Easy Homemade Caramel Buttercream Frosting (Recipe)

Recipes

Jul 11

Caramel buttercream frosting is a velvety, luxurious upgrade to the classic buttercream frosting. It’s just what your next cake needs to quickly become your all-time favorite cake! The frosting comes together quickly using homemade caramel sauce and simple Italian Buttercream. We’re going to break-down how to make this luxurious caramel buttercream below, starting with making your own homemade caramel sauce.

If you need to grab the right tools to ensure you make the best caramel buttercream frosting , you can check out all of Erin’s favorites here! Let’s get into it!

Caramel Sauce Ingredients:

387g Granulated Sugar

200g Butter

170g Heavy Cream

10g Vanilla Extract

10g Salt

Instructions:

Weigh and Heat Cream Mixture: Scale butter on its own, and set aside. Scale and warm heavy cream, vanilla, and salt together.
Heat Sugar: Gradually add sugar to a separate, large saucepan, on low heat. Cook to a golden brown. Do not burn!
Combine Sugar and Cream Mixture: Remove the sugar from the heat. Slowly add the warm cream mixture and whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined. Move back to heat.
Add the Butter and Cook: Slowly add cubed butter, while continuously whisking until fully combined. Cook to a temp of 235-237 F on low to medium heat. Using a candy thermometer is the best way to ensure you hit the perfect temp for your caramel sauce!
Cool and Store: Pour the caramel sauce into a large metal cake pan to cool in the fridge. Place plastic wrap over the top so it doesn't form a skin. Once cooled, transfer the caramel sauce to an airtight container, like a Cambro, until you’re ready to use it.

Once the caramel sauce is made and cooled you’re ready to move on to making the Italian Buttercream. It’s different from the American buttercream that you’d usually think of because it uses granulated sugar instead of the traditional powdered sugar. The result is a buttercream that’s slightly less sweet, making it the perfect base for adding the sweet caramel sauce to!

Italian Buttercream Ingredients

620g Granulated Sugar

158g Water

300g Egg Whites

908g Butter (at room temperature)

20g Vanilla Extract

2g Salt

Instructions

Whip the Egg White Mixture: Scale the egg whites, vanilla & salt and then add into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (don’t use the paddle attachment, trust us!) Whisk, on low speed, about a 2, until sugar water in step 2 reaches its desired temp.
Heat Sugar Water Mixture: While the egg whites are being whipped, scale water FIRST into a saucepan, then add the sugar. Place the saucepan on a burner and bring the mixture to a temperature of 240F, using a candy thermometer for this step can be helpful.
Combine the Mixtures: Once sugar water comes to temp, turn the mixer OFF, then switch to medium speed, about a 3. Pour the heated sugar water into the whipped egg whites at a fast but gradual speed. The goal is to deflate the whites slowly for a bubble free buttercream.
Add the Butter: Continue to mix on speed 3 for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add in the room temperature butter a little bit at a time. After all of the butter is added, continue mixing on speed 3 until combined. Lower the speed to a 2 and mix for one more minute to ensure it’s completely incorporated. At this point your buttercream is done and can be transferred to an airtight container for storage.

Now for the best part, combining the buttercream with the caramel sauce to create an absolutely delicious caramel buttercream frosting that is perfect for swirling on top of chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party, filling and frosting a vanilla wedding cake, or just tasting it straight from the bowl, you do you! Here’s how to combine the buttercream and sauce to create a luxurious, not too sweet, caramel buttercream frosting!

Warm the caramel sauce gently making sure it’s only just melted and that it’s not too hot when you add it into the buttercream. Start out by adding a small amount, start with about 100g of the caramel sauce, to 1000g of Italian buttercream, use either a stand or hand mixer and whip to combine. Add more caramel sauce as needed to get your desired flavor. Don’t be afraid to add a pinch of salt if you need to balance the sweetness slightly!

Why We Love this Caramel Buttercream Frosting

It’s indulgent while not being overly sweet: Our Italian Buttercream helps keep this frosting from being overly sweet. The silky homemade caramel sauce is the real star of the show, adding a layer of flavor that makes it next level.
It’s easy to make: The two components, the caramel sauce and the buttercream, can be made ahead of time and then combined when you’re ready to .
Super stable: If you’re going to pipe the frosting (or otherwise decorate with it), you want to be sure it’s stable enough to stay looking amazing. This buttercream recipe is tried and true, so you know it’s going to look just as stunning on day 3 as it did on day 1.
Versatile: This frosting pairs well with just about any dessert you can think of! A chocolate layer cake? Yep! Vanilla Cupcakes? Definitely! It’s even amazing on top of brownies or swirled onto sugar cookies!

FAQs

Absolutely! Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. Make sure to bring it back to room temp and re-whip at medium-high speed, before using—because no one wants a stiff frosting.
In the fridge: For best results, store in an airtight container for up to a week.
In the freezer: Up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Just let it thaw overnight and re-whip before using.
Technically yes, but our caramel recipe is so easy why would you need to? Making your own homemade caramel sauce brings all the flavor, richness, and drama that makes this frosting unforgettable. Trust—your taste buds will thank you.
It’s sweet, but balanced. Thanks to the Italian meringue base, it’s silky and smooth—not overly sweet like American buttercream, this is mostly thanks to using granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar . Think rich, creamy elegance with a caramelized kick.
Honestly, where doesn’t this frosting belong? It’s a showstopper on chocolate cake, spiced cakes, vanilla cupcakes, and even sandwiched between cookies or macarons. Basically, if it’s baked—it can handle this frosting on top.

This caramel buttercream frosting recipe is the kind of thing that takes a good dessert, and makes it into a total showstopper. It’s rich, luxurious, and just the right amount of sweet—so go ahead, whip up a batch, and make your next cake your favorite cake!

Too nervous to tackle buttercream on your own? Shop our Cake Shop or reach out to us to inquire about custom cakes or wedding cakes.

Want to learn from the pros? Take a cake class with us! We offer online classes or in-person classes at our Chicago bakeshop.

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Hey, I’m Erin

I’m wildly in love with my friends and family, super into the Chicago restaurant and comedy scene, and obsessed with exploring the cake and pastry world.

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