Salted Caramel Frosting (5 Substances)

Produced from simply 5 elements, this salted caramel frosting is fudge-like, wealthy, and buttery. It’s the whole lot you’re keen on concerning the taste of do-it-yourself salted caramel—in frosting type! Get pleasure from it piped onto apple cupcakes, unfold over banana cake, or sandwiched between two butter pecan cookies. Observe my step-by-step directions, success ideas, and video tutorial for greatest outcomes.

Creamy and fudge-like, with an irresistible salty-sweet-butter taste, that is the frosting that each one desserts are begging for. (I’m certain all desserts would style epic below a blanket of these items.)

Not the Quickest Frosting, However Definitely the Tastiest

If you wish to do this frosting, be warned that it’s not an easy, fast course of. Now that I’m scaring you away, let me again up and clarify.

There are two most important steps on this recipe: (1) Prepare dinner a brown sugar caramel on the range, after which let it cool for 20 minutes. (2) Beat in sifted confectioners’ sugar and a little bit heavy cream or milk to skinny out.

You should utilize the frosting instantly, however it will likely be fairly runny… pourable consistency, actually. Or in case you wait not less than 20-Half-hour, the frosting will probably be thick sufficient to pipe.

5 Substances for Salted Caramel Frosting

1. Butter: That is the bottom of the frosting, and utilizing actual butter on this recipe (not margarine or plant-based) is essential for each taste and texture.
2. Brown Sugar: You should utilize mild or darkish brown sugar, or a mixture of each. (I often do half and half.) Ensure your brown sugar is contemporary—it ought to really feel comfortable and moist, not onerous or clumpy. If utilizing all mild brown sugar, your frosting will probably be lighter in colour than these photographs.
3. Heavy Cream/Milk, Divided: Heavy cream works greatest on this recipe, however you need to use entire milk or half-and-half if that’s what you’ve as an alternative. Nothing lighter or the caramel and/or frosting will separate. I have no idea any nondairy options that work efficiently. Should you’re making a visit to the shop, I strongly encourage you to make use of heavy cream.
4. Salt: Clearly important to make this salted caramel frosting. I like to recommend common desk salt.
5. Confectioners’ Sugar: Ensure to sift the confectioner’s sugar or else your frosting could have lumps. I take advantage of a high-quality mesh sieve and sift it immediately into the marginally cooled salted caramel.

Recipe Testing for Constant Success

Right now’s recipe has been revealed on my web site for a few years now, however I’ve been wanting to transform the directions, as some readers had been reporting issue. It’s extremely vital to me that the recipes I share are simple to observe AND work efficiently. And this specific frosting recipe was proving to be a bit… temperamental.

My assistant and I started retesting the unique recipe. Frustratingly, the batches saved yielding completely different outcomes. Then we started altering small variables. One batch was too onerous, one other too grainy. Why?

1. First, we examined utilizing chilly butter vs. room temperature butter.
2. After which we examined utilizing milk as an alternative of cream.
3. Then we modified the pan.
4. After which it was darkish brown or mild brown sugar.

However it wasn’t the temperature of the butter. And it doesn’t actually matter in case you use milk or cream (I do choose cream, however the frosting nonetheless works with milk). And the pan didn’t make a noticeable distinction, identical with utilizing mild vs. brown sugar. The issue was merely that we had been overcooking it!

Keep away from This!

The next image exhibits the over-cooked, grainy caramel combination:

A Sweet Thermometer Guarantees the Finest Outcomes

The recipe used to name for boiling the caramel sauce for 3 minutes, which started being too lengthy for my range. (And the above picture exhibits that.) The caramel ought to boil solely till it reaches a temperature of 230°F (110°C), after which ought to be faraway from the warmth. On my range, it takes slightly below 2 minutes, which is a reasonably large distinction.

A sweet thermometer guarantees extra constant outcomes. Your frosting will now not be grainy and your caramel will now not be over- or under-cooked.

Left picture under: The caramel is skinny and clean proper off the range. What a distinction from the picture above! Proper picture under: Right here is the caramel after cooling for 20 minutes.

Now sift in your confectioners’ sugar and beat in additional heavy cream:

At this level, you need to use the skinny frosting or wait 20-Half-hour for it to thicken right into a pipeable consistency. The longer it sits, the thicker it will get:

And make sure NOT to over-mix the frosting after it’s accomplished. As a result of it can start to separate:

That was quite a lot of info for you! Right here is the whole lot damaged down:

6 Success Suggestions for the Finest Salted Caramel Frosting

1. Ensure your stovetop is about to medium warmth or barely decrease in case your range runs sizzling.
2. Whisk the butter and brown sugar collectively FIRST—and ensure the 2 are actually mixed. You can begin combining the 2 with a rubber spatula, however change to a whisk (I at all times use a silicone whisk so I don’t scratch my pans) when the butter is sort of all melted, to ensure the butter and sugar are actually mixed. In any other case, you would possibly see an oily layer across the edges the place they’re nonetheless a bit separated. As soon as they’re mixed, add the cream and salt.
3. Use a sweet thermometer for greatest outcomes. The time it takes to achieve 230°F (110°C) could take kind of than 2 minutes, relying in your specific range and saucepan.
4. Let the ready frosting sit for 20-30 to thicken if you wish to pipe it. It’s going to crust a bit because it sits, which is ok—merely give it a stir if you’re prepared to make use of it.
5. Don’t over-mix the frosting after it’s accomplished as a result of it can start to separate. After beating within the sifted confectioners’ sugar and cream, use it instantly or go away it alone to thicken.
6. If frosting sits for a pair hours, it turns into too onerous to unfold or pipe. If that occurs, scoop it right into a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water on the range. Warmth and stir till it thins out. (Or use a double boiler.)

Finest Piping Tip To Use

The very best piping tip for this frosting is a spherical tip corresponding to Wilton 2A or Wilton #12. Should you pipe this salted caramel frosting with star ideas, it is not going to maintain its form as properly for the reason that frosting is creamy and thinner than buttercream. So, I counsel a easy spherical tip.

End your dessert with a drizzle of salted caramel, the sauce model of in the present day’s recipe. As a result of the whole lot is best with additional salted caramel.

I promise you’ll by no means run out of excuses to make this salted caramel frosting! Attempt it on these recipes:

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