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.
Hi,
I want to try a Biscoff version, could I just use the same amount of Biscoff cookie butter as there is salted caramel in this recipe? Or should I adjust the powdered sugar when using Biscoff?
Thanks!
Hi Maja! That sounds heavenly. I’ve never worked with cookie butter before, so I can’t say for sure how much to add or how it will taste but feel free to experiment with this recipe!
Would this be good on a spice cake you think?! If so do you have a homemade spice cake recipe?!?!
Hi Rachel! This recipe would taste amazing on a spice cake. I have a few different spice cake recipes! Type “spice cake” into the search bar at the top of my blog to see them.
how many cupcakes can i frost using one batch of this frosting?
Hi Farah, one batch of this buttercream should frost about 15-20 large cupcakes depending on how much frosting you add to each one.
hello!! so do I use melted Carmel? and if so do I use the hard Carmel and melt it in the microwave or the stove top, make my own, or use the store bought stuff that people use on other desserts. (that’s in the squeeze bottles)
Hi Ruby! I recommend making your own using this recipe for best results: https://sugarandsparrow.com/salted-caramel-recipe/
Hi recipe doesn’t say how much it makes or how big of a cake it will frost. i have a 3 layer 6 in cake. is this recipe enough or should i double?
Hi Tori! For a 3 layer 6-inch cake, I would 1.5x the recipe to fill and frost, or double the recipe if you want to do additional buttercream decorations/piping.
This recipe is spectacular! I just made it for a chocolate cake and it if the fluffiest buttercream I’ve ever had. Thanks for posting this!
Yay, Ellie!! So happy to hear that and I bet it tasted amazing with chocolate cake!
Just made this frosting for my cut out sugar cookies and it’s AMAZING! I’ve been using a crusting buttercream recipe and just wondering if this frosting will give a little crust as well to pipe out flowers, etc. Also, will the cookies need to be refrigerated with this icing? Thanks!
Yay, Kathryn! So happy to hear you’re loving this recipe! It will certainly crust and be great for piping flowers, etc. You won’t need to refrigerate the cookies with this icing, as the small amount of dairy in there is well preserved by all the sugar content. Enjoy!
Hi. Have just made this caramel buttercream to fill and ice a cake (made the caramel first from your recipe – delicious!) I have never made buttercream before (usually use chocolate ganache) and although it tastes good the powdered sugar hasn’t dissolved, so it’s a bit chalky. Is that normal? I am in Australia and used what we call pure icing sugar, which is just powdered sugar. I sieved it first too. It’s also unbelievably sweet, but maybe that’s because you like things sweeter than we’re used to over there? Will the sugar dissolve a bit more by the time I serve it in about 24 hrs? Thanks. Love your site BTW. Very helpful and your cakes look spectacular!
Hi Julia! If the texture is grainy I would add a little more room temperature milk to dissolve the sugar and also add a little more salt to cut the sweetness. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for your reply. I made another batch, sieved the sugar again in a finer sieve, and put a little milk in but didn’t want to thin it too much. Still grainy, but I’m sure no-one will notice but me! We have here a product called icing mixture, which is powdered sugar and corn starch. Should I try this next time? Might be smoother. Not sure how the cornstarch would affect the buttercream though. Thoughts?
Interesting! I’ve never heard of adding cornstarch to buttercream, but let me know if you end up trying that!
I realize I’m commenting on an old comment but wanted to say that in Canada, what we have available as “icing sugar” is the same as your “icing mix” as it contains cornstarch. I have never actually seen powdered sugar here, only icing sugar. I often find frosting way too sweet and have had success adding additional cornstarch instead of more icing sugar. Hope that helps others.
Love the flavour of this I’ve just made it! However no matter what buttercream I try and make it always starts to split and go runny! Any tips would be appreciated – it’s not just this one recipe that it does it, it’s on everyone I’ve tried I’ve even used a glass bowl this time and still no luck I just can’t get it right
Hi Jess! So happy you love the flavor of this buttercream and would love to help you get to the bottom of why your buttercreams are splitting. The main reason why buttercream splits is temperature – mainly if it’s too warm in your kitchen environment (butter starts to melt above 75 degrees) or if you start the recipe with butter that is too soft/milk that’s too cold. I like to leave my butter on the counter to soften it for an hour or so (instead of microwaving or trying to quickly soften it) because it ends up being the perfect temp to begin with. And then if your milk is too cold at the end that can cause the buttercream to split as well. It’s super important that all of your ingredients are room temp (and your “room temp” is less than 73 degrees). Hoping either of those tips solves the splitting for next time!
Hi! Whitney, do you think that I could make the buttercream a day before icing the cake with it? I need a reply ASAP
Hi Trina! You can definitely make this buttercream a day ahead. As long as your environment is below 70 degrees, you can store the buttercream at room temp in an airtight container overnight. If you need to, you can also refrigerate it in an airtight container overnight – just be sure to leave it out for a few hours to bring it back to room temperature before using it on your cake. Whether you store it in the fridge or at room temp, be sure to put it back in your stand mixer and stir it on low speed for about 20 seconds to bring it back to silky smooth frosting consistency.
This frosting and the salted caramel were both amazing! My daughter requested a vanilla cake with caramel frosting for her birthday cake, and I’m so glad I found this! It was fantastic!
So happy to hear that, Alli! Glad the recipe was a hit for your daughter’s birthday cake!
Oh my goodness!!! Thank you!!! It’s soooo DELICIOUS!! I used for my chocolate cupcake, salted buttercream, & chocolate dipped pretzel!!! They are scrumptious thank you!!
So happy to hear you love this recipe, Laurie! That flavor combo sounds delicious!
would this be enough to fill and cover the sides of a three layer cake or should i double it?
Hi Arthur! Depends on the diameter of the cake layers. For 6-inch, 8-inch, and 9-inch cakes I would double the recipe.
OK thank you. looks amazing cant wait to make it.
Hi!
I have to questions. The first one is, can i use this buttercream for the icing on the cake? Second question is that your salted caramel is it liquid because I have the « syrup one » can that still work? It’s probably a stupid question but can it?
Hi Mikayla! You can totally use this buttercream to ice a cake. The salted caramel I use has the consistency of a thick syrup, so as long as your is a thick syrup consistency and you like the taste of it, it should work!
Hi! I’m making a 4 layer cake, would I need to double the recipe or would this be enough? Thank you!☺️
Hi Rebecca! Doubling this recipe will make enough to fill and frost a four layer cake.