Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting recipe is a sweet and salty frosting full of sweet, buttery goodness! Perfect frosting for apple or pumpkin cake.
I made this Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting recipe to pair with my Pumpkin Spice Cake.
The cake’s pumpkin spice combo just called for a salted caramel frosting recipe to go with the rich, earthy flavors flavors in the cake.
This sweet and salty buttercream would be delicious paired with just about any cake, though. It goes especially well with chocolate cake, apple, spice, or pumpkin cakes, and, really, there’s no wrong flavor of cake to go with this yummy frosting.
Ingredients
- Butter: It’s important to use room temperature butter so that the softened butter will mix well with the other ingredients. I use salted butter. Feel free to use unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Salted caramel sauce: You can use homemade caramel sauce or store-bought caramel sauce.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Kosher salt: Or use a similar salt like sea salt. Table salt is saltier, so, if using table salt, use half the amount.
How to make salted caramel buttercream frosting
Step 1: Add the butter to a large mixing bowl. Beat butter on medium speed for 1 minute.
Step 2: Add caramel sauce and vanilla extract, and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Step 3: Add the powdered sugar and salt. Mix in until well-incorporated.
Step 4: Use to frost cake, cupcakes, cookies, and more!
Recipe FAQs
You can! You will need a thicker caramel sauce, not a thinner caramel syrup. A thinner caramel syrup will give you a thinner or runny consistency.
It is! Even with its light texture, the frosting can be piped with a piping bag.
The caramel icing can be used to frost cupcakes or a layer cake, or it can be used to in between macarons or cookies.
Storage
I recommend storing the frosting or any cake or cupcakes frosted with this frosting in an airtight container the refrigerator.
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Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup salted caramel sauce at cool room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Pinch Kosher salt
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium for 1 minute.
- Add salted caramel sauce. and vanilla extract, and beat on medium for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add powdered sugar and salt, and beat on low until powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth and well-combined, about 2-3 additional minutes.
Notes
- Butter: I like to use salted butter in this recipe. You can use unsalted butter and adjust the salt level with salt as needed.
- Caramel sauce: Here is the recipe to make salted caramel sauce. If you would like to use a jarred caramel, make sure you get a thicker sauce and not a thinner topping.
- Salt: Also, add a pinch or two of a finishing salt for the “salted” flavor!
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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Originally published 11/4/13. Updated 9/14/20.
Reader Interactions
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Comments & Reviews
zoe says
Mmmmm! I’m making gingerbread cupcakes for my friends birthday tomorrow and all the websites have been recommending caramel buttercream, but this is the only recipe I can find that doesn’t use double/heavy cream, which we haven’t got any of!! Thanks so much, can’t wait to sneak myself a cupcake ;)
Kate says
Glad you found the recipe then! The gingerbread and caramel sound like a yummy combo!
Karen says
I just made this for my husband’s birthday cake — and we stood in the kitchen, scraping the bowl like little kids. Such a good recipe!!!
I made a simple caramel sauce: 1/4 c. butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar — stir until melted and smooth. Add in 1 tsp vanilla and 3 Tbsp. milk — heat to bubbling, while stirring to keep it smooth. It worked great and took just a couple of minutes. (Plus cooling time)
Kate says
Thank you so much!! And thanks for sharing your simple caramel sauce recipe! I’ll have to give that a try. =)
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amanda hanegan says
how long will the frosting keep in the fridge? im anxious to try it-it looks delicious!
Kate says
Thanks! I’m not sure how long it would last because we’ve always eaten the frosting within a day. I would guess that it would keep for two days, but I’m not really sure beyond that.
Marya says
Seems to run a little bit after it has been on several hours.
Kate says
Since it’s a buttercream frosting, you’ll want to refrigerate it. I don’t know how long it’s safe to leave it out for, but I always put mine in the fridge to be on the safe side.
Kathleen says
I found this and I’m about to try it on my apple pie cupcakes. It sounds good!! I’m excited!!
Kate says
That sounds like a great combination! =)
Nichole says
This looks yummy! I can’t wait to try it on my new Mexican chocolate Cupcakes for a Girl’s night out I am going to.
Kate says
That sounds like a great combination! I hope you enjoy your cupcakes and your night out! =)
Rainbow says
Would love the recipe for the browned butter pumpkin spice cake…
Kate says
Sure! You can find the recipe here. Just let me know if you have any other questions.
Sarah says
Can I make this icing one day in advance? I am very excited to make it and assemble my cake and I have no patience! I made your salted caramel sauce and it is so lovely! I think I may have cooked it a little bit longer than I should’ve but it tastes good nevertheless, just the slightest bit bitter, sort of like a hint of liqueur, yum yum!
Kate says
I think it would be fine. It held up well in the fridge on my frosted cake, so I would think it would work. Thanks so much! I’ve done that before, too, and I ended up with a caramel that had a hint of burnt sugar. Glad you liked it! =)
Izzati Noris says
Do you think it would be safe to put fondant over this? Or will the fondant melt?
Kate says
Sorry, but I’ve never worked with fondant. So, I’m not sure how well it would work out.
Izzati Noris says
Tried it! Worked well but I had to add extra powdered sugar for the top and side crumb coating. Still tasted fantastic though. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
Kate says
Great! I’m glad to hear that it worked out for you! =)
Andrea says
Hi, I love homemade frostings and make them all the time, so I can’t wait to try this one, too. I am curious if it must be kept refrigerated or not; it looks like it should be pretty stable unless it’s very hot out. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Kate says
It is pretty stable. I had it out at room temp for a couple hours, and it was fine during that time (long enough for me to assemble a cake, photograph it, and then for us to eat it). I did refrigerate the leftover cake/frosting, though.
Betty says
Where can you find the salted caramel sauce
Kate says
You can find the salted caramel sauce here. Sorry, it’s linked in the recipe, but since it isn’t a different color, it’s difficult to tell that.
Kate says
Is it alright to just use caramel topping for the caramel sauce?
Kate says
I’ve never made the frosting with caramel topping. I would guess that it would work, but I can’t say for sure. If you want the salted caramel flavor, you may need to adjust the salt accordingly, though, since the salted caramel sauce will be a little less sweet and a little more salty than caramel topping.
Cindyann says
There is an absolutely wonderful salted caramel sauce available in grocery stores now, it’s very thick. It’s located where you find ice cream toppings, like chocolate syrup. I don’t know if brands are allowed to be named… but they make jelly, and with a name like theirs, it’d better be good!
Love the recipe; frosted 78 dark chocolate cupcakes! (Triple batch)
Thanks!
Kate says
I’m so glad! And I’m glad that a triple batch came out well. Yes, please feel free to share the brand! I’m guessing it’s Smuckers. ;) I love the homemade caramel sauce, but not everyone wants to take the time to make that first. Thank you for commenting!
Jeri Ann Guth says
I would like to try this in a jiffy. Do you think store bought salted caramel sauce would work?
Kate says
I haven’t tried it, but I would guess that it would work. Good luck! =)
Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says
This looks awesome!!! Yum! I bet it would be great on all the cakes ever ever anywhere! Thanks for sharing this at Saturday Night Fever — pretty sure I’ll be making this one soon!
Kate says
Thanks so much, Heather!! =)
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
Oh how I love salted caramel, so this would surely be my favorite frosting ever. Thanks so much for tempting me with this tasty recipe at Saturday Night Fever!
Clarissa says
Literally made this mere minutes ago. Almost cried. Almost died. Seriously thinking about calling off work tomorrow. I can’t wait for my family to wake up and try it tomorrow on my first made from scratch chocolate cake! Ugh, why would I make this while on a diet? Lol perhaps I’ll make this my cheat for the week.
Thank you!
Kate says
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m so glad that you like the frosting!! And congrats on making your first scratch chocolate cake! =)
Lori @ A Bright and Beautiful Life says
I so eager to try this frosting recipe and your salted caramel sauce. I’ve tried other caramel sauce recipes before and they’ve flopped but the two comment above give me hope that this is the one that I’ll be successful with. Would you be willing to share this recipe post and any of your other great ones at our Making Monday link party? We would love it and think our readers will, too. Thanks. Have a great week.
Kate says
Thanks!! =)
Stacy says
Wow! That’s all I can say. Made this last night to top chocolate cupcakes. So so yummy! Perfect, in fact! I have tried making caramel before a few times and it has been a disaster. With your recipes, I nailed it!!! Thank you!
Kate says
It took me multiple tries to find a workable caramel recipe, so I completely get that! I’m so glad that you liked the sauce and the frosting!! Thanks for coming back to let me know!! =)
Danielle @ TheBestDessertRecipes.com says
This frosting looks FANTASTIC. I can’t wait to try it!
Kate says
Thanks!! I hope you enjoy it! =)