This Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting is the best cream cheese frosting with sweet salted caramel flavour! This frosting is the perfect compliment for most flavours of cakes, cupcakes and many more desserts!
Every frosting recipe I’ve shared so far has been a buttercream recipe. This time I’ve decided to share a cream cheese frosting recipe. As great as buttercream is, I definitely prefer cream cheese frosting more. The cream cheese in the frosting adds so much flavour and adds a slight tanginess to any dessert you pair it with!
Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
This Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting first made an appearance in my Banana Caramel Cupcakes recipe. That recipe got super popular and a lot of people that tried it said that the caramel cream cheese frosting is their favourite part!
Since I have quite a few future recipes featuring this incredible frosting, I’ve decided to create a stand alone post to discuss its greatness.
Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
I love, love, LOVE Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce. I’m a huge fan of the sweet and salty combination so salted caramel desserts are always a win in my book. I have a ton of salted caramel desserts on this blog, and every last one of them requires you to make a batch of my Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce.
Some caramel frosting recipes get their caramel flavour from melted caramel candies, store-bought caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping. In my opinion, the best way to get a bold caramel flavour is by making the caramel sauce from scratch.
A lot of people are intimidated when it comes to making homemade caramel sauce — but I swear to you it is super easy. Only 4-5 ingredients (vanilla is optional) are required and it comes together in 10 minutes or less!
My homemade caramel sauce recipe makes about 1 cup of caramel sauce, but we’re only using ¼ cup in this recipe. You can use the remaining caramel sauce to fill these Banana Cupcakes or Chocolate Cupcakes. Or swirl it in this ice cream or in this banana bread, make this milkshake — you get the point.
How to Make Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting is a bit different than other cream cheese frostings. We start by beating together butter, shortening and cream cheese. Cream cheese frostings are usually pretty soft and not very pipeable, but I wanted to pipe this frosting with something other than a round tip. The shortening is one of the things that makes this frosting perfectly pipeable. Once piped, the frosting will form a crust which will prevent it from melting off.
Next we’re gonna add the powdered sugar. I used 5 cups of powdered sugar to help stabilize the frosting, but you could use less if you don’t want it to be too sweet. I added half of the sugar, then the caramel sauce, then the rest of the powdered sugar.
For the salted caramel sauce, I recommend making it a day before so it has time to cool down and thicken up. If the frosting is warm, it’ll mess up the frostings consistency when added, causing it to separate. And when caramel sauce is warm, it’s thinner and liquidy which will make the frosting soupy.
Creamy and super dreamy — this Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting is too good to be true! The slight tanginess of the cream cheese pairs perfectly with the sweet and saltiness of the caramel sauce.
This frosting would go great with:
Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
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Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
This Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting is the best cream cheese frosting with sweet salted caramel flavour! This frosting is the perfect compliment for most flavours of cakes, cupcakes and many more desserts!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Salted Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup hi-ratio shortening (can use solid vegetable shortening)
- 1 (8 oz) package full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract (see notes)
Instructions
- Prepare one recipe of my Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce and allow it to chill completely in the refrigerator overnight before using.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter, shortening and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add 2 and ½ cups of powdered sugar, then mix on low until combined.
- Add caramel sauce and vanilla and beat until completely smooth and combined.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and beat on low until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat for about 1 minute until smooth. Use to top cakes, cupcakes and more!
Notes
- If you added vanilla to the caramel sauce, omit it from the frosting.
BON APPÉTIT!
Love, Dedra
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Andrea Puck
What is the reason for the solid vegetable shortening? I hate the taste of the stuff (it gives me a slimy mouth feel). What would I be giving up by substituting butter for the shortening?
Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
you can use all butter if you want, the shortening just helps prevent the frosting from melting in warm conditions
sarah
We don't have hi-ratio or vegetage shortening in the UK, what would be the best substitute?
Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
regular vegetable shortening will work just fine, I don't use hi-ratio shortening all the time and it worked great.
Tamra
What can I use in place of shortening? I don't use any kind of vegetable oils....
Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
Replace with an equal amount of butter
Kelsey
The caramel is hard. Do I reheat it before mixing it in?
Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
yes, reheat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, then let it cool for a few minutes before adding to the frosting.
Elaine
Once you frost the cupcakes after this frosting is made, do they need to be refrigerated?
Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
they can sit covered at room temperature for a day, after that, refrigerate.
Rach
YOU are amazing! I have been looking for this exact caramel recipe everywhere!! You would think it might be easy to find but it’s not! I made it tonight and FINALLY it’s perfection! I did use your entire recipe for the the pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel ‘heaven’ as I’ll refer to it now and they came out amazing!!! Thank you!!!
Dedra | QueensleeAppetit
You’re too kind, thank you very much! I’m happy you enjoyed them!