One of my favorite things to do with my homemade salted caramel recipe is incorporate it into buttercream. It ends up being such an awesome blend of sweet and salty, perfect for topping cakes and cupcakes or using as a cake filling. It can transform basic cake flavors like chocolate and vanilla into something above and beyond, and it also adds complexity to Fall-inspired flavors like apple spice cake. Whatever flavors you love pairing with caramel, this salted caramel buttercream is magic!
It all starts with a great homemade salted caramel recipe, like this one. It’s only four ingredients, easy as can be, and you don’t even need a candy thermometer to make it! Making the salted caramel from scratch is the key to this beautiful caramel buttercream flavor, so if you have your own favorite salted caramel recipe, feel free to incorporate it into the buttercream recipe below. Just avoid premade salted caramel sauces that tend to be overly sweet, because they might send the sweetness level of this buttercream way over the top.
When you’ve got your salted caramel made and ready to go, make sure you give it enough time for cooling to room temperature before you add it into the buttercream recipe. It’ll be very hot and runny when you remove it from the stove, and allowing it to cool will not only ensure that your buttercream doesn’t melt into soup, but the caramel will get thicker and more flavorful as it sets. If you prefer to make the salted caramel ahead of time, that’s fine too! You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to make the buttercream, just microwave it in 15 second intervals to bring it back to room temperature.
Once your ingredients are all room temperature and ready to go, all you need is a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and about fifteen minutes from start to finish. The process is about as basic as it gets when it comes to an American buttercream recipe, but the end result is buttery salted caramel magic that you’ll want to eat by the spoonful!
Salted Caramel Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) salted caramel, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on high until it’s creamy and light in color, 5-6 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each interval.
- With the mixer still on low, mix in the vanilla extract, the salted caramel, and salt. Continue mixing on low speed until fully combined.
Notes
- Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
- Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe.
I’m going to try this frosting with Carmel filled chocolate cupcakes!! They are cooling now and getting ready to start the frosting!
Hi Laura! That sounds AMAZING! So excited for you to try this recipe 🙂
Hi have you tried colouring this white? Does it turn out okay?
Hi Taylor! I’ve never tried coloring this white. You can definitely give it a try but my assumption is it would take a lot of white food color gel to color it.
Hi, if I use food colouring eg red or blue in this recipe will the colour be affected by the slightly brown colour of the icing?
Hi Patricia! Yes, it will. Basically whichever color you mix into this buttercream will be a little muted since you’re starting with beige buttercream as opposed to white. If you’re going for super dark colors it might be possible, but just keep in mind it might be more of a muted tone than a true tone.
Thanks whitney!!!
What kind of cake would it tast best with?
Hi Jena! This salted caramel buttercream pairs really well with chocolate cake or vanilla cake.
Hi Whitney! Would this be enough to fill 2 10 inch Chocolate Cakes?
It will be a 3 layer cake.. and may coat the outside with the luscious looking buttercream, then covering in fondant for a birch tree look. Thank you in advance and sharing your recipe!
Hi Laura! This recipe will be enough to fill a 3 layer 10-inch cake. That sounds like it’s going to be lovely and delicious!
So where is the recipe for the salted caramel! Pintrest just takes you around in circles! Not a friendly site
Don’t show a recipe and then only give us half of it!!!
Hi Guida! Sorry Pinterest took you around in circles. I’m glad you ended up here! The recipe for the salted caramel is linked throughout this post but here’s the direct link: https://sugarandsparrow.com/salted-caramel-recipe/
Hi Whitney,
Why in this recipe you used more powdered sugar than the white chocolate butter cream recipe?
Can’t wait to try both
Hi Giulia, there isn’t really a scientific reason why there’s more powdered sugar in this buttercream recipe. It’s just the way I’ve always made it. If you’re concerned about the amount of sugar, you can always decrease it by 1/2 cup or more, just eyeball the consistency in the process to make sure it’s thick enough to spread/pipe.
I can’t wait to try this recipe in full next week for my husbands birthday cake… we have the same birthday just 10 years apart, and this is what he requested to be on and in his cake.. Cake layers to be my Italian cream white cake recipe. So I am 1000% sure your SCBC is going to be heavenly on it!
That sounds SO delicious, Caitlin! Can’t wait for you to try this!!
Where can we find your Italian cream white cake?
Yum!
Sounds wonderful! I’m planning on putting this on top of some decadent chocolate cupcakes for a friend’s birthday at work. Does this recipe make enough to pipe 24 cupcakes?
Hi Kate! This buttercream is SO tasty on chocolate cupcakes. To pipe 24 of them, I would 1.5 the recipe.
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly! I am so excited for these!
Oh my GOODNESS.
Just made this to use for a birthday cake. So impressed. Had to put it away to stop myself from eating it by the spoonful.
Yay, Tabitha! So happy to hear you love this recipe as much as I do. It is SO hard to stop eating it by the spoonful!!
Can I use a hand mixer? My stand mixer is broken!
Hi Bianca! A hand mixer will work just fine for this recipe 🙂
Hi
Where do you buy salted caramel ?
Hi Anu! I have never tried store bought salted caramel before, but I know that it can be found at some grocery stores in the aisle with the ice cream toppings. I always make it myself because it’s easy and tastes amazing. Here’s the recipe I use: https://sugarandsparrow.com/salted-caramel-recipe/
Hi,
can this also be used as a filling for the macarons?
Hi Joyce! This recipe would be perfect (and so tasty) as macaron filling!
Hi there, you mention topping cupcakes and filling cakes… what about covering a cake completely prior to putting fondant on it? Do you think it would tolerate the weight of fondant? And get a dry enough crust to put fondant on? Thankyou for any advice!
Hi Christine! This salted caramel buttercream will totally work for covering a cake before putting fondant on. It’s a crusting buttercream and I would recommend chilling it slightly prior to covering in fondant – that way you’ll get a firm surface and plenty of support for the fondant!
Thankyou so much! Can’t wait to try this on the weekend!
Thanks you very much
You’re so welcome, Olena!
Would this recipe be enough to fill a two layer cake and coat the outside completely?
Hi Finn! It depends on what diameter your layers are. It should be enough to fill and frost up to a two-layer 9-inch cake.