Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Filling

These moist chocolate cupcakes with caramel filling and milk chocolate frosting are decadent and delicious.

These cupcakes are perfect for chocolate and caramel lovers. The delicious cupcakes are moist and fluffy, and the center of the cupcake is filled with thick homemade caramel sauce.

Top with a milk chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream and drizzle with extra caramel drizzle. It’s double chocolate and caramel. What’s not to love?

Cupcake base

The cupcake base is similar to this 6-inch chocolate cake recipe. It is a rich dark chocolate cupcake. The batter is made with vegetable oil as the fat component. It keeps it really moist, for days!

They have the addition of a little brown sugar too to bring extra moisture. The cupcake batter has hot coffee added to it which really brings out the chocolate flavor. Don’t worry if you’re not a coffee fan, you won’t taste it! If you want to leave it out though, just use hot water and skip the instant espresso.

Caramel center

The cupcakes are filled with homemade caramel sauce. Homemade caramel is actually really easy to make! The caramel uses a dry caramel method which means sugar is dissolved without water until it’s an amber color.

Add room temperature butter, cream, and salt to the melted sugar. With a dry caramel, you can stir the sugar as it dissolves without it becoming grainy.

The caramel thickens up considerably as it cools and works well as a gooey caramel cupcake filling. Make sure both the sauce and the cupcakes are completely cooled before adding the caramel to the cupcake.

The caramel recipe makes about a cup worth of caramel. This is a lot more than you’ll need, but making a smaller amount means there is an increased risk of burning. Refrigerate extra caramel sauce for up to three months. Perfect for future recipes!

You can also try a coffee caramel sauce too!

Swiss meringue buttercream

The cupcakes are topped with milk chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. It’s smooth, light, and full of chocolate flavor. It tastes like milk chocolate mousse! Swiss meringue buttercream is much less sweet than American buttercream so it pairs well with the sweet caramel sauce.

To make Swiss meringue buttercream, heat egg whites with granulated sugar, and salt until all the sugar has dissolved. Whip the egg whites using a stand mixer until stiff glossy peaks are formed. Add softened butter in slowly while continuing to mix.

After the butter has all been incorporated, add the melted, cooled chocolate. The end result is a creamy frosting that is extra smooth and not overly sweet.

Ingredients

The full ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.

• All-purpose flour – AP flour is the base of the dry ingredients in this mini chocolate cake recipe. 
• Cocoa powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder gives the cake a chocolate flavor and is a key ingredient in the cake mix. You can use natural cocoa powder or dutch-processed cocoa powder.
• Salt – A small amount is added to the flour mixture. Salt always helps to enhance the flavor.
• Baking powder and baking powder – The leavening agents to help the cake rise
• Granulated sugar – For sweetness
• Soft brown sugar – The brown sugar sweetens the cake alongside the granulated white sugar and it brings some moisture.
• Vegetable oil – The oil helps make the cake batter rich and smooth and keeps things moist.
• Large eggs
• Milk – You can use buttermilk if you have it instead of milk and apple cider vinegar.
• Apple cider vinegar (ACV) or white vinegar- Unlike buttermilk, milk, and vinegar are ingredients more likely to have at home
• Vanilla paste or vanilla extract – Always a great addition to chocolate recipes!
• Hot coffee or hot water – Hot water is added to some instant coffee or espresso powder. Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor a lot. If you want to omit it, substitute it with plain hot water.

Caramel sauce

• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Heavy cream
• Salt (simply add a bit of extra salt if you want a salted caramel filling)

Swiss meringue buttercream

• Egg whites- Egg whites are used with the sugar to form the Swiss meringue.
• White granulated sugar – Not powdered sugar.
• Room temperature butter: You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. If using salted butter then you can omit the extra salt from the recipe.
• Salt: Adding a pinch is the easiest way to deepen the flavor.
• Milk chocolate – Or use dark chocolate if you want a richer tasting buttercream.
• Vanilla paste or extract 

Equipment

There are a few kitchen tools needed to make this cupcake recipe.

• A standard size 12 muffin pan
• Cupcake liners
• Mixing bowls – One mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and a large bowl for the wet ingredients.
• Kitchen scale – To measure the ingredients. If you choose to use a measuring cup instead, note that the cup sizes given in the recipe card are for US size cups which are smaller than metric.
• Stand Mixer –  A stand mixer is best for making Swiss meringue buttercream. You’ll need the whisk attachment and a paddle attachment.
• Thermometer – This is helpful to measure the temperature of the egg whites for the frosting but it’s not a necessity.

Method

Caramel

Begin by making the caramel so it has time to cool. Check out this caramel recipe post for step-by-step pictures.

Step 1 – Measure and set aside the butter cubes and the cream so they are ready to go when you need them.

Step 2 – In a deep saucepan over low medium heat, melt the sugar, stirring gently while it melts. It will first clump together, then gradually melt into an amber-brown liquid. Ensure all the sugar has dissolved but don’t let it burn or become too brown or the caramel will be bitter.

Step 3 – Once it has all melted, add in the cubes of butter, two cubes at a time. Start whisking straightway while you do this and don’t stop until all the butter has melted. It will form a thick caramel.

Step 4 – Once the butter has completely melted into the sugar, pour in the cream and keep whisking. Take extra care here as the cream will make the caramel bubble and rise. It may also split the caramel as the cream hits the hot sugar. Keep on whisking and cooking it until it forms a smooth and runny deep brown caramel sauce.

Step 5 – Take it off the heat and stir in any extra salt if using it. If making regular caramel sauce, adding in an extra pinch of salt will enhance the flavor. To make your own salted caramel sauce, add in ½- 1 teaspoon of salt according to taste. Leave the sauce to cool for 5 minutes, then pour it into a clean jar. It will thicken up as it cools down. Once it is at room temperature, place it in the fridge to get really thick.

Cupcakes

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line a 12 muffin pan with paper liners.

Step 2 – In a bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.

Step 3 – In a separate large mixing bowl add the eggs, sugars, vanilla, vegetable oil, and apple cider vinegar and whisk together. Measure out your milk separately and set it aside.

Step 4 – Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients at a time to the wet ingredients in the bowl along with ⅓ of the milk and fold it together with a rubber spatula. Repeat this with the remaining flour and milk.

Step 5 – Pour in the hot coffee and fold it together until well combined. The mixture will be very runny.

Step 6 – Pour the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for around 20 minutes until the top of the cupcakes spring back when touched.

Step 7 – Let the cupcakes cool down completely on a wire rack.

Swiss meringue buttercream

Step 1 – Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Heat for 20-30 seconds at a time, stirring regularly. Once about 1/3 is melted, stop microwaving and just stir to melt the rest. Alternatively, melt in a bowl balanced over a small saucepan of simmering water. Once melted, set it aside to let it cool to room temperature.

Step 2 – In a stand mixer bowl add egg whites, sugar, and salt. Bring a pot with 1-inch of water to a simmer and balance the bowl over top.

Step 3 – Whisk constantly until the mixture becomes foamy and all the sugar has dissolved when a little is rubbed between your fingers. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should be around 160F/71C.

Step 4 – Place your bowl in your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and begin whisking the meringue on medium speed until the meringue has cooled down completely to room temperature and it’s thick and glossy with stiff peaks.

Step 5 – Begin adding in the butter, a little bit at a time, and not add in the next cube until the previous cube has been completely incorporated. Once the butter is incorporated the meringue can split and look curdled and grainy. This is normal.

Step 6 – Switch the mixer to high speed and keep beating until the meringue comes together and is smooth and thick.

Step 7 – Turn off the mixer and pour in the melted chocolate. Turn the mixer high and keep beating until the chocolate is all incorporated and the meringue is fluffy.

Step 8 – Switch to the paddle attachment and beat on low speed for 5 minutes to remove some of the larger air bubbles in the buttercream.

Assembling

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled and the caramel is cold and thick, you can assemble the cupcakes.

Use a knife to cut out a small hole in the top of the cupcake. Scoop in a generous teaspoon or two full of thick caramel. Repeat this with the remaining cupcakes.

Fit a piping bag with a star tip and fill it with buttercream. Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake. Alternatively, spoon the buttercream on the cupcake and use an offset spatula to smooth it out.

Swirl the cupcakes with a little extra caramel. If the caramel is too thick to swirl on top of the frosting, warm some up in a small bowl balanced over a bowl of hot water. This will melt and loosen it.