Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cupcakes

Make these moist dulce de leche chocolate cupcakes this weekend! They come with a surprise inside too…yup these are filled with dulce de leche, and they are pretty awesome!

Hey there! My sweet friend Valentina at The Baking Fairy is hosting Cupcakes for Cupcakes Lovers Day today, and I am so excited! A bunch of food bloggers and I are making some amazing and creative cupcake recipes to celebrate! Be sure to check out my blogger friends’ cupcake recipes below.

I made chocolate cupcakes with dulce de leche frosting, and I am still dreaming about these.

Dulce de leche, a Latin American sweet, is basically milk caramel. I usually use pre-made or store-bought dulce de leche, but you can make it at home by cooking sweet condensed milk for hours. And I am going to tell you right now…it tastes like heaven! It’s one of my favorite things in this world. So obviously, I had to make cupcakes with it.

Just imagine, moist chocolate cupcakes filled with dulce de leche, and decorated with dulce de leche buttercream frosting. Literally all my dreams come true in cupcake form!

How to Make the Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

I’m kinda picky about cupcakes. First of all, they have to be super moist. I mean, nobody likes dry cupcakes! Second, they need to have the perfect height. If they have a very tall dome or are shaped like a mushroom top, then the frosting doesn’t stay and it’s hard to eat. And it ain’t pretty!

I tested a bunch of chocolate cupcake recipes, and these easy chocolate cupcakes are my go-to cupcake recipe. There’s a science behind these perfect chocolate cupcakes, and it’s all about the amount of leavener (baking soda and baking powder) and how much batter you pour into each cupcake liner.

These dulce de leche chocolate cupcakes use chocolate cupcakes as the base, so head to my easy and moist chocolate cupcakes recipe blog post and find all the tips you need!

How to Fill these Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

This is the most fun part! These chocolate cupcakes come with a surprise filling inside: dulce de leche!

1. First, using a pairing knife carve a hole shaped like a cone.
2. Then spoon or pipe the filling inside.
3. Snip off the end of the cone and place it back to cover the hole.

Because you’ll decorate the cupcakes, don’t worry too much about making the top look clean or perfect. The frosting will cover it.

The Dulce de Leche Frosting

Guys, the dulce de leche buttercream frosting is so good! I am not kidding when I say I love milk caramel. The flavors are so deep and unique. Here’s how to make the frosting:

1. In a large bowl of stand mixer, add the softened unsalted butter, confectioner’s sugar, dulce de leche, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Note: definitely use softened butter to room temperature or you won’t get the right texture.
2. Using the paddle attachment or the whisk attachment, beat the ingredients on low first (so the sugar doesn’t go flying all over), and then increase the speed to medium-high to high until the buttercream frosting is fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the frosting, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or so before piping. It makes the frosting firmer and easier to pipe. But don’t leave it there too long or it will harden.

Piping Tips for Cupcakes

• You need the right type of piping tip and pastry bags. To decorate cupcakes,  I use extra large piping tips with extra large couplers, and extra large 16-inch pastry bags. I used these piping tips. See picture below. They are definitely large, eh!
• If you’re not sure how to prepare your piping bag with the couplers and piping tip, simply search for video tutorials online. Might be easier than me trying to explain it here 😉
• To decorate the cupcakes, start piping from the outside and then move in to the center. Take your time when piping, making sure there is enough frosting on the cupcake.

Below is the recipe card for specific instructions from start to finish. I hope you enjoy these dulce de leche chocolate cupcakes as much as I did!

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out other recipes below from some of my talented blogger friends.

And if you have a sweet tooth and want more, then I’d recommend these:

• easy key lime pie
• perfect brownies
• brownie sundaes

And please don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! Much appreciated 🙂

If you try my recipe, use #cookingformysoul on Instagram! Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest fun updates and recipes!

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5 from 3 votes

Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cupcakes

These dulce de leche cupcakes are made with a chocolate cupcake base, filled with dulce de leche or milk caramel, and decorated with dulce de leche buttercream frosting. Makes about 18 delicious cupcakes.

Course Baked Goods, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Cooling 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 18 cupcakes

Author Tania

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• ▢ 1 batch easy classic chocolate cupcakes - makes about 18 cupcakes
• ▢ 3/4 to 1 cup dulce de leche

Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• ▢ 4 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 cup dulce de leche
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

• Make a batch of my easy classic chocolate cupcakes. Makes about 18 cupcakes. If you’re doubling the recipe, prepare separate batches at a time since doubling the baking soda and baking powder doesn’t always yield consistent results. Let the chocolate cupcakes cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the dulce de leche frosting: In a large bowl of stand mixer, add the softened unsalted butter, powdered sugar, dulce de leche, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Using the paddle or whisk attachment, beat on low for a few seconds until the sugar is incorporated (this will prevent the sugar from flying all over). Then, increase speed to medium-high to high and beat for about 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the frosting, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. It makes the frosting firmer and makes it easier to pipe.
• Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, carve out a hole shaped like a cone using a paring knife like in the pictures above. Spoon or pipe in some dulce de leche. Then, snip off the tip of the cone, and place it back on top to cover the hole. Repeat with each cupcake.
• Prepare a large pastry bag with extra large couplers and an extra large piping tip (See “Piping Tips for Cupcakes” above). Fill the bag with the dulce de leche buttercream frosting. Decorate your cupcakes as desired using the dulce de leche frosting.

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