These Vegan Caramel Cupcakes are filled with caramel sauce, topped with caramel buttercream. They are simply amazing!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, vegan
Keyword caramel, cupcakes
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 12cupcakes
Calories 390kcal
Author Camila Hurst
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar use coconutorganic brown, or organic granulated
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot brewed coffee or hot water
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup avocado oil or another neutral vegetable oil of your preference
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegan Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons coconut oil*
1/3 cup coconut cream
Vegan Caramel Buttercream
1/2cupvegan butteror shortening, or a combo of both
2cupspowdered sugar
1/4cupvegan caramel saucerecipe above*
1/2teaspoonvanilla
1-3teaspoonsnon-dairy milkif needed
Instructions
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, or grease it well.
Mix flour, cocoa powder, sugar, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Sift mixture and set aside.
Mix hot coffee (or water), apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, and vanilla in a measuring cup.
Pour over dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk to incorporate.
Distribute batter evenly between the 12 cupcake tins.
Bake for 12-16 minutes, rotating the pan in between.
Vegan Caramel Sauce
Place sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Stir sugar constantly until it melts.
Make sure to stir non-stop, so the sugar has a chance to melt evenly.
When you see the very last beat of sugar melting, quickly remove pan from the heat and immediately pour coconut oil and coconut cream in the pan.
Be very careful doing this step, because the mixture will splatter all over the place, and it will be HOT!
Stay safe and try to use a larger pan, and a long spoon to stir, so you don’t get burned.
Some of the sugar will crystalize once you add the coconut oil and coconut cream in.
Return mixture to the heat, keep stirring and cooking mixture for 1-2 minutes.
Never stop stirring. Stir and cook over medium-low heat until all the sugar has re-melted and mixture is thick and smooth.
If you would like to make salted caramel, add 1/2 teaspoon, or more to taste, at this point.
Remove to a heat-proof bowl.
Let it cool completely before using.
Caramel Storage
Caramel will store in the fridge for 15-20 days.
Simply re-heat it gently before using.
Some of the caramel will be used to fill the cupcakes and 1/4 cup of it will be used in the buttercream frosting.
Vegan Caramel Buttercream
Place vegan butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Cream butter at medium-high speed for 1 minute.
Add sifted powdered sugar. Cream to combine for another minute.
Add cooled down, room temperature caramel sauce. Again, cream at medium speed to combine. The caramel sauce needs to be at exactly room temperature for this.
If mixture seems too stiff, add a bit of non-dairy milk or water. And by a bit I mean 1 teaspoon at a time, always mixing in between before adding any more.
Add vanilla.
If buttercream seems too runny, add more sifted powdered sugar.
If it seems too stiff, add more milk or water to make it smooth, one teaspoon at a time.
To assemble
After cupcakes have cooled down, remove the center of each cupcake with a spoon.
Spoon some caramel sauce in the middle of each cupcake. Top with the piece of cupcake you removed. Make sure the caramel is at room temperature when you fill your cupcakes. It can’t be warm, and if it’s cold you won’t be able to fill the cupcakes.
Place the caramel buttercream in a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice. Pipe it over the cupcakes.
Notes
*The Caramel sauce needs to be at room temperature to be added to the buttercream frosting. If the caramel is even slightly warm, it will melt the butter. And if the caramel is cold, you won’t be able to incorporate it to the butter, and your buttercream will be lumpy and messy. The caramel needs to be exactly at room temperature.**This Caramel Sauce won't taste like coconut, I promise you, especially if you use refined coconut oil.