| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 32 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 12 min |
| Yield: | 24 cupcakes |
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25-ounce) box golden butter cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 (13.4-ounce) can dulce de leche
- Gold dragees, for decorating
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 1 1/2 (13.4-ounce) cans dulce de leche
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with gold foil cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, milk, and eggs. Using a hand mixer beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to be sure the batter is well incorporated. In a small bowl, mix together the 1/2 can of dulce de leche with 1 cup of cake batter and set aside.
- Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the muffin tins halfway to the top with the batter. Spoon a level tablespoon of the dulce de leche mixture into each cupcake liner, and with a butter knife swirl it into the batter. Bake until the tops are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool in the tins for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Frosting: In a cold mixing bowl, beat the cold heavy cream with a hand mixer until just before soft peaks form. Add the dulce de leche and beat until well incorporated and soft peaks form. Frost each cupcake with the caramel frosting, and sprinkle with gold dragees. Arrange the cupcakes on a serving tray and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 24 servings |
| Calories | 301 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 17 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 67 mg |
| Sodium | 190 mg |
Reviews
The only different thing I did was use my go to yellow cupcake recipe as opposed to the boxed cake mix but I followed every other step. I only tested the batter and left the eating of the cupcakes to my friends at a get together and the response was that I should brought them more! I thought this recipe was very easy, I had some left over dulce de leche so a perfect way to use it up and from what I tasted it was delicious. I thought the dulce de leche surprise was nice in the middle and I never made frosting with caramel and whipped cream so that was something new I learned and would use again. I will make these again!
I thought this was delicious. Like the last reviewer, I just took half of the first container of dulce de leche and mixed it in with the batter. However, like many others said, it made twice the icing I needed, and I had real problems with getting the right texture. It just wouldn’t set up as thick as I wanted it, even after I added three huge handfuls of confectioner’s sugar. I don’t have the professional know-how on what to use to make it set up…corn syrup? Something else? Don’t know, but it was still delicious, and I would make it again.
So delicious! This was a success and hit with everyone in my family. My husband who is not a cupcake fan couldn’t stop eating it! The only thing I did differently was instead of swirling the dulce de leche into the cupcake mixture, I just added half the can into the mixture and mixed it with my hand mixer. And the result was caramel cupcake heaven!!! Thanks again Sandra for this amazing recipe that will stay in my household!
I read all the other reviews & I incorporated many suggestions. I made the cupcake batter as directed, but used caramel sauce for the dulce de leche (didn’t have & didn’t have time to make. I eyeballed how much caramel to add, using about 1/4 cup in the cupcake batter. I mistakenly used up the batter in 22 cupcakes instead of 24, the result of which were cupcakes overflowing upon baking. Next time, I’ll be sure to fill 24 cupcakes! As to the whipped cream frosting, I used much less than the 2 cups of heavy cream and I eyeballed the caramel, we didn’t want a lot of topping, but you can make as much or little as you want, with more or less caramel. We loved sprinkling the frosted cupcakes with edible gold stars. It was a big hit for a little girl’s 10th birthday!! The 4 star-rating rather than 5 is only because the recipe as directed has some flaws and I was happy to know what happened to others. But overall, this is an easy, delicious, light, caramel cupcake!
Thought is was very good. Made it a cake instead of cupcakes. I still had a lot of frosting left however, so I used it as a dip for sliced apples. It was a hit!
These tasted great! The icing was awesome, although it made enough for me to frost all the cupcakes and another cake but I have a vanilla cake to use that on lol. I agree with the other comments that the cupcakes didn’t rise too well and sunk in the middle. I cooked them for about 15 minutes instead and that helped a lot. Next time I think I will use less leche to swirl into the cupcake and after it’s baked, fill it with the remaining mixture so I get that gooey caramel filling.
These were great!!! Didn’t rise as much as i hoped so next time I’ll try less of the caramel and mentioned in some of the reviews. But overall loved them thank you.
I had the same problem as Jennifer – mine didn’t rise but spread outside the pan and then sunk. All the caramel went straight to the bottom. They were still tasty but I think the caramel was too heavy for the cake or something. I was hoping for more of a gooey caramel center, not so much of a marbled cake. But, like I said, they were still tasty!
Sandra – these are the BOMB!! I don’t know what happened to Jennifer’s but these taste 1M times better than a Tastycake Butterscotch Krimpet!!..the cake itself was awesome & the caramel batter swirtling thru w-every bite…YUM!..I actually only used 1 can of dulce de leche [not 1 food store in my area carries it…only my SuperWalmart!]-> put 1/3 in the batter & the other 2/3 in w/a pint of whipped, whipping cream..perfect color for Thanksgiving!! Thanks SO MUCH!!
They were so good, my kids loved them :o)