If you love caramel, these gluten-free caramel cupcakes are going to be hard to resist. They are soft, flavorful, and topped with a caramel buttercream that ties everything together. My daughter had fun decorating them with pretty frosting flowers, but they are just as good with a simple swirl and drizzle of caramel.
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My daughter has been at it again, decorating these gluten free caramel cupcakes. Each decorated cupcake is beautifully elegant with a rose petal design. I seriously don’t think they could have turned out more gorgeous…I am definitely not a biased mom!
The creamy caramel flavor in these cupcakes taste even better with the caramel buttercream frosting is a combination made in food heaven. Rich, decadent, and drool-worthy yummy!
If you love frosting flowers, you will want to make these Gluten-Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes. Their floral frosting design is so cute!! Here is a video to show you how to pipe flowers for cupcakes.
If you love these cupcakes with caramel frosting, you should check out all my other delicious gluten-free cupcake recipes! There are so many tasty treats that deciding which one to bake first is the hardest part!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1, Pillsbury Gluten-Free, and King Arthur Measure for Measure. You can read here more about my favorite gluten-free flour blends for making cakes and Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon. . If you are gum-free, use my DIY Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend to make these cupcakes. (Note: it is important to use a good psyllium husk powder. Otherwise, it can turn the baked goods slightly purple.)
- Brown Sugar – Adds caramelized sweetness.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk, but other dairy-free milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk because it is too thick. You can also use regular milk.
- Caramel – It is important to check the ingredients to ensure no gluten in the caramel color. I used Trader Joe’s caramel sauce, which is gluten-free. You can also make homemade caramel sauce.
If you haven’t baked gluten-free cupcakes or need some modifications due to food allergies, I am happy to help! Are you ready to make these delicious cupcakes for yourself? If you are newer to gluten-free baking, here are some of my best Gluten-Free Baking Tips to help you get started.
A Note From My Kitchen
I created this recipe for a neighborhood party. I wanted to make something fun, and since none of our neighbors are gluten-free, they needed to taste just as good as regular cupcakes. It took a bit of time to get the caramel flavor perfected, but I think you will agree it is well worth it. Both King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 worked very well.
If you use a different blend, you may need to adjust the liquid or dry ingredient ratios. This is normal with gluten-free baking. Add more flour or milk until the cupcake batter is thick, and easy to spoon.
How to Make Gluten-Free Caramel Cupcakes (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Next, add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a separate bowl and whisk to blend.
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Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just barely mixed.
Do not overmix your cupcake batter. If you do, you will break up the little air bubbles, and your cupcakes will turn out much denser. For this reason, I do not recommend a standing mixer.
Step 4: Add the cupcake batter to a lined muffin tin. Use a cookie scoop to use the same amount of batter in each section. This will help ensure your cupcakes turn out all the same size! I like to use parchment paper liners when I bake. (I recommend filling each no more than 3/4 full.)
Step 5: Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes. To test if your cupcakes are done baking, insert a toothpick into a cupcake. If the toothpick comes back clean, your cupcakes are finished baking. If you see crumbs or batter, they must be baked a little longer.
How to Make Caramel Buttercream Frosting:
Add the following frosting ingredients to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment:
- 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup caramel
- 1-2 tablespoons water as needed
Scoop the frosting into a frosting bag with a petal piping tip (Wilton makes a few sizes, I used #104).
If you want to decorate this easy caramel cupcake recipe like she did, you just need the Wilton cupcake decorating frosting tips. I promise you don’t have to be a professional to get this result! My daughter watched this video by Wilton and had fun creating the flowers.
Fun Ways to Decorate Caramel Cupcakes:
- Salt – You don’t have to put salt on the caramel cupcakes, but they taste amazing with it. If you have someone who can’t have a lot of salt, feel free to omit it. Who doesn’t love salted caramel?
- Mini Chocolate Chips – Add some mini chocolate chips to the frosting for an over-the-top delicious experience.
- Chocolate Shavings – Add a few chocolate shavings to the top of the cupcake for added flavor and to enhance the look.
- Toasted Coconut – Sprinkle toasted coconut on top of the gluten free cupcakes. Toast coconut in a pan without any oil while stirring continuously. It is ready when the edges have turned light brown.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can definitely make this recipe dairy-free using non-dairy milk. You would also need to find dairy-free caramel. As for the frosting, it may be a little tricky. You can use non-hydrogenated palm shortening instead of butter.
Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They will keep up to 4 days.
Yes, you can freeze easy caramel cupcakes. They are best if you DON’T frost them ahead of time and freeze the cupcake. If you want to freeze the frosting, put it separately in freezer bags. The most important part is making sure that they are stored in an airtight container.
When ready to serve, you can thaw them on the countertop until they have defrosted. Decorate and devour!
Cupcakes sink in the middle for three reasons, you opened the oven door during baking, they needed more flour, or you overmixed the batter and the air collapsed.
For more troubleshooting tips, read my Gluten-Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide.
More Gluten-Free Cupcake Recipes:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Easy Gluten-Free Caramel Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup milk or non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons light oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted softened butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup caramel you may need to heat it to soften it enough to mix in
- 1-2 tablespoons water as needed
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, add 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Use a wire whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add 2 large eggs, 2/3 cup milk or non-dairy milk, 3 tablespoons light oil, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is "just mixed." The batter should resemble muffin batter and be soft but spoonable. If your batter seems runny, add more flour. If your batter seems too thick, add more milk.
- Add paper liners to a muffin tin. Fill each until they are 3/4 with cupcake batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until done.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cupcakes need to bake longer.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes to a cooling rack. Do not frost the cupcakes until they are fully cooled.
- Add 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup caramel, and 1-2 tablespoons water as needed to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip the frosting.
- Scoop frosting into a frosting bag and decorate each cupcake.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To keep these cupcakes light and fluffy, do not overmix the batter.
- To make these cupcakes dairy-free, substitute vegan butter for the regular butter.
- These cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
These are delicious! I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All purpose flour. Perfect crumb, slightly dense and moist. Made a DF dark chocolate ganache topped with hazelnuts in place of the buttercream as I couldn’t find DF caramel sauce.
I am so glad you loved this recipe. I love caramel and it really is good in this recipe.
I haven’t made them yet, but I was wondering if you have used cream cheese instead of butter for the frosting?
Hi Anabel, I haven’t tried that with this recipe. I do have a great cream cheese frosting recipe on my vanilla cake recipe, but it isn’t caramel flavored.
I made these today and they are pretty tasty morsels. FYI…I used the Cup4Cup gf flour for this recipe.
I am so glad you loved this cupcake recipe, Lisa. I appreciate your letting everyone know!!
I just pulled a batch out of the oven, let them cool and tried one…holy heavenly cupcake…they’re amazing! I used melted unsalted butter instead of the oil for a bit more flavor, added a little extra salt and vanilla. This is a keeper recipe for sure!
I am so glad you love the recipe! I bet that butter was incredible :-).
What GF brand caramel sauce did you use? I have given up on making/cooking caramel frosting I’ve tried many many years. It’s not pretty & at times an epic fail! Looking forward to giving this recipe a try. For my husband’s sake hoping it’s a success!
Thanks
Melissa
Hi Melissa, I used Trader Joe’s caramel sauce. I would think most caramel is safe, this article talks about it then links to another article about caramel color also typically being okay. https://www.beyondceliac.org/gluten-free-diet/is-it-gluten-free/caramel/