caramel butter stroopwafel cupcakes
I love these buggers SO MUCH.
I hoarded this recipe since earlier in the summer, since I – and some of ya’ll over on Instagram – deemed this appropriate for an early fall share. In fact, they’re on my upcoming Thanksgiving menu. Yes, I’ve already started planning, and yes, it’ll be just as wonderful as last year’s.
Today, I am so hyped to put these Caramel Butter Stroopwafel Cupcakes into the world. Vanilla cake, homemade salted caramel stuffed in the center of each cake and folded into the soft vanilla buttercream, and tiny stroopwafels for garnish. The most cheerful and fun little guys to create.
And to eat? Don’t even get me going. They’re soft, cozy, and decadent, perfect for days like today where work made me want to rip my hair out and render me 100% buzzed rather than 50%.
But hey, they taste just as fabulous on good, easy, routine days, too! Never a bad time to treat yoself.
Because I Care-amel
About the wellbeing of your soul and your tummy.
First, make your salted caramel sauce. I use this in all of my caramel-themed recipes and the formula never fails me. Melt sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until golden and liquified. Dump in a blob of butter, stirring, taking care to avoid any splashes and splashes precious. Finish with a pour of heavy cream and simmer until thickened, which only takes a couple minutes.
Pull the pan off the heat and stir in vanilla and kosher salt. Let cool to room temp, which should be about the time it takes for you to bake up the cupcakes.
Batter Up!
For the cupcake base, I use my trusty vanilla cake batter. It’s soft, fragrant, and the ideal base for all sorts of flavor parties you want to throw in each tin.
Cream butter with regular sugar, then whip in a few eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and plain Greek yogurt.
Next, add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. With the mixer running, stream in the buttermilk. The batter will be quite thick, and don’t overmix so much that the little bubbles and blobs vanish entirely.
Line two 12-cup muffin tins with parchment or paper liners. I use an ice cream scoop to measure in the batter, filling each tin 2/3 of the way full. You will likely get anywhere from 22-24 cupcakes with the amount of batter and the amount of times you have to remeasure because you fucked up the previous one.
Speaking from experience there, pals.
Bake the cupcakes for 25-30 minutes until a stabbed toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool a few minutes in the pans, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Stuff Em and Swirl Em
When the cupcakes are cool, use a teaspoon measure to scoop out a bit of the center. The depth of the crater should also equal the depth of the teaspoon itself.
If the caramel has thickened a bit too much to scoop, microwave for 15-20 seconds to soften. Use your trusty teaspoon pal to pour a dollop of the caramel into the cupcakes.
Our frosting friend contains a bit ole heap of caramel as well. Beat it up with some softened butter and vanilla extract, then slowly begin incorporating your powdered sugar and a slap of heavy cream. Whip until very soft and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed to ensure all that saccharine goodness gets blended up thoroughly. You may need a couple spoonfuls more of heavy cream to achieve the fluffy texture we want.
Using your favorite piping tip, swirl that gorgeous buttercream onto each cuppycake. Drizzle with extra caramel and top, of course, with a lil stroop friend. I buy Daelmans at Walgreens usually because they’re the most easily obtained around me, but other brands are great if your grocer carries something else.
Prepping ahead? Baked, stuffed, but unfrosted cupcakes will chill for about three days before you should probably go ahead and finish them up. The finished product freezes really nicely for up to a month if you need a sweet fix fast!
I’ll say it again: if you’re a big time planner aheader, put these puppies on your Thanksgiving menu! You’ll have zero regrets.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Cupcakin’:
Strawberry Vanilla Surprise Cupcakes
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Baileys Buttercream
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes
Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon Bourbon Frosting
Chai Cupcakes with Bourbon Espresso Frosting
caramel butter stroopwafel cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup caramel sauce
- 24 mini stroopwafels, for garnish
homemade salted caramel
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
caramel buttercream
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 1/2-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with parchment liners.
- Make the caramel. Melt the sugar in a small saucepan, whisking constantly, until completely liquified and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted – be careful, it WILL splatter. Pour in the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and kosher salt. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Whip in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and yogurt. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running, stream in the buttermilk until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way with batter. Depending on what your heart says 2/3 of the way full is, you will get 22-24 cupcakes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks. Cool completely.
- Using a spoon, remove about 1 teaspoon of cake from the center of each cupcake. Scoop 1 teaspoon of caramel into the gap. If the caramel has thickened too much, heat in a microwave-safe bowl for 15-20 seconds to soften.
- Make the frosting. Whip the butter, caramel, and vanilla until combined, then add the powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of cream. Crank the mixer to high, and beat until very light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You may need an extra tablespoon of two of cream to achieve the desired texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as needed, to properly incorporate all the ingredients.
- Pipe or frost each cupcake with the buttercream. Drizzle with more caramel and top with a cute lil stroopwafel!
