The Best Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Sweet, creamy, and delicious, our The Best Caramel Buttercream Frosting tastes great on nearly every type of cake, cupcake, or cookie.
Caramel is good in candy. Caramel is good on popcorn. Caramel is good on ice cream. Caramel is especially good on cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. Sweet, buttery caramel in a creamy buttercream frosting – this truly is The Best Caramel Frosting we’ve ever tasted. If you are looking for a rich. buttery and easy-to-make homemade buttercream frosting … you’ve come to the right place.
How to Make
Step 1: The base of this Caramel Frosting is a homemade caramel sauce. In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk.
Step 2: Cook and stir over low heat. This is an important part of the process. If you rush through this step, your caramel sauce might turn out grainy, which means your frosting will be grainy. You don’t need to stir constantly, but you do need to stir often. Once all the butter is completely melted, set a timer and stir continuously for at least 1 minute.
Step 3: Increase the heat to medium. Do not stir.
Step 4: Cook for 3-6 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, cook the sauce until it reaches 230 degrees. If not, cook until bubbles form across the entire surface of the sauce and the mixture turns the color of amber. For us, that is usually around 3 minutes. The length of cooking time depends on how big or small your pan is. If you are using a small pan, the mixture might take up to 6 minutes to reach this state. In a bigger pan, it might only be around 3 – 3 1/2 minutes.
Steps 5-6: Remove the caramel mixture from the heat and transfer it to a bowl or a glass measuring cup. It will be very hot so you want to make sure the container is heat-resistant. Cool to sauce room temperature. The Caramel Sauce will thicken as it cools and it might be a little grainy. This is fine.
Step 7: Once the caramel mixture has cooled, add it to a mixing bowl with the powdered sugar.
Step 8: Gradually mix the caramel sauce with the powdered sugar until the frosting is combined and is the desired consistency. Add milk, a teaspoon at a time, if the frosting is too thick.
How to Serve
How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Homemade Caramel Icing to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake, or to be a filling layer on an 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 10-12 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag as we have done here, you should be able to frost 8-9 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl. If you want to frost an entire 8″ cake, you will need to make a double batch of this frosting.
Expert Tips and FAQ’s
Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Yes. Because it is a thin frosting it will hold up best in the refrigerator. We store the baked goods frosted with this Salted Caramel Frosting in the refrigerator but then remove them from the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them so the frosting comes back up to room temperature (which is how it tastes best.)
Add another teaspoon of milk and mix again. Continue to add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it
Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.
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The Best Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Sweet, creamy and delicious, our The Best Caramel Buttercream Frosting tastes great on nearly every type of cake, cupcake or cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup Butter, cubed (We use Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- The base of this Caramel Frosting is a homemade caramel sauce. In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and milk.
- Cook and stir over low heat. This is an important part of the process. If you rush through this step, your caramel sauce might turn out grainy, which means your frosting will be grainy. You don't need to stir constantly, but you do need to stir often. Once all the butter is completely melted, set a timer and stir continuously for at least 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to medium. Do not stir.
- Cook for 3-6 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, cook the sauce until it reaches 230 degrees. If not, cook until bubbles form across the entire surface of the sauce and the mixture turns the color of amber. For us, that is usually around 3 minutes. The length of cooking time depends on how big or small your pan is. If you are using a small pan, the mixture might take up to 6 minutes to reach this state. In a bigger pan, it might only be around 3 - 3 1/2 minutes.
- Remove the caramel mixture from the heat and transfer it to a bowl or a glass measuring cup. It will be very hot so you want to make sure the container is heat-resistant. Cool to sauce room temperature. The Caramel Sauce will thicken as it cools and it might be a little grainy. This is fine.
- Once the caramel mixture has cooled, add it to a mixing bowl with the powdered sugar.
- Gradually mix the caramel sauce with the powdered sugar until the frosting is combined and is the desired consistency.
- Add milk, a teaspoon at a time, if the frosting is too thick.
Notes
How Much Frosting Will You Need?
That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough The Best Caramel Buttercream Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake, or to be a filling layer on an 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 10-12 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag as we have done here, you should be able to frost 8-9 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl. If you want to frost an entire 8" cake, you will need to make a double batch of this frosting.
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
Can light brown sugar be used?
Sure, either Light or Dark Brown Sugar will work.
Thank you, not just for the recipe but for the technique. It’s such a yummy frosting. When I turned up the heat to medium it began to bubble in the center immediately and it looked amber already because of the dark sugar, but I knew that couldn’t be right. So I cooked until my candy thermometer read 230-degrees. Outstanding!!
This was absolutely delicious. I used salted butter and it gave such a lovely flavour.
Used this to frost a chocolate fudge cake. So good.
I must agree this IS the best caramel buttercream frosting EVER! I might make it nxt time my husband wants caramel on his ice cream…just omit the powder sugar & it will be amazing! My ho-hum white cake went to spectacular once it was frosted. So easy & fast. I’ll nvr buy canned frosting again!
Recipe is delicious, here are 3 things I did:
1) I suggest sifting the powdered sugar in, it makes mixing better.
2) I added just a pinch of salt to my caramel
3) Double the recipe if you are doing 2 layer cake. My people love lots of icing on their cake (I’m talking 1:1 ratio of icing to cake) so this was enough for half a double layer cake.
Great recipe. It was delicious for my caramel cake
Your frosting is exceptional. I’ve been trying to perfect a Turtle Poke Cake. Most of the recipes call for chocolate frosting, but my tasters and I were not able to taste any caramel. This prompted me to find your recipe. I did not wait for the frosting to cool before mixing in the sugar, and this enabled me to pour it over the cake while still warm, which was so easy! Sadly, the cake made with your frosting was much better, but still not caramelly enough for us. I don’t know what to try next time, but I do know this recipe is a keeper. Everyone loved it.
I tried this yesterday in a white chocolate cake and it turned out lovely.
Im not a fan of frostings that are too sweet so followed one of the reviews and cut the sugar to half. And it was still lovely. Thank you for this lovely recipe.
Salt. Add salt.
I thank you for this recipe, my two sisters! I always bake things for family parties… OK, I guess sometimes I cook a chili or another tasty meal… Various cookies or fruit bars… I discovered your Caramel Buttercream frosting last week, and to save time, I just bought a Pound Cake mix in a box to spread it on. In a hurry, I added too much milk, so it made a very light but tasty clear-ish frosting. As is, it was a big hit, I was requested to make it again for the next week! As before, I made the pound cake in a standard bread pan, took it out to cool a bit, then frosted it on the top and sides in a larger baking dish. The frosting was about a quarter inch thick. In each case, the cake was enjoyed by many. I am not saying that the fine desserts other folks brought in were not also enjoyed! In addition, I bought two more Pound Cake mixes, which I plan to make Monday and bring to work on Tuesday!
This icing is phenomenal! So easy to make. I made it with yellow cake. It’s now my favorite of all time. Thanks so much for the amazing recipe !
Delicious , easy, and attractive on the cake. I sed it to frost a single layer of m buttermilk yellow layer cake. Half of the tecipe made the perfect amount.
Lovely and simple frosting, perfect for my delicious buttermilk yellow cake layer. Thank you!
This is a lovely caramel frosting. I used it on my Guinness chocolate cake, but added a bit of salt to the caramel to combat any “overly sweet” mouth feel. Plus – who doesn’t like SALTED CARAMEL?!?! Topped cake with a chocolate ganache drizzle as well.
Just made this icing for a vanilla chocolate marble cake.
Made this recipe exactly as it read, except I only put in 1& 1/2 cups of icing sugar because for me that hit the perfect consistency. I added the icing sugar in half cups at a time while beating the cooled caramel mixture, and found at 1 and a half cups the consistency was perfect. I live in a dry environment, it is winter and -40 right now, that definitely came into play, also I like my icing creamy. Amazing consistency.
Thanks for this delicious recipe! I might eat it with a spoon!
Yum! The frosting was amazing on a chocolate cupcake! I added a touch of salt to make it salted caramel buttercream! I used this recipe on my blog, and linked right to you!
Wow! Amazing! Delicious!! I absolutely love this Carmel Icing! I am so Happy I found this site! I made it as directed & it turned out Fantastic! I iced an Old Fashion Spice Cake like my Mom used to make. What wonderful memories ❤️
Thank you, thank you thank you ! I am obsessed with caramel cake but I had been told it took hours to make. I love to bake but I have problems with my arms and hands. With this recipe I don’t have to have help. I’ve made it once and it was fabulous. I’m making another one today.
This recipe is amazing and so easy!!! I’ve made many caramel sauces and this one did not harden at room temperature, is very quick and straightforward, and turns into perfect frosting! I doubled the recipe (by making two separate batches) to cover a 9-inch layer cake because I like a high frosting-to-cake ratio and this did the trick. Rave reviews all around!
I made this for my husband’s birthday cake. He loves since cake with caramel frosting. This is by far the easiest and tastiest frosting I’ve made. It’s not at all gritty, just smooth, caramely, and delicious. I’ve used cream cheese frosting before, but the caramel is better. Everyone loves this. So easy, and so good.
OH MY MF GOD THIS IS THE GREATEST FROSTING RECIPE I HAVE EVER USEDDDDD THANK YOU SO MUCH
My first try at homemade icing. It was very successful because the recipe was easy to follow. I made it for my wife’s birthday cake, and she really likes it.
I love caramel and am always looking for an easy caramel recipe. This one fits the bill perfectly. Then whipping it up into a frosting is even better! I did add about a half teaspoon of vanilla, and found I needed to add a fair amount more milk to get it to the fluffy, spreadable consistency I wanted. And I beat it for a good long time, pausing a few times to scrape down the bowl. It’s lovely! Haven’t tasted the cake yet (a pumpkin spice cake that will be served tomorrow), but the frosting itself tastes just like my favorite fudge flavor, penuche. Yum! Thanks for the recipe!!
You are very welcome!
Amazing! I’m in charge of all Thanksgiving desserts so i made a batch to test on my co-workers and everyone is loving them. They look exactly like the photo on the recipe. Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
Tested out the frosting here are my thoughts.
1. The caramel sauce is the best caramel sauce ive ever tasted, will be using this recipe alone for other things like icecream or caramel drizzle.
2. I personally like a very buttery and not very sweet buttercream, so as i was making it i noticed if i kept making it as directed it would still be very good, but just far too sweet for my own liking, so i ended up whipping about a half a stick of butter and then adding it to the final mixture, this made it much less sweet while still making it the consistency it needed to be. So if you are like me and prefer a less sugary icing i suggest planning to add more butter at the end.
Thank u, my hands is bad your recipe made it wonderful for my hands I have ra
Turned out great! I was a little nervous about the whole caramel-on-the-stove thing but it worked out amazing! Easy and everyone loved it on chocolate cupcakes.
Heaven! Testing temperature by fingertip while waiting for it to cool was almost better than the actual yumminess of the finished product. Thank you from NC!
Do i use Dark or Light Brown Sugar?
Hi Katrina, we always use dark, but if all you have is light brown sugar, I am sure it will be fine.
Can you use heavy whipping cream instead of milk?
Yes, that would work.
very good
The frosting is delicious!!! Caramel is my sons favorite. I followed the recipe and it was not enough for 2 layers of 8 inch pans. So I am making another batch to finish cake. Also for myself it was a little too thick so next time I am using less powered sugar I used too much, lol! I will use more milk if it happens again:)!!
The taste is so yummy just awesome recipe!!
Thank you for sharing!
I want to double the recipe. Would you recommend doing so in separate batches?
Yes, definitely do it in separate batches.
This really is ” The Best Caramel Frosting”! The texture is creamy, not grainy, and it tastes wonderful! I added a teaspoon of vanilla while I was mixing in the powdered sugar. I used my stand mixture with the paddle and it turned out perfect! Thank you!
Omg this is a miracle!! Difficult to make it into frosting rather than just eating it with a spoon. Perseverance pays though, it makes wonderful frosting. Thanks thanks thanks!
Love it! And its excellent on applesauce cake. A new spin on carmel apples. So Good
Hi Bonnie! So glad you liked the frosting!
OMG. I used this recipe for an Oscar cupcake, chocolate cake with this frosting. The frosting turned out to be the perfect color gold for black and gold. Everyone at the party kept comming back for more cupcakes! Thank you so much for the recipies!
Made this for chocolate cupcakes! My daughter thinks I’m the best baker in the world now. Thank you for sharing!
I thought it was way too sweet, so I added a teaspoon of vanilla and it really helped to balance it!
I gave this delicious recipe a try with a small addition of a ripened, creamed banana to the cooled Carmel sauce before adding the powdered sugar.
Just delicious by itself and with the apple filled cake it frosted.
What kind of milk can i use regular whole milk or eagle brand milk.
You can use whatever kind of milk you have on hand. We usually use a 2% milk.
This turned out beautifully! It was easy and forgiving. I was in a time crunch, so I cooled the caramel in the fridge, but it was still a little warm when I added the powdered sugar. Not sure if it’s because of that, but once I added 2 cups of powdered sugar the mixture became very dry, so I added a splash of milk, then a little extra powdered sugar, and beat a good amount of air into it to lighten it up, and it came out exactly as I hoped it would! Super sweet, very caramel-ly, yummy! Thanks!
Do you have to use whole milk? Or will skim milk work?
Hi Beth, skim milk is fine.
so i’m not eww to this but is the butter unsalted? and the powdered sugar measurement is that straight out of the bag or sifted first? the brown sugar is packed correct? thanks in adavance!
We usually use salted butter. The Powdered Sugar is straight out of the bag and yes, the brown sugar is packed!
Will this recipe frost a 9×13 cake? Thanks
Yes, it will.
I am using this on an ice cream cake. So far so good. It is very tasty!
I put this caramel icing on a dulche de leche cake. They went beautifully together! This icing has wonderful flavor and beautiful texture! Great recipe!
Looked for 20+ years for a caramel icing! I have now found it! Easy to make, not too rich! Baby bear would say ” just right”. I agree! Thanks!!
So glad to hear you liked the frosting! It is “just right”!!!
May i use this frosting for macarron filling ?
Hi Asha – it is a little stiffer than a typical buttercream so it might not pipe on a smoothly but it would really taste good!
I want to do basket weaving piping for my cake ,Will the frosting stay stable in room temperature ?
Hi Debra. It’s a pretty thick frosting, it should work.
Hi! If i wanted to make this frosting Salted Caramel Buttercream, do you know how much sea salt i would add? Thanks!
I would start with a small amount, like 1/4 teaspoon. Mix it well, taste it, and then add more if you think it needs it.
I’m going to make this frosting to fill and frost a banana, date and walnut cake and can’t wait to try…think it’s going to be yummy. I’ll just google the cup to gram conversions as I’m in the UK.
What brand of coloring do you use for intense colors??
Hi Linda, we are big fans of Wilton’s Color Right Perfect Color System.
Can you make ahead and freeze this frosting ?
Yes, you can.
Can I make this buttercream a day a head and attire in fridge overnight? I’m not baking the cake till tomorrow but thought I might get a head start
Hi Carin, you can make it ahead of time. I do it all the time.
Hi! Will it be good to use for decorating like making furs using the grass tip? Will it stay stable in room temperature we are in a tropical country bt the way…
Hi, this frosting is fairly thick, so I don’t think it would work very well with a grass tip. If you want to try it, I would add some extra milk (just a little at a time).
The caramel frosting is to die for. It tastes like candy. I used it for my nieces wedding and no one could keep their hands out of it. I highly recommend it. Thank you so much for your fabulous recipes.
Thanks, Vicky!
How would adding cocoa powder effect this icing?
Interesting, I think if you mixed the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together before adding it, I think it would work good. Let me know if you decide to try it.
What do you think about adding vanilla to the frosting once you have the powdered sugar in it?
Hi Jessica, I think that’s a good idea.
won’t hurt.
I am designing a chocolate turtle cake…3 layer 9 inch..I’m thinking 2 batches… also, today is Thursday and I want to make it tonight for Saturday…can it be refrigerated fit two days and still work?
Hi Jane, yes, it can be refrigerated for two day without any problem.
just made this frosting. It’s so good! I plan to put it on yellow cake.
could you kindly specify weight of brown sugar in grams, thank you
Hi Denise, 1 cup of packed brown sugar is 220 grams.
Hi!
How far ahead of time can I make this? For example, can I ice cupcakes the day before I need them and leave them at room temperature?
Hi Kim, yes you can frost them the day before, but I would keep them in the refrigerator overnight. Just take them out of the refrigerator an hour or so before serving.
Hey! I would like if it is unsalted butter?
You can use unsalted butter. I always use salted sweet cream, but that’s just a personal preference.
This looks delicious. Did you use light or dark brown sugar?
Hi Shelly, we used light, but dark would work too.
Hey, i love this recipe. I have actually made gingerbread cake and am thinking of using this to frost the cake. I have two 9″ square cakes that I will slice into two and lay side by side to make a rectangular cake. Will thia frosting be enough?
Hi Trisha, that combo sounds delicious. I think you will need to make two batches of frosting.
Hi! Thank you for sharing! I made it tonight to ice a chocolate cake. It is delicious! The only problem is that it turned out very thick and sticky. I had to add some whipping cream to thin it out some. I have leftovers. What else can I use it for other than baked goods? I don’t want to throw it away. Could I mix it with popcorn for “salted caramel popcorn”? Would it work? Thanks!!
Hi Annette – that is an extremely good idea about pouring it over popcorn. If you heated it up and drizzled it over the popcorn … yum, yum, yum. If you try it, please let us know how it turned out!!!!
What kind of butter would I use? Salted or unsalted?
Hi Shelley, we always use salted butter.
I want to make my cake early. Will this freeze well?
It depends how early is early, but I think it would be fine for a week or so.
Hi! This recipe is delicious, perfect flavor but the icing came out thin & a bit heavy. Any suggestions on how to thicken & fluff it without changing the taste. Don’t want it any sweeter
Hi, I am from Australia and wanted to know in your recipes you have powdered sugar. Would that be equivalent to our icing sugar here in Aussie land? Thank’s for your time.
Yes, it’s the same.
How much frosting will this recipe yield?
Hi Hannah – there is some information about this in the text of the post but there should be enough to frost a 9×13 sheet cake, a two layer cake or 18-20 cupcakes. Of course, that all depends on how thick you apply the frosting.
Hi! Im using grams, 1/2 cup of butter is what? Thankyou
I made this to top a made from scratch chocolate birthday cake for my husband. He said this is the best caramel buttercream frosting he has ever tasted!
Can you use a regular hand mixer to make this frosting?
Yes, a hand mixer will work very well.
Will this recipe freeze and thaw well?
Hi Tiffany, yes it will.
Can’t wait to try it. Sounds yummy.