Salted Caramel Frosting – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Buttery sweet caramel sauce with just a hint of salt combines with cream cheese for silky smooth salted caramel frosting perfection.

Salted Caramel Frosting

I knew before I made this frosting that {Salted + Caramel = Frosting} it was going to be a good thing. However, I had no clue that it was going to be a great thing: an almost indescribably awesome frosting.

I’m not usually a big fan of frosting, but I am a huge fan of homemade caramel sauce. So, pouring caramel sauce into a whipped cream cheese frosting sounded too delicious not to try.

I am a big fan of real flavors. It can take a bit longer to develop those flavors sometimes – but it is truly just minutes in many cases. Caramel is one of those.

Water and sugar simmer slowly in a simple syrup. No need for a candy thermometer, just keep cooking until the sugar dissolves. Once that happens turn up the heat and keep cooking until it turns an amber color.

Caramel can be tricky because you want to keep it moving to prevent burning but not really get any of the sugar crystals that might form on the sides of the pan back into the caramel. Those pieces will make little crunch bits in the caramel sauce.

Once it achieves that rich amber color, add the butter, cream, vanilla, and salt. Stir them in gently and let the sauce cool before refrigerating.

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

To turn that amazing caramel sauce into frosting first make sure it has cooled completely. I can not emphasize that enough. It must be room temperature to make smooth and creamy frosting.

Beat the butter and cream cheese until combined and smooth and creamy. Then add your powdered sugar. Once that has been incorporated add just one cup of the salted caramel sauce.

I paired this frosting with the best gluten free chocolate cake that you can imagine. The combination of caramel and chocolate was everything I wanted it to be.

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about this frosting is that it requires nothing fancier than a knife to decorate the cupcakes. No piping tools were required and the frosting stayed soft enough to look pretty without any effort or skill on my part.

Recipe for Salted Caramel Frosting

Caramel Sauce Instructions

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Stir to combine and then cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; about 4-5 minutes. There is no need to stir, simply swirl the pan over the burner occasionally as the sugar dissolves.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the sauce, swirling the pan occasionally, until it is amber-colored; about 7-8 minutes. Add the butter, be prepared for it to bubble and sputter, lightly stir with a wooden spatula, do not scrape the sides of the pan or splash sauce up the sides of the pan. (This will cause crystallization if you scrape the uncooked sugars back into the sauce.)
3. Once the butter is melted, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, heavy cream, and salt. It will bubble again but will calm quickly. Stir to combine (again, not scraping sides of the pan) and then let cool before transferring to a jar and refrigerating for storage.

Frosting Instructions

1. Beat the butter and cream cheese together at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat to combine.
2. Add 1 cup of room-temperature caramel sauce and beat again to combine. Spread the frosting on top of anything and everything you’d like.

Recipe inspired by Eats Well With Others and adapted from Life on Blackberry Farm

Frosting Recipes

Condiments are one of my favorite ways to add new flavors and change recipes up. Frosting and icing fall into that category, delicious on cake, and cookies, or just dipping cookies or pretzels in it for a sweet snack.

Fresh Blueberry Frosting is a light and creamy frosting, whipped into fluffy blueberry loveliness. A dollop of this frosting is sweet heaven on a cupcake. On a spoon, on a cracker, or on an actual cake this blueberry buttercream frosting is irresistible.

Given the chance, I could do some serious damage to a bowl of this fluffy chocolate frosting without even slathering it on the cake. This is everything I wanted in chocolate buttercream frosting.

Grab a spoon, you are going to want to eat this Whipped Cream Frosting straight from the bowl, or go ahead and dive in with fresh strawberries.

{originally published 3/8/12 – recipes updated 1/26/23}