Caramel Filled Cupcakes

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These luscious caramel filled cupcakes are moist and oozing with gooey homemade caramel! They're topped with indulgent caramel whipped cream.

Caramel filled cupcakes on a white plate and a gray surface next to a jar of caramel sauce.

Cupcakes with caramel filling! What an incredible combination!

If you've never tried vanilla cupcakes with caramel filling before, you really should. They are soooo good!

These salted caramel filled cupcakes are every caramel-lover's dream!

For these cupcakes, I used my homemade salted caramel sauce recipe.

There's nothing quite like homemade caramel sauce. It really makes all the difference.

Everyone who tasted these cupcakes said they were incredible! I think you'll love this easy caramel filled cupcakes recipe, too!

Love caramel desserts? Try my banoffee pie cups, my salted caramel pretzel ice cream, my no bake salted caramel cheesecake, or my 3 ingredient dulce de leche mousse!

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Why you’ll love these caramel filled cupcakes

They're easy to make. There are quite a few steps involved, but they are really simple to follow.
You just need a few ingredients. This recipe includes easy-to-find ingredients, most of which you probably already have.
They're topped with stabilized whipped cream. This means the whipped cream will hold its shape at room temperature for about two hours without melting. After that, you'll need to refrigerate these cupcakes.
They're not overly sweet. The cupcakes are topped with a delicious homemade caramel whipped cream which is much lighter in flavor and not as sweet as buttercream frosting.

A hand drizzling caramel sauce on caramel filled cupcakes.

What do these vanilla caramel cupcakes taste like?

What I love the most about these salted caramel cupcakes, is that you can taste the caramel in every single bite. These cupcakes are soft and moist. Inside they have a delicious salted caramel filling that is incredible with the vanilla cupcakes.

The salted caramel filling is to die for! I definitely plan on using this caramel filling for cakes, too, so stay tuned!

The caramel whipped cream frosting on top is also fantastic with these cupcakes because it isn't too sweet, so it lets ALL the caramel flavor shine through.

A hand holding a caramel filled cupcake cut in half.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Ingredients for the vanilla cupcakes

See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.

Labeled ingredients for vanilla cupcakes. — Just a few simple ingredients.

Flour & leaveners: I use all purpose flour and baking powder.
Sugar: I use regular granulated sugar.
Egg: I use 1 medium organic egg.
Buttermilk: I usually make my own buttermilk (aka sour milk) by adding some vinegar to fresh milk.
Butter: I use unsalted butter room temperature. Instead of unsalted butter, you could use salted butter, if you'd prefer saltier cupcakes.
Vegetable Oil: This really helps make the cupcakes moist.
Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract.
Salt: I add a pinch of salt to enhance everything, but you could omit it.

Ingredients for the salted caramel sauce

Labeled ingredients for salted caramel sauce. — Just four ingredients!

Sugar: All you need is granulated sugar.
Butter: I use unsalted butter.
Heavy cream: You'll need heavy whipping cream.
Salt: I use regular table salt.

Ingredients for the stabilized caramel whipped cream

Labeled ingredients for stabilized caramel whipped cream. — Just four ingredients.

Caramel Sauce: I use my own homemade caramel sauce for the stuffed cupcakes, the topping, and to drizzle over the frosting.
Heavy cream: You'll need heavy whipping cream.
Unflavored gelatin & water: I use a little bit of unflavored gelatin powder and water to make the whipped cream stabilized. It really helps the frosting hold its shape. I don't use any powdered sugar for the frosting because of the caramel, but feel free to add some if you'd like a sweeter frosting.

Equipment

mixing bowls
deep, heavy saucepan (at least 3 quart/3 liter capacity)
a 12-cavity cupcake pan
cupcake liners
a hand mixer or stand mixer

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL FILLED CUPCAKES

Step-by-step Instructions

This recipe is divided into 4 main steps:

1) making the caramel

2) making the cupcakes

3) coring and filling the cupcakes

4) making the stabilized caramel whipped cream frosting

First, make the caramel filling for cupcakes.

TOP TIP

Before you begin, heat the cream and put it next to your stove together with all the other ingredients, so you can continuously keep an eye on the caramel.

Put the sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Make sure it has a capacity of at least 3 quarts (3 liters)! The caramel needs room to bubble up! You don't want it to spill over!

Sugar melting on the sides of a metal saucepan.

Don't stir or touch the sugar. After about 3 minutes, the sugar will begin to melt around the sides of the saucepan. When you see this, you can lift the pan and swirl it around so that the rest of the sugar starts melting or use a whisk.

Stirring melted sugar in a metal saucepan with a whisk.

When all the sugar melts, whisk or stir it, but watch it carefully.

Bubbling melted sugar in a metal saucepan.

As soon as it starts bubbling up in the middle, get ready to add some of the cream.

Melted sugar and cream bubbling up in a metal saucepan with steam rising.

Add about ⅓ of the cream. It will bubble up more. DON'T ADD ALL THE CREAM AT ONCE! You can get burnt.

Whisking cream in caramel sauce in a metal saucepan.

Keep whisking. You'll notice that it will start to thicken

Whisking caramel sauce in a metal saucepan.

Add a little more cream and keep whisking.

Whisking heavy cream into caramel with a whisk.

Take the saucepan off the heat and add the remaining cream.

Butter in hot caramel in a metal saucepan.

Whisk everything really well to incorporate the cream. Then add the butter.

Adding salt and whisking to melt butter in caramel in metal saucepan.

While still whisking continuously, add the salt.

Pouring salted caramel sauce into a white bowl.

Pour the hot caramel into a bowl.

Let the caramel cool completely.

While the caramel cools, make the cupcakes.

A cupcake pan lined with white cupcake liners.

Line your cupcake pan with liners.

Whisking together flour, baking powder and salt in a metal bowl.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Beating butter and sugar together with a hand mixer in a metal bowl.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is fluffy.

Beating an egg and vanilla into butter and sugar with a hand mixer in a metal bowl.

Add the egg and the vanilla and mix well.

Beating buttermilk into egg and butter mixture with a hand mixer in a metal bowl.

Then, add the oil and the buttermilk and mix until everything is fully incorporated.

Beating dry ingredients into egg and butter mixture with a hand mixer in a metal bowl.

Finally, add the flour mixture and mix until everything is just combined. You don't want to overmix it.

Vanilla cupcake batter in cupcake liners in pan before baking.

Fill the liners with batter, a little over halfway full.

Baked vanilla cookies in a cupcake pan on a wire rack.

Then bake!

Then make the stabilized caramel whipped cream right before assembling and serving the dessert.

Stirring gelatin powder into ice water in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water and stir it. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken.

Beating heavy cream to soft peaks with a hand mixer.

In a cold mixing bowl, pour in the heavy cream and beat on medium speed until you get very soft peaks.

Beating caramel into heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer.

Add the salted caramel sauce and beat for about 10 seconds. Taste it to see if you want to add more caramel.

Stirring melted gelatin in a small bowl with a spoon.

Melt the gelatin and stir it until it's runny and there are no lumps.

Pouring melted gelatin into cream and beating it with a hand mixer.

With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the gelatin and mix to incorporate it.

Stabilized caramel whipped cream on a spatula over a metal bowl.

Increase the speed to medium and beat until you get firm peaks that hold their shape. Don't overmix.

ASSEMBLE THE DESSERT

A hollowed out vanilla cupcake on a white surface.

First you need to create a small hole in the cupcakes. You can do this with an apple corer or just a small knife to cut a piece out of the middle. If you have a kitchen tool with a flat end on the handle, like a balloon whisk, you could use that to gently press it in the cupcake.

Hollowed out cupcakes on a wire rack filled with caramel sauce.

Then you just spoon the caramel in the cupcakes. Make sure to fill to the top at the same level as the surface of the cupcake.

Frosting a caramel filled cupcake with caramel whipped cream with a pastry bag.

Put the caramel whipped cream in a piping bag with your favorite tip (I use Wilton 1M) and frost the cupcakes.

Drizzling caramel sauce over a caramel filled cupcake with caramel whipped cream.

Drizzle with more caramel sauce.

Caramel filled cupcakes on a white surface with a cupcake cut in half.

Recipe Notes

Make-ahead Options

Save time by making the caramel and the cupcakes a day ahead.

Storage Tips

You can keep these cupcakes at room temperature for about two hours. After that, you'll need to refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to about 4 days.

Freezing Instructions

I tend to freeze my cupcakes without the frosting. They can be stored in the freezer for up to about 2 months as long as they are well covered and in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them in the refrigerator before frosting them.

Variations

Here are a few variations for these caramel stuffed cupcakes:

Make chocolate caramel cupcakes - My moist chocolate cupcakes recipe would be amazing with caramel! Or, you could also make caramel filled cupcakes with chocolate ganache! You can use my ganache recipe from my chocolate drip cake.
Make salted caramel buttercream frosting - If you like sweeter cupcakes, you could add a few tablespoons of caramel sauce to some buttercream. You can use my recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting from my classic vanilla cupcakes.

CUPCAKE FILLING IDEAS

There are so many ways to fill a cupcake other than caramel! Here are a few more ideas:

You can add some fresh fruit, like in my strawberry filled cupcakes.
Nutella, like in my Nutella muffins.
Biscoff spread (cookie butter).
Peanut butter.
Peach jam, mandarin marmalade or strawberry jam.

TOP TIPS

Chill your bowl before starting. I like to keep it in the freezer while I make the cupcakes. That way, when I pour the cream in it and beat it, it will thicken faster. You can put your beaters in the freezer with the bowl, too.
Measuring ingredients properly. Using a digital scale to weigh will give you the most accurate results, especially when measuring flour. If you don't have a digital scale, read my post about how to measure flour properly here.
Baking times vary. Each and every oven is different and baking times may vary. Use a toothpick inserted in the middle to see if they're done. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are ready.
Don't overmix the cream. If you beat the whipped cream for too long, it can turn into butter! You want to look for thick peaks that are holding their shape. If the cream looks a bit chunky, it's probably been overmixed.
Dissolving gelatin. For the stabilized whipped cream, make sure the gelatin has fully dissolved after you microwave it. It should be runny. If not, you'll need to microwave it for another 3 seconds or so to dissolve properly.
Using stabilized whipped cream. Whenever I make this frosting, I use it immediately, right before the gelatin sets, so that I can pipe it. If it's not used right away, the frosting won't be smooth, it'll will get lumpy. Therefore, I never store stabilized whipped cream for later use.

FAQs

How long do you let cupcakes cool before filling them?

I wait for at least half an hour for the cupcakes to cool completely.

Can you make filled cupcakes in advance?

Yes! You can make the caramel and the cupcakes up to 2 days ahead. Then you can fill them right before serving.

How do you add filling to a cupcake?

The easiest way for me is to core the cupcakes first and then just spoon the filling into them. You could also just use a special filling tip (like the Wilton Bismark) to fill cupcakes without making a hole in them.

How long do filled cupcakes last?

These cupcakes will last for up to about 4 days in the fridge.

MORE CUPCAKE RECIPES

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Let me know how these caramel filled cupcakes turn out for you in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!