These double chocolate caramel filled cupcakes may be some of the best things I have ever made. If you’re a chocolate and caramel lover, this is going to be your FAVORITE dessert. They have a chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, and not only do they have a caramel drizzle on top but they are FILLED with homemade caramel sauce.

Chocolate caramel filled cupcakes

Adapted from my Death by Chocolate Cupcakes recipe, there are three main components of these chocolate caramel cupcakes.

  1. The cake: it took a couple of tries to get this baby right. I wanted the cake texture to be perfectly soft and moist, while also holding its structure as a tall and thick cupcake. It does just that.
  2. The chocolate buttercream: this chocolate buttercream is the BEST chocolate buttercream on earth. I can eat the buttercream alone with a spoon. The buttercream perfectly complements these chocolate cupcakes.
  3. The homemade caramel sauce: let’s just say I would drink this caramel sauce from a mug if I could. The cupcakes are filled with caramel AND the caramel gets drizzled on top over the buttercream.

Ingredients

If you need to run to the grocery store, here is your shopping list:

  • Ingredients from my Homemade Caramel recipe
  • All purpose flour
  • Cocoa powder
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Unsalted butter
  • Vegetable oil
  • Granulated sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla extract
  • Instant coffee (optional)
  • Whole milk
  • Yogurt
  • Powdered sugar

Steps

  1. Prepare the caramel sauce and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the instant coffee granules and water. Set aside.
  3. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. Beat together the butter and oil until completely combined. Stream in the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Add the vanilla extract and coffee mixture and beat until combined.
  6. Next, add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Add half of the milk and half of the yogurt and mix until just combined. Repeat this with the other halves of dry ingredients, milk and yogurt.
  7. Fill the cupcake tin with the batter.
  8. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  9. While the cake is baking/cooling, make the buttercream. Beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and milk and beat until combined.
  10. Once the cake is cool, fill them with the caramel sauce. Frost with the buttercream and drizzle more caramel. Enjoy!

How to fill a cupcake

There are a few ways to fill a cupcake, but I like to use the piping tip method!

  1. Once the cake is completely cool, poke the bottom of a piping tip (the opposite end of where the frosting would come out if you were piping) into the top of the cupcake and twist.
  2. Gently pull out the piping tip – you should have a perfect little hole where the filling goes. Make sure to save the little bit of cupcake you pulled out!
  3. Fill the hole you created with the caramel filling, then place the bit of cupcake you pulled out over the filling – it should fit perfectly.
  4. Frost & enjoy!

If you do not have a piping tip, you can carefully cut a hole with a sharp knife then use the same instructions as above!

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Yield: 12 cupcakes

Double Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Author: Jess Italiano
These double chocolate caramel cupcakes may be some of the best things I have ever made. If you're a chocolate and caramel lover, this is going to be your FAVORITE dessert. They have a chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, and not only do they have a caramel drizzle on top but they are FILLED with homemade caramel sauce.
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Ingredients
 

Cake

  • 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee + 1/2 tablespoon water, optional but recommended. The coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor.
  • 1 1/4 cups (157 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) whole milk, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) yogurt, room temperature, greek or regular works!

Chocolate Buttercream

  • 1 1/2 cups (339 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 5 cups (600 grams) powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup (60 grams) cocoa powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3-6 tablespoons milk/heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the caramel through step 6 of the linked caramel recipe.

Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Ceslius) and line a cupcake tin with liners.
  • If you are using the instant coffee: in a small bowl, mix together the instant coffee granules and water until the granules are dissolved. Set aside.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a medium-sized bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and oil together until combined and completely homogeneous – this will only happen if the butter is completely at room temperature. About 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.
  • With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the granulated sugar, then turn it up to medium-high speed and beat until light and fluffy. About 1 minute, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
  • Then, with the mixer on low, add the eggs in, one at a time, scraping down the sides and mixing well in between each addition. Add the vanilla extract and coffee mixture (if using) and mix on low until combined.
  • Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Add half of the milk and half of the yogurt and mix on low until just combined. Repeat this with the remaining halves of dry ingredients, milk and yogurt. Do not overmix!
  • Fill the cupcake liners with batter so they are about 1/2-3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream

  • While the cake is baking and cooling, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a medium-sized bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter by itself until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and milk/heavy cream and mix on low speed for 30 seconds and then on high speed until completely combined.
  • You may need to add more powdered sugar (to thicken) or more milk (to thin) depending on the desired consistency.

Assembling the Cupcakes

  • Once the cupcakes are completely cool, we fill them with the caramel. Using the bottom of a piping tip (the opposite end of where the frosting would come out if you were piping) into the top of the cupcake and twist.
  • Gently pull out the piping tip – you should have a perfect little hole where the filling goes. Make sure to save the little bit of cupcake you pulled out!
  • Fill the hole you created with the caramel filling, then place the bit of cupcake you pulled out over the filling – it should fit perfectly.
  • If you do not have a piping tip, you can carefully cut a hole in the top of the cupcake with a sharp knife then follow the same instructions as above!
  • Once the cupcakes are filled, frost with the chocolate buttercream. Drizzle a little more caramel on top of the buttercream. Top with flaky sea salt if desired. Enjoy!
  • Store in an airtight container.
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