Salted Caramel Frosting Recipe
This Salted Caramel Frosting is creamy, luscious and loaded with ribbons of caramel. By using cream cheese and salted butter for the base, it creates the perfect combination of tanginess and richness. It’s the perfect addition to any cake, cupcake, brownie or cookie recipe.
This Salted Caramel Frosting is so delicious that I could eat it on its own with a spoon.
The base of the frosting uses simple and classic ingredients. However, the ribbon of caramel throughout brings it to another level.
All you need to make this recipe are the ingredients, a bowl and electric hand mixer.
Ingredients Notes
While these are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe, you can find the full details and their measurements in the recipe card towards the end of this blog post.
- Salted Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- Powdered Sugar
- Homemade Caramel Sauce or Store-bought Caramel Dip
Know Before You Start
There are a few tips and tricks that are helpful when it comes to make a homemade caramel and frosting.
- When making a homemade caramel sauce, patience is key! You don’t want the caramel to burn while simultaneously making sure it reaches the temperature to properly thicken the caramel.
- Don’t forget the salt! For both the caramel and frosting, I always use salted butter. However, you can also add a pinch of salt to round out the flavor.
- When making the frosting, sift the powdered sugar to ensure there are no clumps when combining with the other ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few common mistakes that can occur when making frosting. One would be not letting the cream cheese or butter soften to room temperature. Two more would be frosting while the cake/cookies are still warm and adding the caramel sauce into the frosting before it has cooled completely.
To ensure you don’t have gritty frosting, sift the powdered sugar prior to adding in with the other ingredients.
This frosting would go amazing on my Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes, Soft Pumpkin Cookies and Espresso Brownies.
Store the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.
Salted Caramel Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz Plain Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract, or Vanilla Bean Paste
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted (if there are a lot of chunks)
- 1/4 cup Caramel Sauce, homemade or store-bought
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese and butter
- Blend using an electric hand mixer until combined
- Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and vanilla
- Blend again until incorporated
- Add another cup of powdered sugar
- Mix until combined
- Add the last cup of powdered sugar
- Blend until combined, scraping the sides as needed and making sure there are no clumps
- Fold in the homemade caramel to create ribbons of caramel throughout the frosting
- Add to your favorite cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and more!