July 20, 2015
Millionaires Cupcakes!
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Brown sugar sponges filled with a caramel sauce – topped with chocolate buttercream, and a touch of shortbread = the dream!
All things millionaires!
After posting many various millionaires recipes, I decided that this still wasn’t enough. I seriously adore caramel, chocolate and shortbread, so all together this combination is my dream! My cravings got me inspired, so this time I decided to try something a little different… millionaires cupcakes!
I know you guys love it too – the love for my millionaires shortbread recipe has been insane! I also have my millionaires cookie bars, millionaires brownies, Biscoff millionaires and my millionaires cake among many others – which always go down a storm!
Millionaires cupcakes
The moist brown sugar vanilla sponge has a hidden caramel centre, topped with a light and fluffy chocolate buttercream. HELLO! I did think that maybe I should stop here, but I couldn’t go on without any shortbread. Crumbles of shortbread and a whole piece top the cupcakes off. Perfection.
Sometimes, people can find that cupcakes have too much buttercream, so when I pipe my buttercream I do some with more buttercream than others so others have the choice of what they want! The shortbread in this cupcake does also help this though as I like to eat it with some of the buttercream! Too much? Never. Delicious? Yes.
The sponges
I love to use light brown sugar in sponge recipes, as it makes it so moist and changes the flavour compared to using caster sugar. It gives a lovely almost caramel taste – perfect for bakes like these! It is SO tasty! You can of course still use caster sugar if that is what you have in the cupboard, or even dark brown soft sugar if you want a deeper flavour.
The cupcake sponges are so simple to make, beating together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, and then adding in the flour and eggs to create a smooth and delicious cake mixture. I used these beautiful baking cups for these cupcakes because I thought they complimented the cupcakes really well.
Caramel
For the centre, you can go all out and make some homemade caramel sauce if you want – it would make the cupcakes so special! However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using a readymade caramel. I don’t see why some people see using shop bought ingredients as a sin – it’s there to buy for a reason!
If I am using a shop bought caramel, I tend to use a tinned caramel, or a dulce de leche from a jar – either of them compliment the cupcakes well. The best trick and easiest trick to core out the cupcakes is to use a larger sized piping tip and just carefully push into the cupcake, twist, and pull out.
Decoration
The buttercream is a simple chocolate buttercream made with unsalted block butter, icing sugar, and cocoa powder – you can’t go wrong with it. I always beat my room temperature butter on it’s own for a while, and then add in the icing sugar and cocoa powder and beat like crazy until it is smooth.
You can of course use a different topping – such as the glorious fudge buttercream from my chocolate fudge cupcakes – the most indulgent topping EVER. Or, you could skip buttercream all together and just do a drizzle of melted chocolate! The correvt topping to me however is an extra drizzle of caramel, and either a shortbread bite, or a mini millionaires!
Tips & Tricks
As mentioned above, I used these beautiful baking cups because I am obsessed as always – but also used my classic favourite 2d closed star piping tip because it creates the perfect swirl on any bake ever. You can of course do what you want though – just slather on the buttercream for all it matters as it tastes the same either way!
I really hope you love these cupcakes as much as I do – they are genuinely on of my favourite cupcake recipes ever and I can’t wait for you guys to give them a go!
- These cupcakes will last for 3-4+ days at room temperature
- These cupcakes will freeze for 3+ months
Millionaires Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 3 medium eggs
- 150 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel Filling
- 1 tin Carnations caramel
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 150 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 300 g icing sugar
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1-2 tbsp boiling water
Decoration
- shortbread
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc/160ºc fan and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cases.
- Beat together the unsalted butter & light brown sugar until creamy and smooth.
- Add in the self raising flour, eggs & vanilla extract, and mix on a medium speed (I use my KitchenAid, but any electric mixer will do!) until combined. Try not to mix more than necessary!
- Scoop the mixture into the cupcake cases (just over half full) and bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes until slightly golden on top and a skewer poked into one of them comes out clean.
- Remove from the trays and leave to cool fully on a wire rack.
- Once completely cooled, cut out a hole in the middle of the cupcake (like you would a butterfly cupcake!) and fill with Carnations caramel.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the unsalted butter with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes to loosen it, then gradually beat in the icing sugar until well combined.
- Then add the cocoa powder and beat for 5 minutes until a silky lovely buttercream texture is produced. If the mixture is a little stiff, add 1 tbsp of boiling water at a time until you reach the consistency you want!
Decoration
- I used a 2D closed star nozzle to decorate my cakes, but you can do whatever you like! Add in a shortbread cookie, or crumble it over the top and enjoy!
Notes
- I used a basic sponge recipe, but you can easily change the sponge to be a chocolate one as well if you're craving even more chocolate goodness.
- These will last in an airtight container for 3-4 days (if they last that long!), or you can freeze them for up to 3 months!
- I used pre-made shortbread as I was being particularly lazy and I had some leftover, but you can use my Shortbread Hearts to make your own if you want to!
- I used these piping bags
- I used this Medium 2D Closed Star Piping Tip
- I used this Muffin Tin
- I got my baking cups from here - Iced Jems
- I use this Vanilla extract
- I recommend this spoof for portioning into the cups - 5cm scoop
ENJOY!
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J x
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Just wondering why dark sugar is used in the loaf cake but light in the cupcakes please x
Hi,
This may be a stupid question (sorry) but how do you cut the hole out of the middle so that you can get the caramel in please? Thank you so much 🙂
Hiya! I actually use a piping tip to core out my cupcakes! Hope this helps! x
Hi there just wondering if you can use spread instead of butter.
Hiya! Yes absolutely for the sponge! x
Hi Jane, if I wanted to make 24 cupcakes is it OK to just double the ingredients? Or would I need to amend the recipe at all?
Hiya! Yes absolutely thats fine! Hope this helps x
Hi just made these and I’m just wondering if you know how many cals they are😊
could I use carnation caramel drizzle for the centres?
Yes for sure!
hello, i just wondered i dont have any light brown sugar in but i have dark brown sugar, if i do half caster sugar and half dark brown sugar would that work?
many thanks
Yes that would work!
I really want to make these for my husband because he loves millionaire shortcake but I have a question, is carnation caramel the same as dulce de Leche?
Yes! You can use dulce de leche instead! X
[…] and instead taking the classic recipes and putting a bit of a twist on them. So when I found this recipe on Janes Patisserie I knew I had to give it a shot. This is a recipe that you can obviously make […]
I made these for a cake sale and my brother in law loved them. Is there a way you can adapt the recipe to make it into a cake?
I’m working on a Millionaires cake as we speak, but its something you could try! You’d need to multiply up the recipe though! X
Oh lovely. I will try to be inventive until you release your recipy! Thank you x
This may be an absolutely ridiculous question but something I always wonder when buying sugar- does light brown sugar only come as soft? Cause this is the only thing I can ever find and I want to make sure I’m getting the right thing!
These cupcakes look incredible can’t wait to give them a go this weekend! All your recipes are amazing thanks for an amazing blog!
Sometimes it isn’t described as soft, but in most places it is! That is the correct one though! ☺️ And thank you!! I hope you love them if you do!
Hi Jane- I have to say I absolutely love your recipes as every single one I have tried has worked out perfectly! You definitely have a very good eye for recipes and the balance! I am going to try this but I thought I might make the shortbread hearts that you do and put them in instead of the other biscuits for Valentines day. I have already made the shortbread and it was delicious so hopefully they should look quite cute!
Oooh that sounds delicious! And thank you!!
These look so good! Love the name too
Hehe thank you 🙂
Yummm
Cupcakes are by far the best! You can’t eat just one!
I agree! They’re so tasty!
Reblogged this on ilashesandsuch.
*Droooool* 🙂
hehe thank you 🙂
I just had to nominate you for the Dragon`s Loyalty Award. Your blog is inspiring and the pictures are gorgeous. You are an outstanding baker! You can read about the nomination in my last post!
Your blog is really interesting and I always look forward to seeing new posts, which is why I have given it a follow and also nominated you for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award 🙂 https://lactosefreekitchen.wordpress.com/2015/07/20/dragons-loyalty-award/
I have to try these, cupcakes and millionaires shortbread… 2 of my favourite things!
Same!! Combining them was definitely one of the best things I have done in a while, so much yum!
For a second there I thought if I eat one of these little cakes of yum I’d become a millionaire.. I’ll guess I’ll just have to settle for stuffing my face with cakes! These sound great 🙂
Hahaha if that were true I would have 12 million in the bank.. 😉 Thank you!
These look absolutely delicious! ❤
Thank you so much!! 😀