Produced from simply 5 substances, this salted caramel frosting is fudge-like, wealthy, and buttery. It’s every thing you’re keen on concerning the taste of selfmade salted caramel—in frosting kind! Get pleasure from it piped onto apple cupcakes, unfold over banana cake, or sandwiched between two butter pecan cookies. Comply with my step-by-step directions, success ideas, and video tutorial for greatest outcomes.
Creamy and fudge-like, with an irresistible salty-sweet-buttery taste, that is the frosting that each one desserts are begging for. (I’m fairly certain all desserts would style epic underneath a blanket of these things.)
Not the Quickest Frosting, However Definitely the Tastiest
If you wish to do this frosting, be warned that it’s not a simple, fast course of. Now that I’m scaring you away, let me again up and clarify.
There are two foremost steps on this recipe: (1) Cook dinner a brown sugar caramel on the range, after which let it cool for 20 minutes. (2) Beat in sifted confectioners’ sugar and a little bit heavy cream or milk to skinny out.
You need to use the frosting immediately, however will probably be fairly runny—pourable consistency, actually. Or in the event you wait at the least 20–half-hour, the frosting shall be thick sufficient to pipe.
So superb on banana cake.
5 Substances for Salted Caramel Frosting
- Butter: That is the bottom of the frosting, and utilizing actual butter on this recipe (not margarine or plant-based) is essential for each taste and texture.
- Brown Sugar: You need to use mild or darkish brown sugar, or a mixture of each. (I normally do half and half.) Be sure that your brown sugar is contemporary—it ought to really feel mushy and moist, not arduous or clumpy. If utilizing all mild brown sugar, your frosting shall be lighter in coloration than these pictures.
- Heavy Cream/Milk, Divided: Heavy cream works greatest on this recipe, however you should utilize complete milk or half-and-half if that’s what you have got as a substitute. Nothing lighter or the caramel and/or frosting will separate. I have no idea any nondairy alternate options that work efficiently. If you happen to’re making a visit to the shop, I strongly encourage you to make use of heavy cream.
- Salt: Clearly important to make this salted caramel frosting. I like to recommend common desk salt.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Be sure that to sift the confectioners’ sugar or else your frosting may have lumps. I exploit a tremendous mesh sieve and sift it immediately into the marginally cooled salted caramel.
Recipe Testing for Constant Success
At the moment’s recipe has been revealed on my website for a few years now, however I’ve been wanting to transform the directions, as some readers have been reporting problem. It’s extremely essential to me that the recipes I share are simple to comply with AND work efficiently. And this explicit frosting recipe was proving to be a bit… temperamental.
My assistant and I started retesting the unique recipe. Frustratingly, the batches saved yielding completely different outcomes. Then we started altering small variables. One batch was too arduous, one other too grainy. Why?
- First, we examined utilizing chilly butter vs. room temperature butter.
- After which we examined utilizing complete milk as a substitute of cream.
- Then we modified the pan.
- After which it was darkish brown or mild brown sugar.
However it wasn’t the temperature of the butter. And it doesn’t actually matter in the event you use milk or cream (I do choose cream, however the frosting nonetheless works with complete milk). And the pan didn’t make a noticeable distinction, similar with utilizing mild vs. brown sugar. The issue was merely that we have been overcooking it!
Keep away from This!
The next image reveals the over-cooked, grainy caramel combination:
A Sweet Thermometer Guarantees the Finest Outcomes
The recipe used to name for boiling the caramel sauce for 3 minutes, which is definitely too lengthy for my range. (And the above photograph reveals that.) The caramel ought to boil solely till it reaches a temperature of 230°F (110°C), after which must be faraway from the warmth. On my range, it takes slightly below 2 minutes, which is a reasonably large distinction.
A sweet thermometer guarantees extra constant outcomes. Your frosting will not be grainy and your caramel will not be over- or under-cooked.
Left photograph under: The caramel is skinny and easy proper off the range. What a distinction from the photograph above! Proper photograph under: Right here is the caramel after cooling for 20 minutes.
Now sift in your confectioners’ sugar and beat in additional heavy cream/milk:
At this level, you should utilize the skinny frosting, or wait 20–half-hour for it to thicken right into a pipeable consistency. The longer it sits, the thicker it will get:
And ensure NOT to over-mix the frosting after it’s carried out. As a result of it’s going to start to separate:
That was quite a lot of info for you! Right here is every thing damaged down:
6 Success Suggestions for the Finest Salted Caramel Frosting
- Be sure that your stovetop is ready to medium warmth, or barely decrease in case your range runs sizzling.
- Whisk the butter and brown sugar collectively FIRST—and ensure the 2 are actually mixed. You can begin combining the 2 with a rubber spatula, however swap to a whisk (I all the time use a silicone whisk so I don’t scratch my pans) when the butter is sort of all melted, to verify the butter and sugar are actually mixed. In any other case, you may see an oily layer across the edges the place they’re nonetheless a bit separated. As soon as they’re mixed, add the cream and salt.
- Use a sweet thermometer for greatest outcomes. The time it takes to achieve 230°F (110°C) might take kind of than 2 minutes, relying in your explicit range and saucepan.
- Let the ready frosting sit for 20–half-hour to thicken if you wish to pipe it. It’s going to crust a bit because it sits, which is ok—merely give it a stir once you’re prepared to make use of it.
- Don’t over-mix the frosting as a result of it’s going to start to separate. After beating within the sifted confectioners’ sugar and cream, use it immediately or depart it alone to thicken.
- If frosting sits for a pair hours, it turns into too arduous to unfold or pipe. If that occurs, scoop it right into a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water on the range. Warmth and stir till it thins out. (Or use a double boiler.)
Finest Piping Tip to Use
The perfect piping tip for this frosting is a spherical tip akin to Wilton 2A or Wilton #12. If you happen to pipe this salted caramel frosting with star ideas, it is not going to maintain its form as properly, as a result of this frosting is creamy and thinner than buttercream. So I recommend a easy spherical tip.
End your dessert with a drizzle of salted caramel, the sauce model of right now’s recipe. As a result of every thing is best with further salted caramel.
I promise you’ll by no means run out of excuses to make this salted caramel frosting! Strive it on these recipes:
Description
Produced from simply 5 substances, this salted caramel frosting is fudge-like, wealthy, and buttery. A sweet thermometer and sieve are important. Comply with the step-by-step directions, success ideas listed above, and the video tutorial for greatest outcomes.
- Make the caramel: Mix the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium warmth. With a rubber spatula or picket spoon, stir consistently because the butter melts. As soon as butter has melted, swap to a whisk to verify the 2 are actually mixed. (In any other case, you may see an oily layer across the edges the place they’re nonetheless a bit separated; you do not need that.)
- As soon as melted butter and brown sugar are mixed, add 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream and the salt. Whisk to mix, then cease whisking and fix a sweet thermometer to your pan, ensuring the bulb is just not touching the underside of the pan (as you’ll get an inaccurate studying).
- Let the caramel boil, giving it a fast whisk each 30 seconds or so, till the temperature reaches 230°F (110°C). On my range, it takes slightly below 2 minutes.
- Take away the saucepan from warmth, give it one other fast whisk, and let cool for a minute. Fastidiously switch the salted caramel to a heat-proof mixing bowl set on a cooling rack and funky for simply 20 minutes earlier than persevering with. The caramel sauce thickens throughout this time.
- End the frosting: Sift in confectioners’ sugar and add remaining 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat on medium-low pace till the substances are included. Flip mixer as much as excessive pace and beat for 1 minute. If frosting could be very thick, beat in 1 extra Tablespoon of heavy cream. Keep away from over-mixing or the frosting will start to “break” and separate.
- Use it immediately as a skinny glaze or icing, or let it sit and thicken. It’s going to crust a bit because it sits, which is ok—merely give it a stir once you’re prepared to make use of it. If you wish to pipe this frosting, let it sit for at the least 20–half-hour earlier than filling your piping bag, to present it an opportunity to thicken as much as a pipeable consistency.
- Frost cake or cupcakes and garnish with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Sweet Thermometer | Handheld or Stand Mixer | Silicone Whisk | Glass Mixing Bowls | Piping Bag | Wilton 2A or Wilton #12 piping tip
- Amount: This recipe is sufficient to frost 12–16 cupcakes or one 9×13-quarter sheet cake. 1.5x the recipe for extra cupcakes or a double layer cake. (Doubling the recipe can be far an excessive amount of.)
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream works greatest on this recipe, however you should utilize complete milk or half-and-half if that’s what you have got as a substitute. Nothing lighter or the caramel and/or frosting will separate. I have no idea any nondairy alternate options that work efficiently. I strongly encourage you to make use of heavy cream.
- Piping Tip: The perfect piping tip for this frosting is a spherical tip akin to Wilton 2A or Wilton #12. If you happen to pipe this salted caramel frosting with star ideas, it is not going to maintain its form as properly, as a result of the frosting is creamy and thinner than buttercream. So I like to recommend a easy spherical tip.
Key phrases: salted caramel frosting
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