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Salted Caramel Frosting

January 26, 202329 Comments

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Buttery sweet caramel sauce with just a hint of salt combines with cream cheese for silky smooth salted caramel frosting perfection.

chocolate cupcakes with frosting and caramel sauce

Salted Caramel Frosting

I knew before I made this frosting that {Salted + Caramel = Frosting} it was going to be a good thing. However, I had no clue that it was going to be a great thing: an almost indescribably awesome frosting.

I’m not usually a big fan of frosting, but I am a huge fan of homemade caramel sauce. So, pouring caramel sauce into a whipped cream cheese frosting sounded too delicious not to try.

I am a big fan of real flavors. It can take a bit longer to develop those flavors sometimes – but it is truly just minutes in many cases. Caramel is one of those.

frosting with salted caramel

Water and sugar simmer slowly in a simple syrup. No need for a candy thermometer, just keep cooking until the sugar dissolves. Once that happens turn up the heat and keep cooking until it turns an amber color.

Caramel can be tricky because you want to keep it moving to prevent burning but not really get any of the sugar crystals that might form on the sides of the pan back into the caramel. Those pieces will make little crunch bits in the caramel sauce.

Once it achieves that rich amber color, add the butter, cream, vanilla, and salt. Stir them in gently and let the sauce cool before refrigerating.

chocolate cupcakes with caramel sauce and frosting

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

To turn that amazing caramel sauce into frosting first make sure it has cooled completely. I can not emphasize that enough. It must be room temperature to make smooth and creamy frosting.

Beat the butter and cream cheese until combined and smooth and creamy. Then add your powdered sugar. Once that has been incorporated add just one cup of the salted caramel sauce.

Salted Caramel Frosting

I paired this frosting with the best gluten free chocolate cake that you can imagine. The combination of caramel and chocolate was everything I wanted it to be.

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about this frosting is that it requires nothing fancier than a knife to decorate the cupcakes. No piping tools were required and the frosting stayed soft enough to look pretty without any effort or skill on my part.

caramel frosting on chocolate cupcakes

Recipe for Salted Caramel Frosting

Caramel Sauce Instructions
  1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Stir to combine and then cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; about 4-5 minutes. There is no need to stir, simply swirl the pan over the burner occasionally as the sugar dissolves.
  2. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the sauce, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is amber-colored; about 7-8 minutes. Add the butter, be prepared for it to bubble and sputter, lightly stir with a wooden spatula, do not scrape the sides of the pan or splash sauce up the sides of the pan. (This will cause crystallization if you scrape the uncooked sugars back into the sauce.)
  3. Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, heavy cream, and salt. It will bubble again but will calm quickly. Stir to combine (again, not scraping sides of the pan) and then let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating for storage.
Salted Caramel Sauce in pan on stovetop
Frosting Instructions
  1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat to combine.
  2. Add 1 cup of room-temperature caramel sauce and beat again to combine. Spread the frosting on top of anything and everything you’d like.

Recipe inspired by Eats Well With Others and adapted from Life on Blackberry Farm

caramel frosting with salted caramel on chocolate cupcakes

Frosting Recipes

Condiments are one of my favorite ways to add new flavors and change recipes up. Frosting and icing fall into that category, delicious on cake, and cookies, or just dipping cookies or pretzels in it for a sweet snack.

Fresh Blueberry Frosting is a light and creamy frosting, whipped into fluffy blueberry loveliness. A dollop of this frosting is sweet heaven on a cupcake. On a spoon, on a cracker, or on an actual cake this blueberry buttercream frosting is irresistible.

Given the chance, I could do some serious damage to a bowl of this fluffy chocolate frosting without even slathering it on the cake. This is everything I wanted in chocolate buttercream frosting.

Grab a spoon, you are going to want to eat this Whipped Cream Frosting straight from the bowl, or go ahead and dive in with fresh strawberries.

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chocolate cupcakes with caramel sauce and frosting

Salted Caramel Frosting

Buttery sweet with just a hint of salt combined with cream cheese for silky smooth salted caramel frosting perfection.
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Ingredients 

  • 1 cup butter room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup salted caramel sauce recipe below

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Caramel Sauce Instructions

  • In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Stir to combine and then cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; about 4-5 minutes. There is no need to stir, simply swirl the pan over the burner occasionally as the sugar dissolves.
  • Raise the heat to medium high and cook the sauce, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is amber colored; about 7-8 minutes. Add the butter, be prepared for it to bubble and sputter, lightly stir with a wooden spatula, do not scrape the sides of the pan or splash sauce up the sides of the pan. (This will cause crystallization, if you scrape the uncooked sugars back into the sauce.)
  • Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, heavy cream and salt. It will bubble again, but will calm quickly. Stir to combine (again, not scraping sides of the pan) and then let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating for storage.

Frosting Instructions

  • Beat the butter and cream cheese together at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat to combine.
  • Add 1 cup of room-temperature caramel sauce and beat again to combine. Spread the frosting on top of anything and everything you'd like.

Notes

You will have some extra caramel sauce. You can use it in anything you’d like. It is amazing over ice cream or drizzled on warm apple crisp. So many options for this sweet and salty caramel sauce. 
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 3/8/12 – recipes updated 1/26/23}

caramel frosting with chocolate cupcakes and caramel sauce
caramel sauce drizzles over frosted chocolate cupcakes

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  2. Tricia Buice says

    Ohhh yum! I've been thinking about this frosting since you mentioned it 🙂 It is lovely and the flavor combination sounds great. We LOVE your homemade caramel recipe – it's my husbands favorite!

    Reply

    • Mary says

      The water is in the caramel sauce recipe. You use the finished caramel sauce to make the frosting. I hope that helps!

    • Anonymous says

      How easy is this frosting to pipe? Will it hold a shape or does is stay on the softer side? I know most frostings I make with cream cheese don't hold up well after piping.

    • Anonymous says

      thank you trying it tonight, got my sauce made yesterday just set it out from the fridge now , so we will give this a try, it is going on a mocha cake for a baby shower, wish me luck!
      thanks sounds great
      Liz

    • Mary says

      Stir to combine and then just give it a few minutes. The sugar will dissolve as it heats. I've made this dozens of times, the measurements are correct. I hope that helps!

  17. Kerri says

    Wow! Thanks so much for this recipe – it is, as you say, indescribably delicious. It was as much as I could do not to just eat it straight from the mixing bowl! Will definitely make again.

    Reply

  18. PVM says

    I made this yesterday for my sons birthday cake which was a homemade yellow cake, This is so GOOD! It went perfect with the cake! Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply

  19. Anonymous says

    I LOVE "Sea Salt Caramel" gelato. I wonder if there is any way to take this homemade caramel sauce and make a homemade Sea Salt Caramel ice cream (in an electric freezer)??? Your thoughts?

    Reply

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