Caramel Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Servings 15
Just when you thought carrot cake couldn't get any better--along comes caramel carrot cupcakes! The batter is swirled with salted vanilla caramel sauce, and they're topped with cream cheese frosting and more caramel. These sweet, aromatic, and moist cupcakes will quickly become a tried and true favorite!
Equipment
- box grater
- nonstick skillet
- Cupcake Pan
- two mixing bowls
Ingredients
Homemade Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into slices
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Carrot Cupcakes
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup granulated cane sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ½ cup chopped pecans, optional
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese (from a block), softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Caramel Sauce
- Make the caramel sauce first so that it has time to cool down.
- Place the sugar and one tablespoon of water in an even layer in a nonstick skillet over slightly higher than medium heat. Heat the sugar until it is fully melted and dark amber in color. The sugar will clump up at first before melting completely. While you are melting the sugar, lift up the pan and give it a few shakes every once in a while to prevent burning. Once the sugar is almost fully melted, start stirring the mixture frequently.
- After the sugar is fully melted and deep amber in color, turn down the heat to medium-low and add in all of the butter. It will immediately begin to bubble. Stir frequently using either a whisk or rubber spatula until the butter is fully melted.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream while continuing to stir. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking and stirring for another 1-2 minutes, or until caramel starts to thicken. Then, pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl and stir in the vanilla and salt. Let it cool down before using.
Carrot Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan or two with liners. This recipe yields 15-16 standard cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until fully combined.
- In a separate, larger bowl, whisk together the two sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Then whisk in the applesauce until combined.
- Gently whisk the flour mixture in until it is just combined--do not overmix. Then, fold in the carrots and pecans (if using) with a rubber spatula. Lastly, swirl in ¼ cup of the caramel sauce that you made.
- Add around 3 tbsp of batter into each cupcake tin. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until the cakes are set. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until fluffy and combined--around 1 minute.
- Then, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Continue beating on medium to medium-high speed until the frosting is creamy. Pause to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times to ensure evenness.
- Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, use a knife or piping bag (I used a round tip) to frost the tops. Drizzle with more caramel sauce. If your sauce has thickened too much, microwave it for a few seconds to make it easier to drizzle. Garnish with chopped pecans if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
-Store bought caramel sauce can be substituted for homemade.
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