remember when i had a Let’s Bring on Fall party to attend + asked for ideas on what to make? y’all definitely delivered with fantastic recipes. all have been bookmarked or pinned on pinterest, + i’ve started making them. for the party itself? there was no question in regards to the dessert – pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream, suggested by fabulous reader jaclyn.
i owe jaclyn a million cookies. or a huge hug. or both. because these cupcakes were AMAZING. i mean, was there any question that they would be? how can anything with salted caramel buttercream be anything but delicious?! they were just as popular with the kiddos as they were with adults, which is always great — fancy enough to impress foodies while, flavor-wise, simple enough to appeal to kiddo palates. now that the temperatures are finally dropping + fall is around the corner, i know lots of you are looking for cooler-weather sweets. look no further, my friends, because this is the perfect fall treat. consider yourself warned though, these are addictive!
pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream
makes about 20 cupcakes, adapted from made in mel’s kitchen
for the pumpkin cupcakes:
ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin pureedirections
preheat oven to 350 degrees. line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, + allspice; set aside.
in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, + eggs. beat on medium speed until well combined. add dry ingredients + mix on low until smooth. fold in pumpkin puree.
divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. bake until tops spring back when touched, + a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 – 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. transfer to a wire rack + let cool completely.
for the salted caramel buttercream
ingredients
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick salted butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups powdered sugardirections
in a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar + water. bring to a boil over medium high heat. cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. remove from heat + slowly add in cream + vanilla, stirring until very smooth. let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm, but still pourable.
in a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter + salt together until lightened + fluffy. reduce speed to low + add powdered sugar. mix until thoroughly combined.
scrape down the side of the bowl + add the caramel. beat on medium high speed until light + airy, + completely mixed (about 2 minutes). mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. if your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny – if this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
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These cupcakes are a dream! Not only do they look gorgeous and fluffy and delicious, but they are the perfect fall cupcake. Plus, it doesn’t help that I have a recent love for salted caramel. Mmm! Beautiful job Amy and yay for the suggestion Jaclyn!
caroline, i was so tempted to send you this recipe + picture early because i know what a fall / pumpkin lover you are! the salted caramel buttercream is amazingly fluffy + delicious – i found myself just eating it straight out of the bowl – whoops! + the pumpkin cupcakes are perfectly spiced with a wonderful texture. these are definitely A+ cupcakes!
Shut the front door, omg! I do not think there is a better recipe out there to remind me of fall than this. Pumpkin, salted caramel and buttercream all on one! I am beside myself excited…lol
i felt the same way when i saw this recipe — these cupcakes perfectly capture the wonderful flavors of autumn! i hope you try ’em – i think you’ll be super excited with the results!
Wow, these look A.MA.ZING. Pumpkin is definitely my favorite fall flavor–and with salted caramel? Holy moly, I feel a weight gain of five pounds coming!
Thanks for posting these!!
ha! now you see why i took these to a party rather than keeping them all at our house – i would’ve eaten them all! i will admit, i did so much taste-testing of these prior to the party that i barely had room to eat anything else. oops!
ahh you are killing me! these look soooo good! Love anything pumpkin, but I usually go for cream cheese frosting…I never thought to do salted caramel buttercream! Genius
i normally make cream cheese frosting with anything pumpkin, too + i absolutely loved this variation. the creamy, rich salted caramel works perfectly against the spiced pumpkin flavor. it’s delish!
I love salted caramel buttercream! It is so delicious. I bet it paired beautifully with pumpkin cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!
you’re most certainly welcome! isn’t it delicious? i even liked it spread on graham crackers, proving that salted caramel buttercream can dress up anything!
OMG – you and I must be on the same wavelength when it comes to these cupcakes. I was totally thinking of making pumpkin spice cupcakes with caramel buttercream this weekend, but now I see SALTED caramel buttercream and I’m like….WOW!!!! They look awesome!
well, they do say that great minds think alike. =) i hope i get to see a picture of yours, since your cupcakes always turn out so beautifully. in fact, maybe you can give me some cupcake-decorating lessons sometimes? i’ll pay you in sweets!
The cupcakes look good and I am in love with those black and white cupcake cups. Where did you get those? I must get some.
thanks, renee! the cupcake cups are Reynolds brand victorian baking cups that came from our local kroger (+ weren’t expensive at all). if you do a search for black + white damask cupcake cups, lots more come up on etsy + ebay, too!
Thanks for the shout out Amy! I’m trilled they turned out as good as they did. I should make another batch soon. Fall has certainly arrived in Minnesota – it is 53 degrees today!
thank *you* for sending me the recipe! fall seems to arrived in nashville, too – its only 60 degrees right now — brrr!
That buttercream looks dangerous…. Talk about the perfect Fall dessert. I bet these were a huge hit! You’re guacamole made my Tailgate menu this weekend & these will certainly make an appearance next week. I cannot wait to make these. Seriously. I’m dying.
they *were* a huge hit, ally! everyone loved ’em. + thanks again for putting my guacamole on your tailgate menu – so glad you made it + it turned out delicious for you!
All I can say at the moment is OMG! These look so delicious and just scream my favorite season- Fall!
maris, they are amazing! you’ve gotta try ’em. and thank you again for featuring my chili in your food for football parties post today – it made my day!
These cupcakes look so delicious! So yummy!
they taste even better than they look! that salted caramel buttercream is just sinfully good.
Pumpkin + Salted Caramel Butter Cream??? Oh my! I must try and make these gluten-free!
if you make a gluten-free version, please share! i’d love to see how they turn out. they’d be wonderful, i’m sure!
These look amazing…not sure why, but I don’t bake cupcakes often. But these make me want to break out my cupcake tin and go buy some cute cupcake papers! Fall still is playing hide-and-seek with Texas, but she can’t hide forever…right?!?!?
that’s true – you definitely make more cakes than you do cupcakes. my cake-frosting skills aren’t too fab, but my cupcake piping skills are much better, which is why i think i make ’em so much! plus, you know i like just a tiny bit of dessert, + cupcakes are a good portion size for me. sending major fall vibes down to Texas – it’s time for y’all to get some cooler weather! =)
These look amazing girl!
thanks, alison! + i just saw that you tweeted out the link – thank you so much for that, too!
I’m drooling right now!
i thought you might like this recipe, what with your ‘pumpking’ love + all. =)
So glad you liked these! I can’t wait to make them again this year.
thanks again for the wonderful recipe, melissa. the frosting is seriously in the running for my favorite ever!
I wish I could be in on that party! This is amazing!
i wish you could’ve been at the party, too – everything was delicious! =)
oh. my. gosh. did you really make these?! How did you get the frosting SO PERFECT?! I need a tutorial!!!
if you’re trying to make me feel good … it’s working! my cupcake frosting needs a lot of help but these are definitely the prettiest i’ve made in a while. will gladly give a tutorial! =)
Wow these sound deacdently amazing! Mmm pumpkin and salted caramel, my mouth is drooling!
they are delicious! pumpkin + salted caramel = perfection!
What a perfect cupcake to welcome fall! They sound delicious would be perfect with coffee!
you’re so right — they would be great with coffee. or chai. or a homemade pumpkin spice latte. =)
These look and sound absolutely delicious! I never would have thought of pairing salted caramel with pumpkin, but I’m certainly looking forward to this combination now. Thanks for sharing!
i would never have thought of the pairing either but it works wonderfully! you gotta try ’em. =)
I want one, or maybe three! These look amazing. The frosting combination with the pumpkin is so perfect!
thanks, erin! three of these would definitely make for a perfect snack. or meal. =)
Oh my word! Thank you for this salted caramel buttercream recipe. SOOOO much easier than other ones I had seen floating around and DIVINE! SOOOOOOO tasty! I could not stop sneaking tastes as I was piping it onto my caramel cupcakes. YUM!
that is such great news, stacy! I love that it turned out great for you. And what a great idea to use the buttercream on caramel cupcakes. Sounds delish!
Made these this weekend for my Grandfathers 90th birthday party. The were a huge hit with the family! The cupcakes were flavorful and moist and the frosting, of course, was the best part. Thank you for sharing! Happy fall.
that’s great news — i’m so happy they turned out great for you + your family for your grandfather’s birthday party. happy birthday to him, + happy fall to you, too!
I made the buttercream with chocolate cupcakes. It was amazing. Thanks for introducing me to an amazing recipe. Although a dangerous one!
isn’t it insanely awesome? that buttercream is just to die for. but you’re right — dangerously addictive!
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