Chocolate Dulce De Leche filled Cupcakes have chocolate cream cheese frosting, caramel drizzle, and are filled with gooey dulce de leche. These are chocolate cupcakes from cake mix with different ingredients to make them an easy bakery style cupcake.
You really can't go wrong with chocolate cupcakes filled with caramel. Caramel and chocolate are dreamy together in other desserts too, like my German Chocolate Cookies. These are award winning chocolate cupcakes! They have graced the table of many a bake sale and are beloved by many.
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What Is The Secret To Moist Cupcakes?
I use three different ingredients to make these the best box mix chocolate cupcakes ever. They're the perfect texture for filling with caramel!
- Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix - always makes cake more moist and flavorful!
- Milk - adds richness and flavor that water just does not have.
- Sour Cream - adds a little bit of acidity to the batter that adds lift to the bake.
Trust me, you definitely need all of these ingredients to transform these from regular chocolate cupcakes to gourmet cupcakes from a cake mix!
🧁 Cupcake Ingredients
- Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix - I prefer Betty Crocker or Pillsbury Brand. You could also use a Triple Fudge chocolate cake mix.
- Chocolate Pudding Mix - Instant, not cook and serve. Store brand or generic will work.
- Eggs
- Milk - whole or 2% is best.
- Sour Cream
- Oil - neutral oil like vegetable, canola, or olive oil works best.
- Dulce de Leche - homemade dulce de leche or storebought in a can.
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Butter - salted
📖 Substitutions
- Oil can be substituted with unsalted melted butter.
- Sour Cream can be switched out with plain yogurt or plain greek yogurt.
- The milk can be switched for almond milk or oat milk, but may change the flavor of the cupcake.
🥣 Instructions
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, (instant) chocolate pudding mix, eggs, milk, vanilla, oil, and sour cream.
Step 2: Mix all ingredients for chocolate cupcakes together in medium sized mixing bowl on medium speed for 1 minute.
Step 3: Line 2 muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners. Scoop batter into liners, filling them about ⅔ rds full.
Step 4: Bake for 16-18 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let Cool completely.
Step 5: Fill chocolate cupcakes with 2 teaspoons dulce de leche caramel using a cupcake filling tip (Wilton 230 frosting tip).
Step 6: For the frosting, cream together cream cheese and butter together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder and mix well on low speed. Pipe onto cupcakes using a star tip (Wilton 2D closed star tip).
Step 7: You could stop here and enjoy your cupcakes. Or....
Step 8: Live your best extra life and make them gourmet style! Drizzle these cupcakes with dulce de leche. Optionally, top with chocolate sprinkles or crushed up Heath candy bar.
✏️ Top Tips
- Use a cookie scoop for scooping the cupcake batter into the liners! It makes it so much easer to make evenly sized cupcakes, and is less messy than spooning the batter.
- Make sure to cool the cupcakes to room temperature before filling and frosting. Otherwise the caramel and frosting could melt!
The Best Way To Fill A Cupcake
The EASIEST way to fill these chocolate caramel cupcakes is to fill a piping bag with dulce de leche and use a filling tip poked into the top of each cupcake.
If you do not have a piping bag, a sturdy zip close bag with a hole cut into it will work to pipe the caramel into the cupcakes. That requires pressing holes into the cupcakes first.
Can You Freeze Chocolate Cupcakes?
Yes! These cupcakes freeze really well. You can freeze cupcakes for up to 3 months.
Make the cupcakes and frosting as directed, let cool, fill with dulce de leche and do NOT frost them. Freeze the cupcakes and frosting separately in airtight freezer safe containers. Thaw overnight and then frost before serving for the best results.
Chocolate dulce de leche cupcakes are a show stopping dessert, it is much beloved and enjoyed.
More Amazing Chocolate Dessert Recipes
📖 Recipe
📝 Printable Recipe
Chocolate Dulce De Leche filled Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 box Devils Food chocolate cake mix 15.25 oz
- 1 box chocolate pudding mix 3.9 oz
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- ½ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
- 6 oz cream cheese cold
- 1 ½ cups butter 3 cubes, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
Filling:
- 20 oz Dulce de Leche or thick caramel. I make two 14 oz cans worth and use one for filling.
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 muffin tins for 24 cupcakes.
- Mix all ingredients for cake together for 1 minute on medium speed using electric mixer. Don’t over mix, it can result in lumpy cupcakes.
- Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.
For Frosting:
- Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla, powdered sugar, and cocoa and beat well.
Assemble:
- Fill cupcakes with about 2 teaspoons of Dulce de Leche or thick caramel. I used a Wilton 230 frosting tip and piping bag to do this.
- Frost cupcakes generously with chocolate frosting. I usually use a Wilton 1M or 2D closed star frosting tip for these.
- Drizzle additional Dulce de Leche on the tops of the cupcakes and sprinkle toffee bits for extra crunch.
Kyson
I’ve had these twice and they are amazing. Very rich and very good chocolate cupcakes.