well or anything else, then this is your sign to keep trying, don’t let it stop you from making these delicious caramel spice cupcakes, or anything else! Practice makes perfect after all!
How To Store The Caramel Spice Cupcakes
Store any leftover cupcakes in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Don’t leave them out as the whipped cream frosting can go bad.
Check out my YouTube Channel for detailed recipe tutorials! Made one of my recipes? Tag me on Instagram, I would love to see your creations!
Pro Tips
- Make the salted caramel sauce ahead of time to save time and energy!
- When it comes to the spices, you could add any that you like. And if you don’t have any one of the spices I used you could just leave it out, except for cinnamon of course!
- If you want to you could also just skip filling the cupcakes with salted caramel sauce.
- Measure your ingredients properly, for the flour spoon it into a measuring cup and level it using the back of a spoon.
- If you have a convection oven (oven with a fan setting) I recommend reducing the temperature by 20 degrees.
FAQ’s
Can I frost the cupcakes with a salted caramel buttercream instead?
Definitely, but I recommend you don’t fill the spice cupcakes with caramel, or the cupcakes will be too sweet. I don’t have a recipe for a slated caramel buttercream on my blog, but here is a recipe that I love.
Can I use this recipe to make a spice cake?
Yes, you can, pour the batter into a greased and lined 6-inch cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked in comes out clean.
Why is my whipping cream not beating into stiff peaks?
Different factors could cause this, but these are the 2 main causes: Your cream is not cold enough, and the cream you’re using has a fat percentage that’s lower than 35%. If you have the first problem, simply refrigerate the whipping cream until it’s nice and cold, then whip it up. For the second problem, well you’re going to have to switch to a cream with a fat percentage of 35% or above.
How do I measure 1/8 cup?
1/8 is basically just half of 1/4, so fill your 1/4 measuring cup halfway, that’ll give you 1/8 cup.
Recipe Card
Caramel Spice Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Frosting
Nothing screams fall louder than these caramel spice cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. A moist cupcake that has just the right amount of spice, filled with salted caramel and topped with a light and fluffy salted caramel frosting.
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min
Course: Dessert
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 273kcal
Ingredients
For Spice Cupcakes
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (140g)
- 1/8 cup corn starch (15g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ginger, ground
- 1/2 tsp cloves, ground
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
- 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (113g)
- 1 large egg, room temp.
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (118ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup yogurt
For Filling
- 1 batch of my salted caramel sauce
For salted caramel frosting
- 200ml heavy whipping cream, cold
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F, line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices. Give it a whisk and set aside.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the brown sugar, egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and yogurt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk everything together until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the cupcake tin filling up to 3/4 of the way up.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Using a piping tip or a knife, remove some cake from the center of the cupcake, check the video. Make sure not to cut to the bottom of the cupcake. Repeat with all of the cupcakes.
- Fill the center with salted caramel sauce.
- Prepare the salted caramel frosting: Beat cold heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Add salted caramel sauce and beat until combined.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and frost all the cupcakes with any piping tip.
- Drizzle on some more salted caramel and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 272.94kcal
Total Fat: 17.12g
Carbs: 27.59g
Protein: 2.59g
Sodium: 122.8mg
Fiber: 0.49g
Sugars: 16.09g