Delicious Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe

Looking for ways to elevate your everyday buttercream? I think you will love this delicious salted caramel buttercream recipe. It pairs perfectly with chocolate or vanilla cake, but it is also amazing on cookies.

Want more buttercream recipes? Check out my easy lemon buttercream.

Delicious Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe

Rich, creamy, and perfectly sweet with a hint of salt—this tasty caramel buttercream is perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies.

Originally (2012), I made this recipe for a baby shower. The caramel buttercream was swirled on top of mini-cupcakes made from my go-to chocolate cake recipe.

As I sit here in 2025, rewriting the blog post to add clarity, paragraphs, better photos, and proper grammar (looking back at my original blog work is embarrassing…I’ve made growth), I revisit that baby shower, and I realize I was doing trendy mini-desserts before it was a trend. Mini-desserts really are the best.

I want to share with you what I originally wrote about how I came across this buttercream. I had forgotten this story:

A friend of mine is a chef. We were talking the other day about baking, as she has enjoyed more of the pastry side of her job lately. She said, “I have a mean salted caramel recipe, and I don’t say ‘I have a mean…’ about anything.'”

I asked if she would be willing to share, and she was. I made it, and she was right. It is absolutely amazing and was a hit at the shower.

What’s in this Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe?

• Homemade Salted Caramel
• Butter
• Powdered Sugar

That’s it. Don’t be intimidated about making your own caramel. It’s easier than you might think. Once you make the salted caramel, you simply add it to your other two ingredients, whipping until fully combined.

In the recipe card, I provide the instructions for the salted caramel and then explain how to add the other components to turn it into a buttercream. If you want photos of what the caramel looks like as it is cooking, make sure to click on my homemade salted caramel link (just above).

Delicious Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cooling Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Baking

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 4 Tbsp salted butter + 1 /12 sticks butter room temperature (divided)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter room temperature
• 5-6 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

 

• Combine sugar and water and cook on medium-high heat. Stir just until the sugar dissolves. Once sugar dissolves, stop stirring
• Bring to a boil. Let caramel reach a deep amber color with a temperature of 340. I don’t always use a thermometer. I just look for that amber color, but if it gets too hot (past 350), it will turn bitter, so be careful.
• When caramel reaches that nice, dark amber color, remove from heat, carefully whisk in the heavy cream, and swirl in the butter.
• Add sea salt. Return to low heat and continually whisk until smooth.
• Let it cool so that it is cool to the touch. This salted caramel thickens as it cools. If it solidifies too much before using, just reheat until you reach your desired consistency, but you do want it cool before adding to the final two ingredients.
• Once cool but still pourable, add salted caramel to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the room temperature butter and 5 cups of powdered sugar. Whip until fully combined. Add more powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
• Mix on high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through.

Notes

Note: Europe butter and fleur de sel really elevate the flavors but normal butter and sea salt works as well

Keyword buttercream, cake, cupcakes

This recipe has been officially passed along to you, so you can tell friends, “I have a mean salted caramel buttercream recipe,” and pass them along to me.

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