This sweet and salty salted caramel buttercream frosting pairs rich and buttery salted caramel sauce with silky smooth buttercream frosting for the best caramel frosting!
Where do I even begin? If the thought of salted caramel has you drooling, then this easy caramel frosting recipe is for you!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It takes just 10 minutes to whip up a batch of this light and fluffy, sweet and salty, rich and buttery salted caramel buttercream.
This recipe is made by simply blending salted caramel sauce into a batch of American buttercream frosting. This easy homemade salted caramel sauce works perfectly, but store-bought caramel sauce will do the trick, too.
This frosting pairs so perfectly with my moist spice cake, but it's also delicious with fluffy vanilla cake and fudgy chocolate cake. It's excellent for filling sandwich cookies or macarons, too!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
Butter - Use unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt in the frosting and be sure that the butter is a cool room temperature before you begin so that it blends easily with the other ingredients.
Confectioners' Sugar - Confectioners' sugar provides the sweetness for the frosting, and it's fine texture allows it to dissolve more easily into the butter. Do not substitute granulated sugar, which will create a gritty frosting.
Whole Milk - A tiny bit of milk adds a final bit of creaminess to the frosting. I recommend whole milk (or even heavy cream), since the higher fat content will produce the best creaminess.
Salted Caramel Sauce - I used my favorite, easy homemade caramel sauce blended into classic, all-butter American buttercream frosting. If you use regular (not salted) caramel sauce, add ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt to the frosting when adding the vanilla. If you use store-bought caramel sauce, use a good quality sauce that's not overly sweet.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer, for mixing the frosting.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Beat butter, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add sugar slowly - one cup at a time - beating well and scraping the bowl often. Add milk and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add caramel sauce and beat until well blended and fluffy.
Allison's Top Tips
For perfectly smooth frosting, be sure to use butter that's a cool room temperature and sift the sugar to remove any lumps.
The caramel sauce should be room temperature. Don't heat the sauce or it will melt the frosting in the butter.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Store frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If you plan to refrigerate the frosting before using to decorate a dessert, let the frosting come to room temperature and briefly re-whip it with a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer so that it's soft and fluffy before using.
Room Temperature: Cakes or other desserts that have been decorated with salted caramel buttercream frosting can be stored on a covered cake plate or stand at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Recipe
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Special Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (341 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) vanilla extract
- 6 cups (681 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3 Tablespoons (43 grams) whole milk
- ½ cup (148 grams) salted caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought), room temperature
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until blended.
- Add sugar slowly - one cup at a time - beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. When all sugar is added the frosting will be slightly dry.
- Add milk and beat on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Add caramel sauce and beat on medium-high speed until well blended and fluffy.
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