Description
Salted caramel cream cheese cupcakes combine rich flavor profiles with elegant dessert complexity. Sweet-salty notes dance across creamy textures, inviting you to savor each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (120 ml / 4 fl oz) sour cream, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml / 4 fl oz) caramel sauce, store-bought or homemade
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl oz) caramel sauce
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preparation: Calibrate oven to 350F (175C) and position cupcake liners uniformly in a 12-cup muffin tin for consistent heat distribution.
- Dry Mixture: Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, ensuring a smooth, homogeneous dry ingredient base.
- Butter Mixture: Whip butter and sugar until light and fluffy, creating a soft, aerated foundation for the cupcake batter.
- Wet Integration: Gradually fold eggs into the butter mixture, then incorporate vanilla extract and sour cream, mixing until achieving a silky, uniform consistency.
- Batter Composition: Gently swirl caramel sauce through the batter and delicately fold in dry ingredients, maintaining an airy texture.
- Cream Cheese Filling: Whisk cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until achieving a smooth, lump-free cream with a velvety finish.
- Cupcake Assembly: Layer batter into liners, filling one-third deep, then center a generous dollop of cream cheese mixture in each.
- Baking Preparation: Top cream cheese with remaining batter, filling liners three-quarters full to accommodate rising during baking.
- Baking Process: Bake for 18-20 minutes, verifying doneness by inserting a toothpick near the cupcake’s edge and ensuring it comes out clean.
- Cooling Method: Rest cupcakes in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling and stabilization.
- Finishing Touch: Embellish cooled cupcakes with a caramel sauce drizzle and a delicate sprinkle of sea salt flakes for a gourmet flavor profile.
- Storage and Serving: Enjoy immediately or preserve in an airtight container, consuming within 3 days to maintain optimal taste and texture.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Stir dry ingredients minimally to keep cupcakes light and fluffy, avoiding dense and tough texture.
- Temperature Matters: Ensure butter and eggs are at room temperature for smoother batter and more even mixing.
- Cream Cheese Precision: Whip cream cheese filling until completely smooth, using room temperature cream cheese to eliminate lumps.
- Salt Sprinkle Strategy: Add sea salt flakes just before serving to maintain their crisp texture and prevent dissolving into the caramel.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 26g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 70mg