Need a frosting that’s rich and creamy with the perfect balance of sweet and salty? This salted caramel frosting is the perfect indulgence and easy to make at home.
Why salted caramel? Salt enhances flavors and is an important ingredient in balancing out flavors. You may have noticed that all dessert recipes have some small amount of salt to balance the sugar. Caramel is no exception.
A plain caramel can be overpowering when combined with an already sweetened cake, cookie or classic brownie. That’s why a salted caramel frosting is a great option. Enjoy it as a filling and frosting on chocolate cake or my sweet potato layer cake.
Ingredients for Making Salted Caramel Frosting:
Salted caramel frosting is made easy. by combining a basic buttercream frosting with a home made or store bought salted caramel sauce.
For the salted caramel sauce: Granulated sugar, unsalted butter, heavy cream, flaky sea salt.
For the buttercream base: unsalted butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, vanilla extract, milk (not shown).
How to Make Salted Caramel Frosting:
The first step in making this frosting is to make the salted caramel sauce. (Unless you are using a store bought sauce)
Add the sugar and water to the pan and wait for it to change color and caramelize.
This is the trickiest part of the recipe. The one thing you absolutely have to be careful of is overcooking your caramel. If it is overcooked it will have a burnt and bitter taste.
The best way to avoid burnt caramel is to have everything prepared by your side and always error on the side of undercooking. Sugar continues to cook in the pan even when you remove it from the heat so if you have any doubts, remove it from the heat earlier rather than later. To read more details about the process, check out my post on making homemade salted caramel sauce.
Once it is cooked, add the butter and cream immediately and stir it until smooth. Let this sauce cool completely to room temperature.
In the meantime, you can whip up your buttercream. Beat the room temperature butter until smooth, add in the salt and vanilla, and gradually add the confectioner’s sugar. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl!
Add the milk one teaspoon at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency. The amount of milk you use can vary. If it gets too loose, just add more sugar.
Once your buttercream is ready, mix in the caramel sauce. You will not use all the sauce from the recipe, so you will have leftover sauce. You can use this leftover sauce to decorate the buttercream with a little drizzle as shown in my pictures.
Storing the Frosting:
Wrap the frosting in saran wrap and then place it in a container for storage. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for one month.
When you are ready to use from the refrigerator, beat it again to get it back to its creamy consistency but don't over mix! A quick 10 seconds is all it takes and it does not have to be room temperature. If you freeze it, let it thaw in the refrigerator first before beating it again.
Salted caramel frosting is simple to make. The trickiest part is making sure the caramel does not burn as you are cooking it. If you are afraid of making your own salted caramel sauce, you can still use this recipe and substitute your favorite store bought caramel sauce. Just check the recipe card for details.
Salted Caramel Frosting
Need a frosting that’s rich and creamy with the perfect balance of sweet and salty? This salted caramel frosting is the perfect indulgence and easy to make at home.
Ingredients
For the salted caramel sauce:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ Tablespoon flaky sea salt
For the buttercream base:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a medium sized sauce pan. Make sure the sugar is evenly covering the bottom of the pan. Add ¼ cup of water and make sure all the sugar is wet.
- Heat the sugar-water over medium high heat. As it heats, dip your pastry brush in the cup of water and brush around the sides of the pot above where the sugar-water is melting. Only do this to keep the sides clean. This is to wipe down any stray sugar molecules that have found their way to the side of the pot.
- Swirl the pan occasionally only if you need to as the sugar cooks and caramelizes. It is done when it’s a medium amber color. It will turn from a clear color to a deep amber color quickly. Do not let it get too dark!
- Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the butter all at once and whisk until melted. The mixture may bubble up when the butter is added.
- Slowly pour the cream into the caramel, being careful while the mixture bubbles up.
- Whisk the cream until the sauce is smooth. Add the salt and mix well.
- Transfer the sauce to a glass jar and let it cool before using or capping and storing in the refrigerator.
For the salted caramel sauce:
For the buttercream:
- Using an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter for a few minutes with the paddle attachment until the butter is smooth, creamy and lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Turn the mixer speed to low speed and gradually add the sugar about a ½ cup at a time. Once the sugar is mixed in, stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Add the vanilla, salt, and 2 Tablespoons of milk. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Adjust the consistency of your buttercream by either adding milk a tablespoon at a time for a thinner frosting or by adding more powdered sugar a ¼ cup at a time for a thicker frosting. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add ½ cup of cooled salted caramel sauce to the butter cream and beat until incorporated.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag or storage container.
Notes
To prevent your caramel from overcooking, prepare by measuring out all of your ingredients first and having them by your side, along with a whisk and an optional pastry brush and small cup of water. For extra tips on successfully making caramel see the full post on how to make salted caramel sauce.
You can use ½ cup store bought caramel sauce instead of making your own. Just stir in the sea salt for salted caramel.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: ⅙ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 317mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 0gSugar: 44gProtein: 1g
This nutrition information is only an approximate provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. Information comes from Nutritionix, an automated nutrition calculator.
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