These Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel are a wonderful combination of flavors! Kahlua and chocolate are already awesome together, but when you add caramel sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt, it’s a done deal.
This recipe uses my easy caramel sauce as an ingredient. It’s seriously the best homemade caramel!
So normally I’d tell you about something really funny or great that’s happening. It’s our chance to catch up, you know? Like, “Hey, how’s it going?” And then I tell you.
But as I sit here to write this post, there’s nothing clever. Just life. I’m sitting here next two dogs that are sleeping and snoring like rhinoceros’, reminding me that I’d love to curl up right between them right now.
My kitchen is a freaking disaster, as usual. With all the baking that goes on, it’s no wonder. As soon as I wash a dish, I use it again. It’s ridiculous.
There’s laundry that needs to be folded. I just realized I forgot to take my last dose of herbs for my acupuncture today (the first time I’ve forgotten) and if I take them too late at night they make me pee all night long. And I’m trying not to stress so that I don’t screw up the effects of the acupuncture (Baby Journey Next Step: Acupuncture). And well, that’s stressful. 😉
And darn it, I still haven’t watched this week’s episode of Dancing With The Stars. Priorities!
So seriously, with all that in my head, there’s just nothing witty. No good stories. Just life. For reelz.
But I’m still super happy to share these cupcakes with you. No matter what, I’m always going to be happy about cupcakes. I’ll always gladly talk sweets and shove my face with them – although sugar is apparently back for my acupuncture-ness. Grrr. (see where my mind is going?!) Quite a predicament, right? I’m mean, I’ve gotta live. There’s only so much I can take. Give me a cupcake!
And these cupcakes are definitely worth it. Chocolate, Kahlua, caramel, sea salt. Sweet and salty my friends. The best way to cure both cravings.
Fortunately these cupcakes are pretty easy to make. No complicated ingredients or anything, just a quick mix of the batter, a quick mix of the icing and you’re well on your way to your new favorite cupcake. 🙂
More Kahlua Dessert Recipes
- Kahlua Chocolate Poke Cake
- Kahlua Coffee Chocolate Layer Cake
- Oreo Brookie Tiramisu
- Kahlua Coffee Brownie Cheesecake
- Kahlua Ice Cream Pie
Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel
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Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp water
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 6 tbsp Kahlua
Kahlua Icing
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup shortening (can be replaced with additional butter, if desired.)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-5 tbsp Kahlua
- Caramel sauce
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Beat butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended.
- Add vanilla, water and cocoa powder to another bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add chocolate mixture to batter and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
- Combine flour and baking soda in a separate bowl.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and Kahlua to the batter. Begin by adding half of the dry mix, then mix well. Add the Kahlua and mix well, scrapes down the sides as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until smooth.
- Fill cupcake liners about half way. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
- To make icing, beat butter and shortening until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add 4 tbsp Kahlua and remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add additional Kahlua if needed to get the right icing consistency.
- Pipe icing onto cupcakes. I used Ateco icing tip 844, which is similar to the Wilton 1M.
- Drizzle cupcakes with caramel sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Enjoy!
Hello. Can I use 12 tbls of kahlua, omit the water? Just looking for a more kalhua flavor
That should be fine.
Cupcakes did not raise and were dry. A complete waste of ingredients and time.
What liquid should I use in place of Kahlua?
Milk
I would be remiss if I did not share the benefits of my discoveries with you as you shared your recipe with us:
If you add an extra egg, AND a packet of chocolate pudding powder before you cook it… This makes the texture a bit more moist and adds an extra punch to the flavor.
While it is still warm, LOP OFF THE TOP OF THE CUPCAKES. Dribble the caramel syrup directly into the cupcake so the heat can soak the syrup into the cake. Return the cupcake top.
Once the cupcake is cool, then you can decorate the cake with whatever fancy piping you want. (Without needing to incorporate the syrup into the visuals, I was able to do rosettes.) Sprinkle the salt on top.
It tastes exquisite. It’s probably (no joke, no hyperbole) the best cupcake I’ve ever had. I wish I could share a picture!
I made these cupcakes and not sure what happened but they did not bake well. I filled them half full as noted but they started to rise and then flopped and spilled over the pan. I had to take the batter out and put it in a dish to bake. I baked for twice the time suggested and they were still runny. Any ideas why? I double checked the recipe and looks like I did everything right.
If they overflow the cups, they can definitely sink. Sounds like they may have been a little over-full. If you removed it from the cupcake liners and put it into a pan half way through, then it just may not have baked correctly at that point.
Just discovered your blog and can’t wait to try your recipes! I want to make these for my boss’s bday but I have a question. Should I used regular cocoa or Dutch processed? Thanks!
I would use regular cocoa. Hope you enjoy them!
I’m so disappointed, Lindsay! I don’t know what I did wrong. I have your cake cookbook and use tons of your cake recipes and they are the most delicious. Something went wrong with this one though. I’m trying to figure out what happened – the batter was very thick and the cupcakes puffed way up and were very dry. I’m going to review it later when I’m thinking clearly and try to understand what happened. In your chocolate and Kahlua cakes the batters are much thinner, so I’m convinced I missed something! Thanks for all you do! Patty
It’s hard to say if you did anything wrong or not from a distance. This is a very different chocolate cupcake than the other one you mention. The one with the super thin batter is extremely moist. This recipe is butter-based, which tends to be quite different. They shouldn’t necessarily be dry, but you’ll notice it’s not really the same. If they were truly dry, they may just have been over baked a little bit. It’s mainly just a very different chocolate cake.
Glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes!
Well, I figured it out….thought and thought about it and reviewed the recipe….I used 2 cups of flour instead of 1. Sometimes it’s like my brain takes a vacation! I’ll try the again! Thanks, Lindsay!
I’m so glad you figured it out! It happens to all of us sometimes.
I made these for a friends birthday – they were a huge hit! They are moist and very rich. Everyone went crazy for them and they were impressed with the homemade caramel sauce 😊
Made these for a friends birthday and they were amazing! Everyone raved about them – even my husband and he isn’t a cupcake fan,
So glad they were a hit!
Does this recipe call for brown sugar or regular sugar?
It’s regular granulated sugar in the cake.
Cupcakes were kind of dry
About how many cupcakes does this make? Just wondering if I should double the recipe. Thanks,
Sarah
14-16 cupcakes – you can find that underneath the recipe title in the pink recipe card. 🙂
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try it! The cupcakes are outrageously delicious!!!
How would I convert this to an 8″ triple layer cake?
I would suggest looking at this cake and this cake. They are probably similar to what you’re looking for. 🙂
I made these cupcakes last night for a friend’s birthday. They were phenomenal! Everything was spot on, from the moist and flavorful cake to the amazing buttercream. I typically have trouble making caramel sauce, but your recipe was so quick and easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes with us! =)
Awesome! 🙂 I’m so glad they were a hit!