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Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

Fluffy and moist brown sugar cupcakes are the perfect canvas for the real star - this salted caramel cream cheese buttercream (insert heart eyes). These are a fan favorite around here, and I think you'll love them too!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: brown sugar cupcakes, cupcakes, salted caramel, salted caramel buttercream
Servings: 12
Author: Sarah Crawford

Ingredients

For the Brown Sugar Cupcakes

  • 1 2/3 cups (220g) cake flour
  • 1/2 cup (124g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (127g) light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp (6g) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (4g) kosher salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (114g) whole milk at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (112g) sour cream at room temperature

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter at room temperature
  • 4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup salted caramel (see note)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

For the Brown Sugar Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  • Whisk cake flour, sugars, baking powder salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • Beat in butter, whisking until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
  • Beat in the milk and sour cream, mixing just until the batter is smooth. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3-full (you should get 14 to 15 cupcakes out of this batter).
  • Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
  • Cool cupcakes in pan 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Salted Caramel Buttercream

  • Beat butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer in a large bowl 1 to 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in caramel until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in vanilla and salt.
  • Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with desired tip. Frost around the rim of each cupcake, leaving a small well in the center. Fill the well with salted caramel. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.

Notes

I highly recommend using homemade salted caramel for the buttercream. Check out this tutorial where I show you how to do it!