Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

You can’t beat these easy Dulce de Leche Cupcakes! Homemade vanilla cupcakes filled with delicious dulce de leche and generously topped with a luscious dulce de leche buttercream.

So excited to share these cupcakes! Made with a fluffy but tender vanilla cake batter, then cored and filled with a spoonful of dulce de leche. The perfect topping to these cupcakes is, of course this creamy, addicting dulce de leche buttercream!

This is the first recipe I’ve created with dulce de leche, but it’s definitely not my last. I’m already thinking of cake recipes that I can use with this buttercream!

This isn’t my first recipe for stuffed cupcakes. If you love fruit filled desserts, you need to try these Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes. cupcake recipe, For a more decadent filled cupcake, definitely try these Nutella Stuffed Cupcakes! Dulce de Leche has a slight caramel/butterscotch taste to it. If you love butterscotch, check out my Butterscotch Cream Cheese Cupcakes!

WHAT IS DULCE DE LECHE?

Dulce de leche is a sweet, gooey Latin American confection. It’s made from slowly heated sweetened condensed milk.

WHAT IS THE FLAVOR?

It is sweet and thick like caramel. Even though it has a similar color and texture as caramel, it definitely has its own unique taste.

WHERE CAN I BUY DULCE DE LECHE?

You should be able to buy it in the grocery store. I have seen it both in the baking aisle and the international foods aisle.

You can also make your own dulce de leche. Epicurious’ Homemade Dulce de Leche recipe includes two methods for making it.

THESE CUPCAKES HAVE THREE PARTS:

• EASY VANILLA CUPCAKES: I reduced the sugar in the batter so that the dulce de leche filling and buttercream wasn’t too sweet. This cupcake batter is similar to the one from my Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes.
• DULCE DE LECHE FILLING: The filling is optional but very highly recommended! I like to add 1-2 teaspoons of dulce de leche in each baked and cooled cupcake.
• DULCE DE LECHE BUTTERCREAM: It’s creamy and rich and flavored with dulce de leche!

HOW TO MAKE THESE CUPCAKES

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and place paper liners in your muffin tin.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix for 2 more minutes. Add the vanilla.
4. Add the eggs one at a time.
5. Alternatively add the dry ingredients mixture and milk.
6. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.
8. Cool for about ten minutes in the muffin tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.
9. Once cupcakes are cooled, core them. Set cupcakes aside to make the buttercream. 

TIPS FOR MAKING BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

• Use Room Temperature Butter: I leave my butter out overnight in the wintertime. The amount of time you leave it out depend on the temperature of your kitchen. To be on the safe side, allow butter to sit out for at least 1-2 hours before using it.
• Add More Powdered Sugar: If you find your buttercream is too thin, gradually add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
• Add More Heavy Cream or Milk: If you find your buttercream is too thick, very gradually add more heavy cream or milk. By gradually, I mean a little splash (around a teaspoon) at a time. Definitely don’t add a whole tablespoon at a time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You won’t believe how easy or delicious these Dulce De Leche Cupcakes are. Whether you’ve tried dulce de leche before or not, you will love them!

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Natalie

Everyone will love this easy recipe Dulce de Leche Stuffed Cupcakes with dulce de leche buttercream frosting! Made with an easy vanilla cake batter and stuffed with store bought dulce de leche. Topped off with delicious buttercream frosting! 

5 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Cupcakes

Cuisine American

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 345 kcal

Ingredients

  

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FOR THE VANILLA CUPCAKES

• ▢ 1 ½ cups flour
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ ½ cup milk

FOR THE FILLING (OPTIONAL)

• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons Dulce de Leche per cupcake

FOR THE DULCE DE LECHE BUTTERCREAM

• ▢ 10 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 1 ¾ - 2 cups powdered sugar sifted to break up lumps
• ▢ ½ to 1 ½ tablespoons milk or heavy cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ ¾ cup dulce de leche
• ▢ 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

 

FOR THE VANILLA CUPCAKES

• Preheat oven to 350°F and place paper liners in muffin tin or grease and flour muffin tins.
• In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Cream the butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after the addition of each egg.
• Alternatively add the dry ingredient mixture and milk to the sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition and be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake. Cool for about ten minutes in the muffin tins and then remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Once cupcakes are cooled, core them (save the tops for bite sized snacks). Set cupcakes aside to make the buttercream. 

FOR THE DULCE DE LECHE BUTTERCREAM

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, cream the butter for one minute. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on medium for 3-4 minutes, until creamy. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the heavy cream or milk. Slowly beat in the dulce de leche a little bit at a time. Beat in the vanilla followed by the salt. 
• If buttercream is too thin, add more powdered sugar, if it is too thick, add more milk or heavy cream until it is the consistency you desire. To firm buttercream up a bit more before piping, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes. Pipe the frosting on top using a wide star tip or scoop it on using an ice cream scoop! 

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 590IUCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg

Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.

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