Dulce De Leche Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Buttercream

Best Ever Dulce De Leche Cupcakes

This dulce de leche cupcakes recipe has a light and fluffy vanilla sponge with creamy leche centers topped with rich dulce de leche buttercream. They are an addiction. So you can’t just stop at one. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that works as a perfect treat for kids or adults. Wheater you use homemade or store-bought dulce de leche these are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings anytime.

I have yet to find a person that does not love dulce de leche. Seems like everybody loves that creamy, rich, gooey stuff. In addition, if you love cupcakes then you can only imagine what the combination of cupcakes and dulce de leche tastes like. These are the best ever dulce de leche cupcakes!!!

As promised, I want to share with you my dulce de leche cupcakes recipe. Last week I shared with you my Brown Sugar Cupcakes and Caramel Cupcakes. And, I have two more so stay tuned.

I don’t want to brag about my cupcake recipes. So, I’ll just say this, Ziv does not eat cupcakes with the exception of these. Yep, these are the only cupcakes he eats. Therefore, trust me, these are the best ever dulce de leche cupcakes.

As you know, making cupcakes is my job. I do it almost all the time. So my kids are just tired of cake. And yet, they are never tired of this one. Aadi can eat dulce de leche right out of a can. And he loves cupcakes more than regular cakes. So, he will take any cupcake, even the strawberry one and top it with – you guessed it – dulce de leche.

What is Dulce De Leche?

Dulce de leche is the best thing you will ever taste. It’s a  creamy caramel-like sauce made by simmering a pot of milk and sugar for a couple of hours until it is reduced to a thick creamy paste-like consistency. It takes forever but so tasty. You can buy this ready in a can or jar in the supermarket. Hence, don’t worry, you don’t have to wait so many hours to eat these cupcakes.

About these Dulce De Leche cupcakes

Why do I call this the best ever dulce de leche cupcakes recipe? First, it has a light and fluffy vanilla cupcake recipe with a soft crumb. Those of you that have tried my cupcakes know you can eat them on their own without any frosting. So delicious. Then we go one step further and fill them with dulce de leche. As if that wasn’t enough, we also make a batch of dulce de leche buttercream to go on top of it.

Tips – try filling these with the leche while they are still warm. I mean just stick a bag of filling into each cupcake and watch how the warmth of the cupcake just melts and infuses the cupcake batter.

So, is it any wonder that these make the best dulce de leche cupcakes? The best part? these can be customized. Therefore, if you think there is way too much dulce de leche for you to handle, don’t fill these with dulce de leche. Just go with the dulce de leche buttercream topping. Alternatively, keep the filling and use a vanilla buttercream topping instead of dulce de leche buttercream. In fact, you must try a meringue buttercream such as Swiss meringue buttercream or Italian meringue buttercream.

And if you think this is still not enough dulce de leche on your cupcake – add some more dulce de leche as a drizzle. Warm a little dulce de leche in the microwave with a few tablespoons of cream to make it pourable consistency and have fun drizzling.

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter. Because I like to control the amount of salt. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, then go ahead and use it just omit salt in the recipe.
• Sugar – I prefer white sugar because I want to keep the color of the cupcakes whiter so the filling in the cupcake stands out.
• Buttermilk – gives a nice soft crumb to the cupcakes. Buttermilk takes five minutes to make at home so there should be no reason to substitute. Here’s how to make homemade buttermilk in 5 minutes.
• All-purpose flour – Yes, we use simple plain all-purpose flour. There is no need for any cake flours or self-raising flour.
• Dulce de leche – I do make my own homemade dulce de leche when I need a big batch for a cake order. Otherwise, I just buy a jar from the supermarket for small projects.

Useful Tips and Tools

• If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because often we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So, if you are making this buttercream go head and remove that K-Mix or Kitchen Aid from your kitchen cabinet. And, you don’t have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
• Having said that, a simple Bowl, whisk and Spatula with a little extra elbow grease will do too.
• Personally, I believe in weighing ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scaleone of the most valuable items when baking. The same goes for mymeasuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
• Also, it is important to buy cupcake linersfrom a trustworthy source to prevent peeling. There is nothing worse than to bake good cupcakes or muffins and then have all the liners peel off.
• Additionally, you can use a measuring cup to ensure you divide the batter evenly among all the cupcakes or muffins. That way all your cupcakes will be a similar size. Personally, I love using my cupcake scooper for that purpose.  
• A good baking tray is always important. Try using a light colored baking trayBaking tray. Another option is to line the baking tray with Parchment Paper for easy clean up just in case of spillage.
• Every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In case of muffins and cupcakes, it’s often a good idea to rotate the baking tray mid-way the baking so they cook and rise evenly.

How to Make the Best Dulce de Leche Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Buttercream (Save/Pin) 

Bake the cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F.
• Prepare baking cups or cupcake wrappers in muffin pans.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time scraping the sides of the bowl often.
• Followed by buttermilk and flour mixture.
• Lastly, add in the Vanilla.
• Use an ice cream scoop to distribute the cupcakes evenly between 12 cupcakes wraps.
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 18 to 22 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Let cupcakes cool completely but do not put them in the fridge.

Fill the cupcakes

• Place dulce de leche in a piping bag or ziplock bag.
• Make a small hole at the end of the bag.
• Using a melon baller make a hole in the center of the cupcake and fill the cavity with dulce de leche.
• Place cupcakes in the fridge to cool.

Make the dulce de leche buttercream

• Cream butter until light and fluffy.
• Add the powdered sugar, continue to whip some more.
• Mix in the vanilla.
• Finally, fold the dulce de leche – Add half the dulce de leche and mix really well.
• When you add the other half, barely mix leaving streaks of the dark line in the frosting.

Pipe the buttercream

• Place buttercream into a piping bag with your favorite piping tip and pipe a swirl.
• Alternatively, use a spatula to create a dome on the cupcake.
• Enjoy!

Homemade Dulce De Leche

Rich, creamy and golden delicious dulce de leche can take any dessert to the next level. I bet you didn’t know it was so easy to make homemade dulce de leche. Today I give you my secret recipe and two different methods to make this treat. One from scratch using fresh milk and second semi-homemade using a can of condensed milk.

12 Tips for baking perfect cupcakes every single time

1. Follow the recipe properly with minimum substitutions.
2. Always use good quality ingredients.
3. Make sure the ingredients are all at room temperature.
4. Never over mix the batter.
5. Use a scoop for baking similar size cupcakes.
6. Always preheat the oven before baking – a hot oven works best for cupcakes.
7. Bake cupcakes at the right temperature.
8. Always bake cupcakes on the center rack one tray at a time.
9. Never open the oven during baking – no peeking.
10. Remove cupcakes from their pan no later than 7 to 10 minutes after baking.
11. Store cupcakes properly after baking. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature. Cupcakes dry in the fridge unless wrapped properly with plastic wrap.
12. Simple syrup the cupcakes if don’t plan to eat them on the same day.

Frequently asked questions

What other buttercream or frosting can I use for these strawberry cupcakes?

Oh, these cupcakes are delicious with just about any frosting. I have shared with you more than 30 different buttercream flavors here on the blog but these are just a few suggestions.

30 Plus Homemade Buttercream Frosting Recipes

Need a buttercream recipe in 5 minutes? Have a buttercream related question? Wondering what buttercream to use for your cake? It’s all here in one place. 30 plus homemade buttercream frosting recipes for you to explore. With recipes, tips, trick, and troubleshooting, as well as popular questions, answered.

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BEST EVER Dulce De Leche Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Filling and Buttercream

Author: Veena Azmanov

4.95 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Calories: 377kcal

$10

Adjust Servings Here: 12 cupcakes

Description

This dulce de leche cupcakes recipe has a light and fluffy vanilla sponge with creamy leche centers topped with rich dulce de leche buttercream. They are an addiction. So you can’t just stop at one. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that works as a perfect treat for kids or adults. Wheater you use homemade or store-bought dulce de leche these are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings anytime.

Equipment /Tools

• Cupcake Pan
• Kitchen Scale
• Stainless steel mixing bowl
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Stainless steel mixing bowl

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 113 grams (3.99 oz) Butter unsalted
• 100 grams (0.5 cups) White sugar
• 2 (2 ) Eggs
• 1/2 cup (4.06 floz) Buttermilk
• 175 grams (1.4 cups) All-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (2 tsp) Vanilla
• 1 tsp (1 tsp) Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) Baking soda

For the Filling

• 1/2 cup (3.99 oz) Dulce De Leche

For the Buttercream

• 100 grams (3.53 oz) Unsalted butter
• 200 grams (1 cups) Powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (3.99 oz) Dulce de leche
• 1 tsp (1 tsp) Vanilla
• 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) Salt

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE – 12 cupcakes

Instructions

Bake Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F.
• Prepare baking cups or cupcake wrappers in muffin pans.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time scraping the sides of the bowl often.
• Followed by buttermilk and flour mixture
• Lastly, add in the Vanilla.
• Use an ice cream scoop to distribute the cupcakes evenly between 12 cupcakes wraps.
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 18 to 22 minutes or until the skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Let cupcakes cool completely but do not put them in the fridge.

Fill the cupcakes

• Place dulce de leche in a piping bag or ziplock bag.
• Make a small hole at the end of the bag.
• Using a melon baller make a hole in the center of the cupcake and fill the cavity with dulce de leche.
• Place cupcakes in the fridge to cool.

Make the Dulce de leche Buttercream

• Cream butter until light and fluffy.
• Add the powder sugar, continue to whip some more.
• Mix in the vanilla.
• Finally, fold the dulce de leche – Add half the dulce de leche and mix really well.
• When you add the other half, barely mix leaving streaks of the dark line in the frosting.

Pipe the Buttercream

• Place buttercream into a piping bag with your favorite piping tip and pipe a swirl.
• Alternatively, use a spatula to create a dome on the cupcake.
• Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Featured recipe below – Dulce De Leche No-Churn Ice Cream

Recipe Video

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

BEST EVER Dulce De Leche Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Filling and Buttercream

Amount Per Serving

Calories 377 Calories from Fat 156

% Daily Value*

Fat 17.3g27%

Saturated Fat 10.6g53%

Trans Fat 0.7g

Polyunsaturated Fat 6g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 77mg26%

Sodium 143mg6%

Potassium 0mg0%

Carbohydrates 51g17%

Fiber 0.4g2%

Sugar 37.9g42%

Protein 4.8g10%

Vitamin A 0IU0%

Vitamin C 0mg0%

Calcium 0mg0%

Iron 0mg0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Keywords – baking, Cupcakes, Dulce De Leche, Dulce De leche Cupcake Recipe, Dulce De Leche Cupcakes, homemade

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about itMention @veenaazmanov or #tag on Instagram #veenaazmanov

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