Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
These cupcakes are soft and sweet with a gooey caramel middle. They’re topped with silky buttercream and striped for a bakery look. They’re easier than they look and so good.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Equipment
- Cupcake Pan 12-Cup
- Cupcake Corer or Sharp Knife
- Pastry Bag with Large Round Tip
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 ½ Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ Cup vegetable oil
- ¾ Cup granulated sugar
- ¼ Cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ Cup whole milk
For the Filling
- ½ Cup dulce de leche store-bought is fine
For the Dulce de Leche Buttercream
- 1 Cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 ⅔ Cups powdered sugar
- ⅔ Cup dulce de leche store-bought, plus more for striping the piping bag, optional
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and creamy.
- Mix in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, mixing gently just until combined.
- Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling about ⅔ full.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
Add the Filling
- Core out a small section from the center of each cooled cupcake using a knife or cupcake corer.
- Fill with dulce de leche using a spoon or piping bag with the tip cut.
Prepare the Buttercream
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the ⅔ cup dulce de leche and vanilla, and beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
Frost and Decorate the Cupcakes
- Spread or pipe a line of dulce de leche onto a large piece of plastic wrap.
- Spoon the frosting right alongside the dulce de leche line, then roll up the plastic wrap into a log, twisting the ends to secure it.
- Place the log into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, pulling the twisted end through the tip and snipping it off so the frosting can pipe out.
- Pipe tall swirls onto each cupcake for a beautiful caramel ribbon effect.
Notes
Warm the dulce de leche if needed: If it’s too thick to pipe or stripe, microwave it briefly until soft enough to work with.
Cool cupcakes fully: Don’t add filling or frosting until the cupcakes are completely cool to avoid melting.
Alternate ingredients properly: Switching between dry and wet ingredients keeps the batter light and prevents overmixing.
Use room temperature butter: This helps create a smooth, fluffy frosting that blends easily with the dulce de leche.
Don’t overfill the liners: Fill each only about two-thirds full to avoid overflow and ensure even baking.
Cool cupcakes fully: Don’t add filling or frosting until the cupcakes are completely cool to avoid melting.
Alternate ingredients properly: Switching between dry and wet ingredients keeps the batter light and prevents overmixing.
Use room temperature butter: This helps create a smooth, fluffy frosting that blends easily with the dulce de leche.
Don’t overfill the liners: Fill each only about two-thirds full to avoid overflow and ensure even baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
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