How To Add Caramel To Buttercream For A Simply Decadent Frosting

There are a ton of different types of frosting out there, from Swiss meringue to chocolate ganache. But there's one that reigns supreme: buttercream. While a basic batch is made with whipped butter, sugar, and vanilla extract, there are so many ways to improve your buttercream frosting by adding unique, flavorful ingredients that elevate the cake underneath. And one of the most beginner-friendly ways to elevate this frosting is with caramel sauce.

To make your caramel-infused buttercream, you'll want to start by placing your softened (not melted) butter into a stand mixer and mixing it until it's light and fluffy. If you were working with a standard buttercream recipe, you'd typically add the powdered sugar in once it's well-whipped. The caramel will act as a replacement for the sugar; it will make the mixture both thick and sweet, and save you the agony of painstakingly adding small increments of the sugar in. 

You can either make your own caramel sauce or use a store-bought one for this hack. If you're going the DIY route, you'll want to concoct a "wet caramel," which basically involves cooking water and sugar together until it turns brown and starts emitting a toasty aroma. Then, add in the cream. From there, the mixture should be cooked until about 230 F and cooled completely. You'll want to avoid stirring hot caramel into your softened butter — otherwise, you'll have a melty situation on your hands.

Once your frosting is whipped up, you can spoon it on to your cake of choice. A plain vanilla or classic white cake is a great place to start; the sweetness of the caramel will make this dessert taste like you drizzled a little bit of caramel on top of a conventional buttercream. Another fitting option would be a carrot cake. While nothing will replace the tanginess of a cream cheese frosting amid bits of shredded carrots, plump raisins, and nuts, the caramel will lend itself well to the rustic sponge. You could also get the best of both worlds by trying to add caramel sauce to your cream cheese frosting base, but you may need to add in some powdered sugar for added stability and to curb the tanginess. 

As you can probably assume, caramel-infused buttercream is quite sweet, so you'll want to be very careful with how much you add to the top (or center) of your dessert. You also may want to aim for a cake that's less sweet to avoid overwhelming your palate with too much sugar all at once. Or, consider adding some salty elements, like a sprinkle of flaked sea salt or some crushed pretzels, on top to balance out the flavor.