Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

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Moist and flavorful brown sugar cupcakes filled with sweet dulce de leche and topped with a smooth and creamy dulce de leche buttercream.

One of my favorite things to bake has to be cupcakes. Not only are they easy to make and completely adorable, but they also bake in way less time than a typical cake.

And while I love a good cake (I did run a home bakery, after all), cupcakes are just so fun to bake and decorate.

These easy dulce de leche cupcakes are filled with decadent dulce de leche, frosted with a dulce de leche buttercream, and then topped off with– you guessed it– more dulce de leche!

But if you’re not a fan of buttercream (gasp!), you could totally use a cream cheese frosting instead. I just might be a tiny bit disappointed. But I’ll try not to take it personally.

Dulce de leche translates to “candy made of milk,” or “sweet made with milk.” And once you have that first taste of this caramelized confection, you’ll totally understand the hype.

Dulce de leche is made by slowly heating milk and sugar over a low temperature and for an extended period of time. Slowly, the mixture begins to caramelize and take on a deep, brown color and a thickened texture.

Various brands and methods for making dulce de leche produce different consistencies, with some being ultra thick, and others being very thin and pourable.

For these dulce de leche cupcakes, the viscosity of your dulce de leche of choice is an important factor.

Selecting a thicker sauce (like the baking method for my homemade dulce de leche) means that your baking process will be a tad less messy, but you will need to add more cream or milk to your dulce de leche buttercream to get the perfect consistency.

Since dulce de leche comes in a great variety of colors and consistency, you really have to play it by ear and make adjustments based on the texture during the baking process. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re beyond the beginning stages of baking.

I started hearing from readers who were asking about where to find dulce de leche, what they could use instead, or if they could make it themselves.

I knew that I had to test out several methods for making your very own dulce de leche, and the results were pretty delicious! While I prefer using store bought, simply because it’s easy (and I’m busy!), the homemade versions were super delicious too.

So if you can’t find dulce de leche OR happen to have an extra can of sweetened condensed milk in your cupboard, go ahead and make your own using one of two methods for homemade dulce de leche.

And since we’re on the topic, don’t forget to check out some of my favorite recipes using dulce de leche or caramel (the two are different, but best friends) like my banoffee pie, salted caramel stuffed snickerdoodles, salted caramel brownies, or salted caramel banana bread.

When a recipe calls for room temperature butter (either softened or melted and cooled), it’s generally recommended that any eggs used in the recipe be room temperature, too. This just makes it so the eggs incorporate into the batter much more easily.

If you forgot to let your eggs come to room temperature before baking, don’t despair! There’s an easy fix for that. Just add your eggs to a bowl of warm water and leave them for around 5-10 minutes.

Another thing I want to drive home is how imperative it is that you use full fat dairy products.

While I’m typically all about making substitutions if you need to, we really rely on full fat dairy to provide moisture to these dulce de leche cupcakes. Without it, they would be super dry and dense.

So in order to get the best, most delicious cupcakes possible, make sure you’re using whole milk, and full fat yogurt or sour cream. Just promise you’ll trust me on this!

To get started, you’ll need flour, unsalted butter, brown sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla.

For your less common ingredients, you’ll want to get some (full fat) yogurt or sour cream to add a slight tanginess. And since these are dulce de leche cupcakes, you’ll need just a touch of the good stuff to bring it all together!

And of course, your typical pantry basics like baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Since we’re using dulce de leche in the frosting, that means there are multiple levels of dulce de leche goodness in every cupcake: the filled cupcake, the buttercream, and a generous dollop on top (I mean, can it get any better?).

To make your dulce de leche buttercream, you’ll need some powdered sugar, heavy cream (or whole milk), vanilla, salt, dulce de leche, and vegetable shortening.

I used vegetable shortening in this recipe because my dulce de leche was very thin. If your dulce de leche is thick and sturdy, feel free to use unsalted butter instead.

That’s the sweet spot when it comes to baking– simple to make, satisfying to eat! These dulce de leche cupcakes are all that and more.

To get started, add all of your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) to a large bowl and give it a good whisk. Then set aside.

Add your melted butter, brown sugar, egg, milk/cream, yogurt, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat everything together on medium-high speed until completely smooth.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the dry ingredients very slowly. Mix until just combined, and then stop the mixer. Use a silicone spatula to fold everything together gently, scraping large lumps of flour against the side of your bowl to break them up.

Once your batter is mostly smooth (some small lumps are fine), scoop the dulce de leche batter into a cupcake pan that has been lined with paper liners.

Fill the cups ⅔ to ¾ of the way full, and bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.

Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing each cupcake and placing them on a wire rack to cool further. Make sure your cupcakes are completely cooled before decorating!

Using a melon baller, the bottom of a large piping tip, or a small paring knife, remove the middle part of each cupcake. You’re looking for it to be about as wide as a nickel, and ½” deep. Set the cupcake piece aside– you’ll need it in a minute!

Fill each of the cupcakes with about 1 teaspoon of dulce de leche. It’s ok if there is some on the cupcake. That’s going to be covered with frosting and no one needs to know it wasn’t perfect.

Then, add the reserved cupcake piece on top and press it down gently to fill the hole. Don’t worry if a little bit seeps out, but just aim to have as much stay inside of the cupcake as possible.

Set your cupcakes aside. Now it’s time to get started on the best part of any cupcake: the frosting!

Beat your shortening (or butter) on medium speed until creamy. This should take about 2 minutes, but it may take more if your shortening is on the cold side.

With the mixer on low, add in your powdered sugar, dulce de leche, and vanilla extract. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until completely smooth, or for about 3 minutes.

If your dulce de leche buttercream is very thick and seems like it needs to be thinned out, add a touch of milk or cream until you get the consistency you like. This will vary a lot based on the particular consistency of the dulce de leche you used. It’s important to go by eye and add a little bit at a time.

Then, give it a taste and add salt according to your preference.

I like to pile the frosting high, and use a round piping tip, but you can use whatever tip you like to get your desired look. When it comes to cupcakes, sometimes it’s best to let the flavor speak for itself, although you can certainly have some fun with decorating if you want to!

If you really want to up the dulce de leche ante (hands up!), press a small offset spatula into the top of the mound of frosting to create a well for more dulce de leche sauce.

If you prefer, you can also just drizzle the cupcakes with dulce de leche sauce. Both options work, and they are delicious either way!

If you want extended storage, you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days OR freeze them for up to two months.

If you want to freeze your cupcakes, don’t fill or frost them first. Just cool completely, freeze in a zip top bag, and thaw the cupcakes at room temperature when you’re ready. Then, go ahead and fill and frost your cupcakes with all the dulce de leche goodness.

And now that you’ve made these decadent dulce de leche cupcakes, you have to try a few from my vast collection of cupcake recipes!