Joy the Baker

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

by 353 Comments

Desktop23

Is it wrong to J-walk into church? …. because I do it just about every Sunday.

Is it wrong to curse at people on the road while driving to church?  Cause… maybe that’s happened once or twice.

On a scale of one to total jerk… how jerky is it for me to blatantly roll my eyes at the lady on the spin bike next to me who is flirting with the obviously married man on the other side of me?  Do I really need to be in the middle of this interaction? It’s 7 in the morning! Come on.  Please.

Oh!  And while we’re on the subject… if you take your shirt off during spin class and decide to just ride it out in your sports bra…. I’m going to try very very very hard not to label you as an attention-seeking-lady-exerciser.  Do not like.  We’re all hot and sweating lady…. keep you shirt on.  There should be a rule.  There’s gotta be a rule.

Also… exactly how much of this batter can I spoon in my mouth after spin class and before rushing off to J-walk into church?  That’s the real issue.  The answer?  About two cupcakes worth of batter… which may or may not lead to a belly ache.  Don’t do what I do… J-walk, curse, or roll your eyes at attention seeking, inappropriately flirty strangerladies.  Be a nice person instead.

Desktop23

I happen to love making cupcakes exactly 47 times better than I like to actually eat cupcakes (cupcake batter excluded).  Making individual cake treats is cathartic.  They all looks the same with slight differences and imperfections.  I love to line them up and take in their differences…. then cover them in frosting.

These cakes themselves are a brown sugar and buttermilk cake.  The addition of brown sugar mocks the dulce de leche flavors just slightly.  The cakes are more of a pound cake consistency and not so much a fluffy cake mix cupcake.  The frosting is a combination of three fine fats:  butter, cream cheese and dulce de leche.  Only the hideous addition of  sardines could make this frosting something other than delicious.

Wait… do you know what Dulde de leche is?  Dulce de leche is very similar to caramel.  It’s sweetened condensed milk that has been cooked down until the sugars have darkened to a rich caramel.  It’s sweet and thick and perfectly acceptable to bathe in.

Some people make their own dulce de leche by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk…. literally, in the can.  While many have had success with this technique, I’m convinced that I would both injure an eye and burn my house down… so I just buy my dulce de leche.  I also really like the consistency of this particular caramel product.  It’s thick but still spreadable and works really well in my frosting.  ((I got this particular dulce de leche at Whole Foods… but you can totally find this La Salamandra product on Amazon))

I’m not saying you shouldn’t make your own… you look perfectly capable.  I’ve just never done it… so I’ll leave you to google and experiment with that whole thing on your own.  Go with God.  … and I love you.

Cake with cream cheese and caramel.  Please don’t make me twist your arm… just get on this.

You might also like to know that I made these Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies.  If you’re going to get the jar… you might as well go hog wild.

Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes (a few more if you don’t eat a bunch of cupcake batter  like I did)

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Print this Recipe!

For the Cupcakes:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup dulce de leche, plus more for drizzling

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper or foil liners.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and sugars.  Beat on medium speed until fluffy and pale brown, about 3 minutes.   Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg.  Beat on medium for one minute.  Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute between each addition.  Stop the bowl and scrape down the sides as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract.

Add half of the flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture.  Beat on low speed and slowly drizzle in the buttermilk.  Beat until just incorporated.  Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients.  Beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and finish incorporating with a spatula.  Try not to over mix the mixture.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans, filling each liner about two thirds full.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.  Let rest in the cupcake pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cupcakes should be completely cooled before frosting.

To make the frosting:

Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.  Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until very soft and pliable.  Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter and dulce de leche.  Beat on medium speed until well incorporated.  Stop the mixer and add the salt and powdered sugar.  Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and lighter in color.  Generously spoon frosting on top of cupcakes, or use a large frosting tip to pipe on frosting.

For garnish, I heated a few spoonfuls of dulce de leche of a low flame until just pourable.  Then I drizzled it over the cupcakes and topped with a few sprinkles.  Add a few sprinkles of fine sea salt if you’re feeling fancy.  I stored the cupcakes in the fridge for an hour to chill the frosting slightly.

I like to enjoy my cupcakes within two days of preparing them.  Feel free to wrap and refrigerate them because of the cream cheese in the frosting.  Let come close to room temperature before serving.

Recipe: Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Summary: Sweet Caramel Cupcakes. Love.

Ingredients

  • For the Cupcakes:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • For the Frosting:
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup dulce de leche, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper or foil liners. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and pale brown, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg. Beat on medium for one minute. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute between each addition. Stop the bowl and scrape down the sides as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract.
  4. Add half of the flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture. Beat on low speed and slowly drizzle in the buttermilk. Beat until just incorporated. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and finish incorporating with a spatula. Try not to over mix the mixture.
  5. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans, filling each liner about two thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Let rest in the cupcake pans before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cupcakes should be completely cooled before frosting.
  6. To make the frosting:
  7. Place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until very soft and pliable. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter and dulce de leche. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the salt and powdered sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and lighter in color. Generously spoon frosting on top of cupcakes, or use a large frosting tip to pipe on frosting.
  8. For garnish, I heated a few spoonfuls of dulce de leche of a low flame until just pourable. Then I drizzled it over the cupcakes and topped with a few sprinkles. Add a few sprinkles of fine sea salt if you’re feeling fancy. I stored the cupcakes in the fridge for an hour to chill the frosting slightly.
  9. I like to enjoy my cupcakes within two days of preparing them. Feel free to wrap and refrigerate them because of the cream cheese in the frosting. Let come close to room temperature before serving.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 12

Meal type: dessert

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating 5 stars:  ????? 1 review(s)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jacqueline

    Question! I know this was posted a long time ago, but I stumbled upon this recipe today and I am going to make it for a friend. Have you put dulce de leche in the cupcake batter before? Thank you!!

    Reply

  2. Stefanie Nater

    Hi Joy, the recipe is awesome. The cakes are really moist and delicious. But the frosting was super runny, impossible to pipe on the cakes. I just put it on with a knife like jam. Do you have an idea how to get it less runny? Thanks. Greetings from Switzerland!

    Reply

  4. Celi Méndez

    You should try putting dulce de leche in the batter. It makes it quite sweet, so you should reduce the amount of sugar. I’ve been making dulce de leche cakes since I was a little girl and they’re always a hit. Seriously, take it from someone who has eaten dulce de leche on toast at least 5 times a week for the past 10 years and has tried dulce de leche on everything . Hahahaha don’t worry, I’m not crazy, I’m argentinian. It’s imposible for us not to go one week without having some.

    Reply

  5. Jasmine Bell

    Hi!

    I love your blog! I am now an avid follower! I used your Dulce de Leche Cupcake recipe last week and everyone loved it!!!!!

    I substituted sweetened condensed milk for the powdered sugar(because I forgot to pick some up) and it worked well. Can’t wait to actually try the frosting with the powdered sugar. I am sure the consistency will be better!

    Thanks again for posting this and I look forward to making many more of your wonderful recipes!

    Here is a recipe I posted this week:
    http://www.theheartofasouthernbelle.com/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies

    ? Jasmine

    Reply

  6. Susie

    Wow this looks delicious! I just had one question: is there a way for me to substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour? Thanks!

    Reply

  7. Mariah

    Just made these after another blog recipe I tried failed miserably! Thank you so much for posting accurate recipes that can be trusted! These were so very yummy!

    Reply

  8. Theresa Major

    Love the recipe can’t wait to try. The story telling along withe recipes is so enjoyable! Love it! If you send out dsily recipes or news letters, I would love to be added to the list. I am a baker and love to try new and different recipes. Looking foward to enjoying more of your great sense of humor . TLM(aka The Cupcake Composer, lol! ;-)

    Reply

  9. Jennifer

    Today is my birthday and my best friend brought me a dulce de leche cupcake from Gigi’s. I was in heaven!!! Then I thought to myself, “Self, you make your own birthday cake, lets see if we Self and the birthday girl) can find something similar”. Here’s hoping for the very best!

    Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  10. Katherine Lee

    Do you have any suggestions of how i can turn this into a dulce de leche bundt cake for my Christmas Party?
    Lots of Love.

    Reply

  11. Jayda

    Making the caramel is really easy & it’s delicious! Just buy a can of condensed milk, place it in a saucepan (Don’t forget to take off the labelling), fill the saucepan with water so that it covers more than half of the condensed milk’s can and boil for 2-3 hours.

    Reply

  13. Timmi Montoya

    Made the cup cakes
    Have the idea of the frosting
    But, what is 3/4 cup dulse de leche (plus more for drizzling)
    How do you make the dulse de leche?

    Reply

  14. Ana Nguyen

    I have a question, what kind of Brown Sugar did you use? Light? Dark? Just a curios of what kind you used, cuz I’m excited to make this for my Spanish Project

    Reply

  16. Jaci

    Has anyone tried making this in 2 round cake pans? I would really love to try it for my sons’ birthday party! Thanks!

    Reply

  17. Sandra

    Nevermind the batter (you’re welcome to it), but the frosting,THE FROSTING!!!
    I could eat that for breakfast or dessert or any time of the day just because I feel like it.
    I made these cupcakes for my grandmother’s 92th(!) birthday today, and everyone loved them!
    Someone even said they looked like real cupcakes, meaning the storebought ones (I think…).
    Joy, thanks for this great recipe, you have made me quite popular within our family. ;)
    Love from Holland and Happy (belated) Birthday to Jules Stevens!

    Reply

  18. Bridget

    Something went wrong for me with these cupcakes, and I’ve reviewed the recipe over and over and I just can’t see where I messed up. It seemed like a lot of baking soda for a cupcake as soon as I added it, and then my batter turned out more like pancake batter than cake batter – really airy, not smooth like most cake batters. In the oven, my cupcakes basically exploded all over the pan and then collapsed in on themselves. Darn!

    Reply

  19. Michael

    I just made mini cupcake versions of these. They are absolutely delicious. I am going to bring them to a party now and I am sure people will love them and me.
    Thank you Joy… you’re also hilarious.

    Reply

  20. Becky

    I have made many cupcakes but that is truly the best tasting batter of any cake recipe!! The cupcakes turned out perfect also!! Just getting ready to make the frosting and I’m sure it will be divine!

    Reply

  21. Gayle V

    I’ve made these cupcakes twice and gotten great compliments both times. They’re delicious! Dulce de leche is a little hard to find where I am, but it’s worth the effort it took to find it.

    Reply

  22. Rachelle

    I made these for Cinco de Mayo and although I’m totally a chocolate girl, these were the most palate-pleasing cupcakes I’ve ever made. Ever. Seriously. Something about the combination of salty (I salted my dulce de leche) and the buttery sweetness. I had to use closer to 6-7 cups of powdered sugar for the icing in order to make it pipable, but I don’t think it took away from the flavor. My question to you, Joy, is why do my from scratch cupcakes always sink in the middle? This is literally the only batch of cupcakes I’ve ever made that didn’t have that issue. Ideas? (the consistent answer I’m getting when I google it is “too much heat” or “too much leavening” and I’ve experimented with both…)
    Anyway, thanks again, for another hit!

    Reply

  23. Lori Smith

    I am going to try these today for our Cinco De Mayo party at school (if they get that far. Maybe it might be for my own personal cinco de mayo party ;). They look wonderful!
    Thought I would give my Sister in law a shout out because she did a blog post (or 3) on 6 different ways to make your own dulce de leche. She is very thorough in her experiment and it is a fun read!
    http://noemptychairs.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/dulce-de-leche-six-ways-part-one/

    Thanks for the recipe. I am excited to get started.

    Reply

  24. Barb Hickey

    Came home last nite around 6:00 pm and decided to make your Dulce de Leche cupcakes. I have been dying to try these to picture just looks so yummy. Now, I am on a strick diet so I didn’t even lick a finger and I so bad wanted to make these to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in respect to the 3 chihuahuas in the family. Recipe made 27. I took 12 to work this AM (drive a school bus) and the rest is going this weekend to visit my precious 3 grandsons.
    Oh, by the way, if you all love family friendly blogs check out the one about my 3 grandsons
    http://www.lighthouseexplorations.blogspot.com/
    and the feedback on the cupcakes was, they were to die for!!!!!!
    I am going to stick one in the freezer for me, when I am off this crazy diet.
    Love your site.

    Reply

  25. Bonnie

    I just made your cupcakes this afternoon. They were delicious. I got a lot of compliments on them. Thank you for sharing your recipe and photos. Great job.
    I just linked up to your blog to share the recipe. I didn’t have time to take photos today. And your photos are done so nicely.
    Thanks again!

    Reply

  26. nawal

    Just baked a batch of these and they were simply deeeelightful! The cake texture is just perfect and the combination with the frosting– wow! My only question is that my frosting came out really liquidy so were a big mess to pipe… Could that be because I left it out a bit before piping? (I do live in a ridiculously hot country).. Should I have chilled it before?

    Reply

  27. donelle

    holymotheroflovelycupcakes. seriously. i just made these and they were a-ma-zing. i’m making another batch tomorrow for coworkers. seriously, by far my favorite cake/frosting/heavenly combination ever. and TOTALLY do the sea salt sprinkles. they MAKE this cupcake.

    Reply

  29. denisa

    hi! i’m from argentina and i want to add a tip: there’s diferent types of dulce de leche the best for this recipe is the DULCE DE LECHE PASTELERO or pastry dulce de leche.

    Reply

  30. Joselin

    This looks absolutely amazing, I love cupcakes and I am always in search of some. I love them so much I gave them up for Lent :(

    Reply

  31. Anna

    Speaking of dulce de leche… have you had Alfajores – the amazing Argentine cookie made with crumbly corn meal and cookies sandwiched between deliciously gooey dulce de leche and dipped in coconut? Our friend just brought some back from Buenos Aires and they’re amazing. I would love to see a recipe from you!

    Reply

  34. Sheila

    LOVE this post! The cupcakes look lovely and yummy, but the post oh how I can relate! Thank you so much for this! You totally just made my month!!!

    Reply

  35. Amy

    Hi Joy, these cupcakes look great! If I want to make them into mini cupcakes, how long should I bake them for??
    Thanks!

    Reply

  36. Lesley

    Loved these! I almost made a different cake part and this icing since you said this was a denser cake, but I’m glad I went with this. It was a perfect balance for the icing. So delicious! Thanks!

    Reply

  37. jennie

    oh. my. gosh. all i have done is eat the batter (7 more minutes for cooked cupcakes), and i already know these are my new fave cupcakes. thank you!

    Reply

  38. Peggy

    My mouth literally started watering when I saw these cupcakes… maybe it has something to do with the fact that it is closing in on mid-day and I haven’t eaten yet. Any who! These look delicious and now I have another excuse to make the hour long drive to Indianapolis to go to Whole Foods this coming week. I know my husband is going to love these for his birthday! Thank you!!! (and I am sure he will thank you as well!)

    Reply

  39. cecilia

    hey! the best to cook condensed milk to make dulce de leche, is cooking at least 4 unopened cans ( you are saving a lots of $$ in your energy bill), boil them for at least 3 hours and a half…yes, I know, sounds like an eternity, but let me tell you that works!!! The most important detail is: keep the water in the pan always covering the cans, adding more water all the time.I made some cans explode.(sticky-nasty-smelly cooking experience!)…so please, don’t let the water evaporate!

    Reply

  40. Kate

    Making your own dulce de leche is very easy. Just put the can in a tall pan and boil for about 2 hours (moderate heat). Taste and texture is perfect! Good luck.

    Reply

  41. Angie

    Joy. To The World. These cupcakes are out of control amazing. I just made a huge batch of them as a belated birthday gift to myself and proceeded to get all Martha Stewart–iced em up and scavenged for anything I could top them with–chocolate chips, cinnamon, sea salt, slivered almonds, coconut, and (pf course) sprinkles. I walked down to a friend’s house and we had ourselves a little dulce de leche cupcake decorating party. So, basically you made my birthday cupcakes without even knowing it. THANK YOU! I knew we were close friends :)

    Reply

  42. Angie

    Joy. To The World. These cupcakes are out of control amazing. I just made a huge batch of them as a belated birthday gift to myself and proceeded to get all Martha Stewart–iced them up and brought out anything I could find to top them with–chocolate chips, cinnamon, sea salt, slivered almonds, coconut, and sprinkles. I walked down to a friend’s house and we had ourselves a little dulce de leche cupcake decorating party. So, basically you made my birthday cupcakes without even knowing it. THANK YOU! :)

    Reply

  43. Janna

    My friend Aubrey and I made these over spring break, and we ate every last one of them. My tip to anyone, don’t EVER throw away the extra frosting. We had eaten so much of it when we were making them we made the mistake of throwing away the extra frosting. Of course, we regretted it the next day when we wanted to add more frosting to our cupcakes. These were delicious and we’ll be making them again!

    Reply

  45. Johana Porter

    Hi….a have a question…when did you used the buttermilk….because i see it in the ingredients but not in the instructions

    Reply

  46. Alison

    I’m in process of making these now. Cupcakes are baked (and DELICIOUS!), but the frosting is sooooo runny. I’ve already added 4 cups of powdered sugar and it looks like I’ll need another 2 or so….wondering why?

    Reply

  48. Bailey

    I’ve been following your blog for awhile now but never left a comment…I had to break my silence for these cupcakes. I made them on Sunday and they were amazing!!

    Reply

  50. Fernanda

    Hi! Today is my first visit , your blog is really amazing! I am from Argentina and the dulce de leche you are showing in the picture is one of the best we have here in Buenos Aires! xoxo

    Reply

  51. Emily

    I didn’t have any luck finding dulce de leche at the store today so I was just going to settle for Fran’s caramel sauce. But then I read your post again and I’ll be heading to Whole Foods this week! I made the cupcakes tonight and plan on freezing them, then pulling them out and frosting them this weekend when we have company over. I’m so excited, just the plain cupcakes smell SO good!

    Reply

    • Aubrey

      We found dulce de leche in the Mexican section of our local grocery store. I believe it was a HyVee, which is not a national brand of store, but maybe other grocery stores have equally awesome Mexican sections! Good luck and enjoy the cupckes! We sure did.

      Reply

  52. Ally

    Hi! I just made these today and I think I might have added a little too much Dolce de Leche to the frosting mix because the frosting came out pretty wattery and was very sloppy looking when I applied it to the cupcakes…..strange. Anyways, they were delicious none-the-less but if anyone has any pointers, reply to this comment :) Thanks for the recipe Joy, they were delish!

    Reply

  53. ginny

    they were delightful! luckily I live in TX so dulce de leche is easy to find. when I lived in Seoul I did make it with the can of condensed milk/water/oven and it worked perfectly and kept forever–at least I never got sick from any of the spoonfuls I ate literally month or so later….

    Reply

  54. Ellen

    ahhhhhhhhhh…took cupcakes to work…..the best comment? “that was the best cupcake i have ever eaten. i am a chocolate snob, but for a non-chocolate item, these cupcakes were beast, y’all. (like my middle school teacher speak? they teach me as much as i teach them. awww)

    Reply

  55. Madeline G

    I’m on a DIET, Diet, DIET!!!! If I’m good the rest of March, I will be happy to bake them and taste them. They really look yummie!

    Reply

  56. Dori

    Just made these and I’ve got to say, YUMMO!!! The Whole Foods near me didn’t have the Dulce de Leche so I went to my local ethnic food store and bought 3 cans of “Carnation Dulce de Leche”… OMG, so yummy… I may eat the other two cans with a spoon…

    Reply

  57. Pam

    When I read you ate that much batter, I thought you must be a real batter-lover. But, seriously, I wanted to settle down with a big spoon–yum! I’ve baked my cupcakes, made the dulce de leche (overnight crockpot), and am going to frost up these bad boys after church…I can’t wait!!!

    Reply

    • Sarah McD

      I’m making these right now and brought my computer to my dining room while the cupcakes are baking. And I’m sitting here typing with a spoon in my mouth and the bowl of batter next to me. I’ve never been a batter-lover but this stuff is heavenly. I’m pretty sure this is the baking equivalent of crack.

      Reply

  59. Samantha Ullrich

    Joy, I went to my local Whole Foods and they didn’t have ANY dulce de leche. So, because I have no patience to order it off Amazon, I bought classic caramel sauce (“rich sauce of slow-cooked caramel”). Will using this mess up the consistency or taste of the frosting?? I’m dying to make these today! HELP :)

    Reply

      • Samantha Ullrich

        Thanks for the tip! I made these today and they were a huge hit with friends and roommates. Only problem I ran into was that my frosting was very runny. I even let it sit in the fridge for an hour before piping it, and it still didn’t hold a shape. Oh well… they still tasted great!!

        Reply

        • Euge

          Well, I’m from Argentina so I can take as much Dulce de Leche as I want to :D. A tip (I guess it is kind of expensive there): You don’t need to make it from zero. You can start with condensed milk and then slowly add a little bit, and just a little bit, of baking soda (otherwise It won’t be totally brown!)
          Hope it helps!
          Cheers, and nice blog BTW :)

          Reply

  62. caroleena

    Hi! Well, I made my own dulce de leche (took 2 tries!) then I made these lovely cupcakes.I love the smiles I got from giving them away. Thank you so much for a great recipe & a wonderful post.

    Reply

  63. charlene

    Never worked with ducle de leche before….but when heating over a low flame in a heavey sauce pan it never had the consistency for dribbling. Was it the brand maybe?
    Delicious overall.

    Reply

  66. Gayle

    Gonna’ make these…but need to tell you that if you follow the recipe on the Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen…dulce de leche is incredibly easy and CHEAP to make…Try it…and I didn’t hurt myself! I sometimes eat this out of the jar with a BIG spoon…soooo good.

    Reply

    • Del

      While it is true it is easy to make, it is never the same. Trust me, as a dulce-de-lecheholic argentinian (La Salamandra is from here), there is an abyss from difference between brands and types of dulce de leche. There is the one used for cakes (quite thick), the traditional one, the colonial-type and the fancy-type. La Salamandra is a very good brand to try. Though I think you should try both and decide which is your favourite (If you can get it over there, Lapataia, an uruguayan brand of dulce de leche also produced in argentina is the best in my opinion). But be carefull…is is addictive (I eat it out of the jar far too often….my poor waistline!)

      Reply

  67. Jean

    I followed the recipe for dulce de leche from David Lebovitz. It was very simple. The sweetened condensed milk goes into a pie plate and you bake in oven for about an hour – try it.

    d

    Reply

  68. cindy

    HAALLELUJAAH! I’ve been searching for dulce de leche EVERYWHERE and none of the grocery stores around me have it, now that I found out I can just cook down sweetened condensed milk you have made my day. Thank you Thank you!! I can go make those dulce de leche cookies now!! WOOO

    Reply

  73. Priscilla G.

    Joy-
    Your just destined for greatness. Your gorgeous, harlarious, and a fantastic baker. Just become ridiculously famous already! its so happening.

    You were my first food blog.
    And now.
    You have created a monster.
    Keep it up.

    Reply

  74. Tiff

    Recipe sounds tasty! Any thoughts on how to incorporate the dulce de leche into the cupcake itself? Maybe dolloping some of it in the centre or marbling it through the batter?

    Reply

  75. Monica

    Thank you soooooo much!!! I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time and I really needed it!! Your shirt episode was just hilarious…I can see it happening!!! Thanks for the Dulce de Leche Cupcakes…YUM!!

    Reply

  76. Stephanie C

    If I was at a point where I could whip off my shirt in a spin class and just wear my sports bra.. you better believe I’d do it, too ;) But maybe just once for the experience!

    Reply

  77. JoJo

    I’m relatively new to your site, but oh, how I love your humor. Thanks for making me smile while I drool!

    Reply

  81. Lauren

    Ok made these last night for my hubby’s birthday and needless to say they were a total hit!! The icing is insanely goooood!! The recipe made 28 cupcakes and ironically, it was his 28th birthday.

    Reply

  82. kellypea

    Love dulce de leche anything and recently tried this brand, but with chocolate. It’s a whole eat from the jar experience just awaitin’ to happen. YUM. Lovely cup cakes with that little drizzle on top :)

    Reply

  83. JConnolly

    I found a method for making dulce de leche in the microwave at this website that has recipes written specifically for dorky engineers like me that worked FANTASTICALLY. It takes about two batches to figure out how fast it will happen in your microwave (mine took around 10 minutes), and you have to be there for the entire time watching it….but it’s way less freaky (to me) than the whole making-it-in-the-can thing (google it, because the instructions are quite specific….use the biggest bowl that will fit in your ‘wave…trust me on this). Plus, I haven’t tried this yet….but they make fat free sweetend condensed milk. You could *maybe* make fat free dulce de leche…..then dip celery in it, eat about one gallon a day, and tell yourself it’s health food.

    Anywho….I’m gonna try this recipe with my newly found super cheap and easy dulce de leche…yummy!

    Reply

  84. Tami

    Today I am going with my 26 year old daughter to have a biopsy on a suspicious mass in her breast. I had breast cancer at a rather young age and she is at high risk. I can barely breath today. I read your post (cause I need a good dulce de leche cupcake recipe) and I laughed and laughed. Thank you – today I needed to laugh a little. AND I can’t wait to try this recipe.

    Reply

  88. Mari

    The only bad part about this is that I have no one but my son to make it for…that means we consume ALL of them ALL by ourselves… =/

    Reply

  89. rachel

    just made these — the batter was delicious so i can not wait to try them out with my godson this afternoon. the icing is SO good, wonderfully light and not too sweet (i only used 2 c of confectioner sugar). thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  90. SoMD Baker

    Joy, I went hunting for the La Salamadra dulce de leche and couldn’t find it. I went to Whole Foods, I asked multiple WF employees stocking the shelves (who all agreed, dulce de leche is DELICIOUS, which just frustrated me further b/c it made me want it even more!), nothing. I’ve only ever had Nestle brand caramel, and if their dulce de leche is anything like their chocolate milk, I’m pretty positive someone else can do it better. Help! If I mail you a ten, could you mail me a jar?

    Reply

  91. Nick

    It’s one of my colleagues’ last day at work tomorrow. I decided that these would be a good send off gift. I made them tonight with no hiccups.. which is amazing considering how much batter, icing and dulce de leche I nom’ed. Really, though, these were so great and easy to make. I love your straight forward, no bullshit recipes. So fantastic. Mas dulce de leche por favor.

    Reply

  92. Ali Federwitz

    I didn’t read all of the other comments so please excuse me if this is a repeat but…we make Dulce de Leche by putting cans of sweetened condensed milk into a pressure cooker. it’s very easy and you can do several cans at once and then have it as a staple in your cupboard. Just make sure there is a rack on the bottom of your pressure cooker. Fill with a couple of inches of water, bring to low pressure for about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let pressure cooker cool. It’s so awesome. AND, i just thought I was making my own caramel all of these years. I had no idea it was dulce de leche!

    Reply

  94. K&B

    Wouaw, these cupcakes look so yummy. And dulce de leche is sooo great in pastries; I had a molten chocolate lava cake last weekend at the Starbucks’ and it was just so filled with dulce de leche, a real pleasure!

    B from K&B.

    Reply

  95. Harris

    I made these yesterday and I think they are my favorite dessert of all time. They are so freaking perfect I have eaten way too many but it is completely worth it for the amazing frosting.

    Reply

  96. Samantha Ullrich

    I’ve been searching for a [pretty] treat to make for my co-workers since they’ve been kind enough to visit my blog at least once, and ask me, “Where are the treats for us?!” This is the winner. I cannot wait to make these this weekend!

    Reply

  98. Julie

    Amazing , the batter is just so pretty and the result is perfect , so moist , I am in love.
    Thanks for this amazing receipe.

    Reply

  101. Melissa

    Oh these look wonderful! I have been looking for something different to make for my youngest girlies birthday next week! SCORE!!! She loves dulce de leche!!! Thanks so much!

    Reply

  107. Sandy in South Dakota

    I make my dulce de leche in the crock pot. I put the cans of milk in the crock pot….un-opened….and cover them with water and set the pot on low and go to bed for the night. ( I like to do several at a time.) In the morning……….ta da……….dulce de leche. Be sure to let it cool before opening it.
    Yum!!!!!

    Reply

    • caroleena

      Sandy! You’re Amazing!! Tonight – well, right now @ 3:00 a.m., I’m trying my 1st dulce de leche in the crockpot. Yesterday, I tried David Lebovitz’s recipe but it took 12 HOURS!! and still wasn’t the consistency I wanted. Gotta admit, I’m somewhat terrified that the can will explode, causing an electrical fire that will compound with the water from the crockpot….. but I pierced a TINY hole in the can & only put the water 3/4 of the way up the can. I’ll be brave tomorrow when I’m home ALL day & not asleep to obsess over how it’s doing if this batch doesn’t turn out……………………….

      Reply

  110. RealMommyChron

    Holy, holy….these look amazing! :)

    At my baby shower a family friend made a cajeta (similar enough, eh?) cake that had layers of soft AND frozen cajeta….I don’t know how she did it, but it was amazing. And now thinking of that cake and seeing these cupcakes is making my mouth water.

    I keep telling my husband I have no idea why I haven’t lost a single pound after doing P90X for three weeks, but really I DO know why. YOUR SITE. (You’re lucky someone gave us the DVDs for free, or else I would be requesting that you refund my P90X money.)

    For example, those peanut butter, pretzel, coarse salt brownies were gone in a day and now I am forced to try this recipe and self-sabotage again!!! ;)

    Reply

  111. Jessica

    OMG, that made me laugh out loud at my desk. I live on the Upper East Side in Manhattan so my gym is FILLED with those types of women looking for rich third husbands. Their faces are 50, their bodies are 30, and their boobs are harder than their abs.

    PS, love the cupcakes :)

    Reply

  112. carolina

    You know what is also great? To fill the cupcakes with dulce de leche before baking them… When they come out of the oven the dulce de leche is melted.. what else can I say!
    I’m from Argentina so I love seeing recipes with dulce de leche! I’m lucky that I can buy it anywhere, but that’s only fair cause I’m always left out when you cook with peanut butter!

    Reply

  114. Snarky Sister

    I lol’d at girls taking their shirts off during spin class because I was thinking the same thing during my hot yoga class – why do men insist on not wearing shirts? We’re all hot! The room is 40 degrees. Keep your damn shirt on! That being said, the cupcakes look divine!

    Reply

  115. monikapaprika

    dulce de leche cupcakes sound delicioso! cream cheese frostings are my weakness, and this is one i’m going to have try asap! thanks for sharing! ps – i like the new banner for the month!

    Reply

  118. jon

    OMG..these look amazing! These will definitely be the next cupcakes I make.

    I’ve made dulce de leche a couple times with milk, sugar and baking powder, it turned out great, but VERY time consuming! It literally took 3+ hours and you have to stand and stir pretty much the whole time! I’ll buy it next time for sure :) Is the brand you got from whole foods?

    Reply

  119. Shayna

    So… these look ummm… How do I say amazing, but fancier? Anyways, is that a Picking Daisies cloth napkin I’m seeing? Love them too : )

    Reply

  124. Jennifer

    You are so funny! Great post!
    I love the look of this cupcake recipe. I have an upcoming birthday to bake for, so I will be sure to try this one out!
    Thanks for the great recipes, as always!

    Reply

  129. Becca

    I find it kinda creepy when people go to the gym and people flirt with eachother (and you can tell they aren’t married to eachother). But anyways these cupcakes look devine! But I can’t believe that recipe gives you over 2 dozen cupcakes! I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I had access to that much batter/cake.

    Reply

  131. Jess Wakasugi

    Great post, I definitely got a few chuckles! And don’t worry, you’re not mean because you think people need to keep their shirts on at the gym. I’d argue that’s a pretty valid opinion :)

    The cupcakes look great, I LOVE dulce de leche, look forward to testing these out!

    Reply

  132. Shauna

    Those look ridiculously delicious. Next time you make cupcakes and don’t want to eat them, send them my way. I’m sure they’d make it up the coast just fine!

    Reply

  133. cheree

    These cupcakes look amazing. Making your own caramel from condensed milk really is super easy – you shouldn’t be scared. BTW your bee story had me in hysterics.

    Reply

  134. Chloe

    Hi Joy !

    First thanks a lot for your blog, it’s really quite delicious :)

    But about the sportbra, you are confusing me ! I’ve been going to the gym for just a few weeks, wearing sports bra+a t-shirt and looked with envy to those just wearing bras thinking it looked way more comfortable than wearing a sweaty t-shirt and that I definitely had to do that if I could ever feel comfortable enough about it. And I think being comfortable could be all it is about, and if it isn’t, and those women also want to look good, I fail to see what is wrong with that. No?

    Reply

  135. caroleena

    Oh, Joy! Thank you for your blog – I love it so! I do not have much of a sweet tooth, so I enjoy baking sweets much more that I enjoy eating them. Unless it’s baklava… then I don’t even share. However, I do like to try whatever it is I’ve baked to see if it’s really good & once I know, then that’s fine. These, I’ll have to try. And I promise I won’t add sardines. :D

    Reply

  136. Monica

    I don’t know why but every time I make cupcakes I always arrange the liners by color, in a horizontal rows. You know, the liners that have blue, yellow and pink? I thought of it looking at your picture of the unfrosted cupcakes lined up in a row :) I’m not usually over picky about things when it comes to cooking, but I always do that with cupcakes.

    Reply

  138. Lora

    So I saw this recipe this morning (after being super crabby- see previous post) and it made me happy. So at lunch I went to Target to get dulce de leche and alas, I couldn’t find it. Granted I didn’t look too hard because time was limited, so I got sweetened condensed milk and decided I was going to make my own. Then I read online when I got back to my computer I read up on how do to this experiment and found out that if you boil the can for 3 HOURS!!! then you can get what you are looking for. However, the can could blow up. um… not a fan of flying metal chunks and boiling caramel, so my ever so smart sister suggested I check out David Lebowitz’s recipe- and this is WAY easier. Check it out!
    http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/11/dulce-de-lechec/

    Reply

  140. KeishaG

    Joy, you are simply fantastic. I am also a self-taught baker, so finding your site has been an inspiration. Your decorating skills are fantastic; I have fallen in love with your pictures. Blessing, Blessings…you are truly blessed. Take care and keep baking…Lol

    Reply

  141. denise

    actually, dulce de leche is not made out of condensed milk. That’s just the “fast” way out. It’s made out of milk, sugar and a little bit of baking soda.
    and La salamandra is one of the best brands, good choice.

    i wanna eat those cupcakes… specially before baking them !! =P

    Reply

  142. Annie

    Yum.

    Now get this: I’m such a fucking saint I’ve made my own dulce de leche FROM SCRATCH. Yes, that is right, from raw goat milk that I milked from my own freaking goat and cooked down with sugar.

    Go ahead, roll your eyes.

    Reply

  143. gloria

    for the thing about the sports bra girlie-

    maybe she is a cursing fool who can’t drive and was stung by a bee and has neighbors on either side of her house that are having an affair and does jazz hands to church- on a unicycle. and her sports bra was the color of DDL.

    now that is sick. buttercream cupcake sick.

    and do you mean to say Joy that that girl is NAKED?! like as in JUST a sports bra??!?!

    oh now that’s why so many men work out ohhhhh~ :P

    Reply

  144. angela

    i always feel really bad when i curse at someone on the way to/from church too. but why do ppl have to drive so dumb?!
    i love dulche de leche. yummm on top of a cheesecake with pecans and a drizzle of chocolate….

    Reply

  145. Shauna in Texas

    On making dulce de leche:

    I’m similarly paranoid about covering my kitchen in can-shards, but I’ve heard that you can achieve similar results by pouring the condensed milk into a baking pan and sticking it in the oven for a bit, and stirring every so often. You know. If you want to try. And then make a post about it.

    Reply

  146. Linnea

    Joy, I have to say the cursing, J-walking and rolling eyes are completely understandable.

    If I was about to enter a church, I’d try to avoid the cursing, but otherwise, it sounds like your just keeping yourself sane.

    Also hate the girl that is at the gym at 7 in the morning with more makeup then I have on all day. WHO CURLS THEIR HAIR to go to the gym?!
    .. get out. (there should be a gym police: if your flirting, looking too perfect, or havent broken out in a sweat(in a shirt.), you need to get out.)

    Reply

  147. Sarah

    Mmmmm. These look delicious.

    Also the best recipe I’ve found for dulce de leche is the one in Alice Medrich’s new cookie book (“Chewy, Gooey, . . . “). It uses whole milk and sugar and lots of time instead of sweetened condense milk. More fun, less processed, and no risk of eye injury. Plus it tasted much better than the other recipes!

    Reply

  150. Jenny (VintageSugarcube)

    Joy! These look awesome. I always go to this hole in the wall Latin restaurant in San Diego that has the most amazing food and they also sell products from Puerto Rico and South America. They have this Dulce de Leche that looks amazing and I’ve always wanted to buy it, but didn’t have an idea of what to do with it. Next time I make frosting, I’ll be going to JoytheBaker and finding this one. :)

    Reply

    • denise

      you can always.. eat it! we eat it with a spoon, right from the jar, or on a toast, or between layers of cake, or.. wherever! just eat it =P

      Reply

  151. Beth S.

    I should share this recipe with the 7th grade girls at my school. They seem to be having a cupcake war. They bring in cupcakes for no reason whatsoever at least twice a week. Thankfully I’m not a 7th grade homeroom teacher or my waistline would really be suffering, though I do on occasion get to partake in their sweet treats. This one sounds right up their alley.

    Reply

  153. Lot-O-Choc

    Love your post haha it made me laugh and for the cupcakes they look delicious, I love dulce de leche in any form..dulce de leche cheesecake is amazing! These cupcakes look just as tempting, I would love to try one!

    Reply

  156. Rebecca in STL

    I also secretly hate the chick with the perfect butt who does her squats right in front of the treadmill row. Ugh. She so obviously needs to eat some of these cupcakes.

    And as for God…he forgives. :-) Otherwise we’d all be screwed.

    Reply

  158. ellie

    yes i did not know what “dulce de leche” is but now i do thank you joyous joy

    sorry for the awk ending. its monday. but the LAST FREAKING DAY OF FEBBIE WOOHOOO!

    and did you watch the oscars?!?!? they were a hoot darling. a completely hoot.

    and what is j walk anyways?!?! i must look that up…

    Reply

  159. michellj

    the spinning hussy, the neighbor who refuses to acknowledge you, the church member who wont touch the collection plate.. sometimes I feel like I wrote these posts. Oh yeah and the ‘light skinned biracial girl with unfortunate hair in 94’ thing… that too. This blog makes my day.
    On another note, I was trying to replicate my grandmas date bars from a recipe my vegan hippie mother gave me and I think she hoodwinked me and left out half the ingredients because they were not the same bars I remember at all. And by half I mean all the butter and the sugar. Can I politely and sincerely submit a request for date bars on your ‘to do’ list? The recipe she gave me tasted like mulch, and thats sad because I was trying to convince coworkers that dates are delicious.

    Reply

  161. ErinsFoodFiles

    Perhaps it’s just because it’s the south, but there are women at one of the YMCA locations I go to that will exercise in full on make-up, as well as their pearl earrings or diamond studs. And no shirt. Just a sports bra. I’m like “Really? You put on your make-up and jewelry, but felt a shirt was unnecessary?!”

    PS. Those cupcakes look simply divine!

    Reply

  163. Parsley Sage

    Love this post. I’m not really a cupcake maker…much better at the eating side of things. These look lovely tho, so good I may have to try.

    Oh, and I hate that skinny skank on the spinning bike too.

    Reply

  166. Gen

    Oh they look wonderful!
    Well, I’ve already tried makind my own dulche de leche (which we actually call milk jam in France) and it’s really easy! Anyway, I agree creating cupcakes is so much fun! But I like to eat them too ^^

    Reply

  168. Theadora

    My Great Grandma used to bake Sweetened Condensed Milk in the oven (with the top of the can open but not removed…) until it became a wonderful caramel treat that she would pour over apples and ice cream. All this time I thought she was serious white trash and was totally embarrassed that my GGma was BAKING a CAN of anything. Who knew it was actually a thing?!

    Reply

  171. Dana Stannard

    I totally agree with the sports bra comments. I feel the same way at my gym. Of course, most of the people at my gym are senior citizens so that’s not often an issue….lol.

    Reply

  172. Ella @ The Single Girl's Kitchen

    mmm DDL. it was the main cause of me gaining 20 pounds when I lived in Buenos Aires for 6 months. down there, DDL is basically its own food group.
    if you want to make it yourself, I’d highly recommend the crockpot method. less dangerous than boiling in a pot of water, and it works like a charm.

    Reply

  174. kati

    I know a woman that made her own dulche de leche by putting cans of sweetened condensed milk in the oven on a low temp for a couple of hours. One time she forgot about them and went to bed. In the middle of the night she woke to two very loud popping sounds. Went downstairs to find her oven door broken and dulche de leche all over EVERYTHING. The best part? Her husband is a safety inspector.

    Reply

  175. Esther

    Those cupcakes look awesome. And you are awesome for not only introducing us to these cupcakes, but for going to the gym at 7 in the morning. Go Joy!

    Reply

  179. Jenna

    OOoooooohhhhhhhhhh, these look delish!!!! I was trying to be good today, but these cupcakes are calling my name now. Thanks a lot! : ) Maybe I will make them later in the week after a few days of sticking to my diet. I have to find an alternative frosting though because I’m not a fan of cream cheese.

    Reply

  180. Anna

    those look DELISH!!! i can’t wait to try to make them…probably won’t look nearly as good as yours since i don’t call myself a baker of any sorts! thanks for sharing!

    xo,
    anna

    Reply

  182. Vicky

    I love dulce de leche (though I don’t eat it often) and I love spinning and think it is ridiculous when people take off their shirts:) I’ve also been reading your blog for years and haven’t commented. I can’t resist caramel and spinning!

    There is quite a simple way to make homemade dulce de leche I was reading about where you basically boil a can of condensed milk! I’ve been meaning to make it forever! I may be inspired now…

    http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/dulce-de-leche

    Reply

  183. Chamayne

    You should know a few things:
    1. I’m not a cook book(er) but I’ll buy yours. One for the kindle, one hard copy (because nothing beats the feel of a book)
    2. I will use said cookbook to bake my way to a heart attack or bake my way out of excuses to join the gym. Either way change is a-coming
    3. I love your recipes. Yes love.

    Reply

  184. Philip Geneman

    those cup cakes look so good and I love Delce de leche that make it even better. I have tried to make delce de leche but it was a wile ago and it did not tern out so good, practice makes perfect ha. Oh for the j-walking, cursing, and rolling your eyes na I don’t think its wrong.

    Reply

  186. Vicki B

    I saw the title and thought “Uh oh, here’s something irresistible.” These look and sound too delicious. It’s possible to cook the sweetened condensed milk in the top of a double boiler, stirring quite a bit until it gets browned.

    Reply

  187. Debbie

    How crazy am I – I use my pressure cooker to make dulce de leche. Only takes about 45 minutes to do 6 cans! Just be sure the can has cooled down totally before opening it. I usually do them the day before I need them just to be sure…

    The recipe looks scrumptious – will try it asap…

    Reply

  188. Alison

    Hi Joy! Your recipe says “3 Cups plus all purpose flour”. Plus what?
    Also, I made your peanut butter banana bread last week and it was fantastic!

    Reply

  189. alaina

    Hi I am new to your blog and decided to like you on facebook after hearing my friend rave about you. Well I have only been reading a few days and I think you’re witty and your recipes are great! I think the dulce de leche recipe will be my first to make!

    Reply

  190. DeeDee

    I need to make some “thanks for being awesome” cupcakes for some co-workers and these look perfect. Thank you as always!!

    Reply

  191. Rocky Mountain Woman

    Typically I buy this to put in my coffee….yum!

    But, these look like they are worthy of a Saturday afternoon when it’s snowing and I need something sweet…Wait, I need something sweet every Saturday afternoon!

    YUM!

    Reply

  193. Carly

    your strangerlady/stripping story made me giggle. i say okay to your rolling of the eyes–but it’s one of my favorite hobbies. thanks for the laugh and an amazing recipe!

    Reply

  194. Kourtney

    The easiest way I’ve found to make your own dulce de leche is to pour a can of sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate (or similar), cover it with foil, place in a water bath in a 400-degree oven, and let it brown up and turn beautiful and delicious. Just stir it every once in a while, and it’s done!

    I MUST try this recipe soon – yum!

    Reply

  195. Joyce

    Joy — your cupcakes look wonderful, I must give them a try. And I’ve made dulce de leche by boiling sweetened condensed milk and did not burn my house down or put an eye out (my husband was sure both would happen!) Its easy, (Google for details) just pay attention and don’t let the water boil down too far.

    Reply

  198. Pat

    I think that driving and cursing at the same time is just normal. I cannot believe how some people drive…

    These cupcakes look delish! I will definitely try them.

    Reply

  199. toni

    First how do you pipe the frosting so the cupcakes look so pretty? Second, you’re from L.A. you know that SoCal women have to take off their shirt in spin to show off their “work”. We have a spin teacher that has obviously made an “investment” in herself and she faces the class hunched over (maybe they’re heavy) with a colorful sports bra. Her class is very popular among the men? It kind of takes away from the fact she’s a good instructor and I burn at least 600 calories in her class. Wonder how many cupcakes that is? Maybe one or two?

    Reply

  201. Rachel

    I think I just fell in love with your blog from this post alone. Not because of the cupcakes (no offense…they do look great tho!) but because of your writing style. Love it.

    Reply

  202. Tabitha Hunter

    Ok ,you summoned me with caramel, but…you are hilarious! Thanks for the morning laugh! I happen to believe all 3 of your sins are completely ok & forgivable…maybe that’s a justification as I share all of your traits, but we shall go with it :) ~Tabitha

    Reply

  204. Rachel

    I am fairly new to your blog…and no judgment please, but I may or may not have read almost all of the archives while at work over the past few months…

    Thank you for being honest, I, too, was cussing at drivers on the way to church yesterday…oops!

    These look delicious. I can’t wait to make and eat them!!

    Reply

  205. Angela Reichenbach

    Joy,
    Is the amount of frosting enough for the cupcakes or should the batch be doubled for piping it on since that usually takes more frosting than just spreading it?

    These look divine, btw. : )

    Reply

  206. Tracy Blue

    What church in LA do you go to? ….Im not from LA and Im not a stocker… just nosey/curious…

    On Gourmet.com there is a recipe for Banoffee Pie (seriously delicious). It involves baking sweetened condenced milk in a pie plate in a pan of waterness and then pouring it over bananas in a baked pie shell. This is then topped with whipped cream. I didn’t know that this was dolce de leche but I always felt like it tasted like it which is why one day I made ice cream with it…

    :):) like your posts!

    Reply

  207. Anne @ Baking Me

    People need to realize there is such a thing a gym etiquette and that the gym is not just an extension of your house, it is actually a public place and the same rule apply. At my gym there is a guy who spits in the garbage can about every two minutes, it’s disgusting. Geesh some people.

    Anyway these cupcakes look crazy good :)

    Reply

  208. Michelle

    1) No, it’s not wrong to J-walk to get to church, remember, our God is a loving a forgiving God (LAPD however does not have the same outlook so be careful); 2) No, it’s not wrong to curse at drivers on your way to church – it’s LA, it’s a fact of life, the roads are full of curse-inducing drivers; 3) It’s so not jerky to roll your eyes at the lady in spin class trying to pick on the married man on the other side of you (my friend’s husband had an affair that started in spin class so actually rolling the eyes may be a little too subtle); and 4) It’s obvious you’re not over 40 or your response to the stripper on the bike would be “put your shirt back on tramp” – am I right my over 40 friends?! By the way, the cupcakes look amazing and you can find the dulche de leche at Williams-Sonoma too. Thanks!!

    Reply

  210. Jennifer @ LiciousFood

    You must be reading my mind, oh wait I must have read your mind since I am planning to make some Dulce de Leche cupcakes tonight — my hope is that they will be delicious and blog worthy.

    Driving and cussing go hand in hand for me.

    Reply

  212. Briana

    Sports bra girl sounds about as bad as sweat slinging dude! Please keep your shirts on and bring a towel dude!! Thank you!!

    These cupcakes look divine! Thanks for sharing! (I also have a fear of making my own dulce de leche, and apparently an addiction to using exclamation marks! :)

    Reply

  213. Laura @ SweetSavoryPlanet

    I always thought it was kinda bazaar that everyone was screeching out of the parking lot after church. What was the hurry? They seemed to be using a variety of hand signals and those frustrated silent words from their car. At the time it seemed normal!

    dulce de leche! you had to go there.

    Reply

  215. Stephanie

    Wow, two post in a row about someone taking their shirt off. You’re getting pretty steamy up in here…lol I might have to try these cupcakes. They look delicious. They’re fat-free, right?

    Reply

  217. Erika

    LOL! I might have cursed a few drivers on my way to church yesterday, and I know I fussed at all the redlights I had to sit through. Of course, if I had not been running late, that wouldn’t have been an issue! I guess things like that are the reason we need a relationship with a loving, merciful, forgiving God :)
    I say continue to roll the eyes in spin class…..someone needs to let her know that behavior is not acceptable!

    Reply

  218. Kris

    Making your own is NOT hard at all. You put a can of sweetened condensed milk in the pan and fill the pan with water (over the top of the can). Bring it to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. All you have to do is check the water occasionally to make sure it doesn’t all evaporate. Add a little hot water if the level is getting low. Then let it cool and use!
    Don’t try to do two cans at once if you are planning to use the other later…it does this wierd thing and forms crystals in the caramel. No clue why.

    Reply

  219. Clara

    Joy, were you reading my mind??? I have to make a dessert for a friend’s birthday next weekend and I was on the hunt for a dulce de leche cake recipe. Yours looks amazing, I’m definitely making these cupcakes!

    Reply

  220. Roberta

    I am all for buying it. In college, my roommate decided to try and make her own. The can exploded, cut her above the eye (luckily it wasn’t serious enough for stitches) and then it took us three hours to clean up the stuff–off the floor, the cupboards, and the ceiling as the sugar content doesn’t come off in the first cleaning.

    Reply

  221. cindy

    i curse while driving all the time. it’s not very ladylike for sure.
    the cupcakes look amazing and that jar of dulce de leche is too cute w/ the burlap on top.

    Reply

  222. Stephanie

    I know I am guilty of every crime you wrote about today. I am new to your blog and can’t believe how much I enjoy reading it. Your stories are entertaining, the pictures are gorgeous and the recipes … well I have not made any yet but they look great. (I will make one, I promise.)

    Reply

  223. thecookingteacher

    Funny as always…I was taught to boil in the can in culinary school, but with all the chemicals they talk about in cans liners I opt for baking it instead. Pour it straight into a baking dish and bake, nothing simplier – just cook low and slow :c)

    Reply

  224. blueka

    I don’t have a whole foods – but I buy this same Dulce de Leche at Williams-Sonoma… it is seriously to die for, all others pale in comparison, for sure. Can’t wait to try the recipe!!!

    Reply

  225. Lora

    I woke up and came to work today feeling ridiculously crabby, then I read your blog and laughed the whole time. Good to know other people curse on the way to church and get annoyed with weird women without shirts. Oh Joy- thanks for making me not so crabby this morning. My co-workers thank you as well.

    Reply

  227. Bettye

    Joy,
    I’m still fasinated with the “bee” story this past week!!!!! It keeps a smile on my face just thinking about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Keep up the good work and keep me smiling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  229. Christine

    Joy, these look fantastic. I have to know what you do with all of your delicious cakes and cookies. I am thinking that even though you like batter, there is no way that you are eating 2 dozen cupcakes! If you are giving them to friends and family, I would love to be your friend!

    Reply

  231. coffeeaddict

    Dear Joy, I might be forced to stop reading your blog ;-) Every time you post a recipe my immediate reaction is: drop everything, go to the store for supplies, bake, eat. It’s playing havoc with my finances and my figure.
    I’m off to buy some dulche de leche…

    Reply

  235. Chihiro

    So so gorgeous! I need to practice my swirl. Are those sprinkles Williams Sonoma?
    I live in New York and glare at all people who don’t j-walk (and block me from j-walking). Will try to not do it in California.

    Reply

  237. Kylie @ A Hungry Spoon

    Holy yum! I’ll be honest: I’d never been a cupcake-baker until January when I received “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” as a birthday gift. I’ve made exactly one batch of cupcakes every week since (yes, that’s 6 different batches of cupcakes, 6 different recipes). Dulce de Leche recipe from you is up next :)

    Reply

  239. Alicen

    I have made it by boiling the can of Sweetened condensed milk. It was very easy and did not blow up or make any mess what-so-ever. I shall have to try it again to make these cupcakes! YUMMY!

    Reply

  240. Mica

    This looks like perfect timing! I’m from Argentina, the LAND of dulce de leche, and yesterday the grocery store was closed, and I was craving so much for a spoonfull, so I had a condensed milk can, and say: why not? It TOOK forever, as Gayle said, so when I opened the can, the store has already reopen. It turned out too white and milky for me, so I put it on a pan and started to swirl it
    Result: burned, thick and non-spreadable dulce de leche.

    I’ll stick to buy it.

    Reply

  242. Shushmi

    I am totally with you on rolling your eyes at the attention seeking lady excerciser. Apparently my facial expressions do not allow me to hide what I’m really thinking so I imagine I would be rolling my eyes up to heaven with you.

    These cupcakes look yum :) and I never knew that dulce de leche was condensed milk boiled in the can.I remember seeing my teacher do that in my cooking classes at school. It looked scary – like the can might explode. Eeek! :-/

    Reply

  243. Starstryder

    My mom used to boil cans of condensed milk when I was a youngling…they are so delicious to eat this way, yeah mom wasn’t afraid of a sugar high kid lol. Admittedly we had to make a tin last at least a week :D I have tried to do it on my own and only succeeded once, the other time it blew up…not a pretty picture I can tell you that, the only upside was that it was a kitchen the size of a cupboard so the clean up was small in comparison to how bad it could have been.

    Reply

  244. Gayle

    I have made my own dulce de leche from scratch. It takes FOREVER. So last time I was at the Mexican grocery store I bought two cans of it, which just happen to be sitting on my pantry shelf……… hmmmmmmm…….

    Reply

  247. Danni

    I fear this lil comment will get lost in a plethora of others, but Joy I just wanted to say thank you for reading that post! It means so much :) Hope you don’t mind that I adapted the recipe.

    On a second note, i hate said attention-seeking-lady-exercisers – me and my friends [all 20yrs old] head off to the gym to y’know, pretend that we can actually handle being active, and there’s about ten women three times our age wearing crop tops. And with good reason- they have better figrues than any of us.

    HOW?

    gah. Maybe it’s my addiction to those choc orange scones :P

    xxx

    Reply

    • joythebaker

      i don’t mind that you adapted the recipe at all! that’s what this whole blog thing is about. i want people to make my stuff their own.
      your blog is darling. i really like it.

      thanks for coming by to say hi! and thanks for keeping your top on. both rad things.

      Reply

  252. Christine

    i’d love to try dulce du leche, but they don’t sell it in australia and i too am far too petrified to make it in the boiling can method and i reckon that it doesn’t work as well via the other methods.. oh one day i will try dulce du leche!!

    Reply

  253. Ryan @ Ryan's Baking Blog

    I’ve made dulce de leche in a pie plate in the oven and it took forever. I want to try with a can but I have the same fear that you do…I’ve thought about hiding in the other room and only coming out when I know it is done but I’m convinced that that will be the time it explodes and takes my face off.

    Reply

    • Kat

      Try doing it on a double boiler. The problem is that if the can is touching the bottom of the pan (where the heat is), the can and contents get too hot. I made mine in a double boiler (with some water in the top portion as well). No Explosions. Three hours later… beautiful dulche de leche!

      Reply

  255. Angelique

    I fell in love when I saw these… and I think my ass just found something new to hate
    but ima sick of hatin’, so ima do more lovin’, and be a ‘nice person’. I think I might make these for everyone I know.. 48 cupcakes seems to be enough :D
    mmm mmmmm
    thank you!

    Reply

  259. Stephanie

    Let the record reflect that sports bra alone does NOT an acceptable workout outfit make!

    PS thank you thank you THANK YOU for these. I want to make them like…now.

    Reply

  261. Kocinera

    Problem #1: I have no buttermilk or brown sugar.

    Problem #2: There is a container of dulce de leche sitting in my fridge, completely unattended.

    Problem #3: It’s going to be my midnight snack because of this post. ^__^

    Reply

  262. Megan

    These cupcakes look like the perfect thing to eat after spin class, while j-walking and rolling your eyes! They are the prettiest damn cupcakes I’ve ever seen. Pardon my french. :)

    Reply

  264. Deese

    Yummy.

    I am having a party this Sunday. I am making banana cupcakes galore starting Wednesday. But now I want to make these too! I wonder if I can fit them in…did I mention I’m making sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and date oatmeal cookies on Tuesday? And Monday is going to be spent digging up my yard to make a pretty pretty flower bed.

    Busy, Baking, and Beautifying. And now you go and show me these yummy treats and make me want to add to this craziness. Well, it is my own fault for visiting your site, I always want to make the things you post about!

    Just a note, the title for the recipe Dulce is misspelled Dulde. :)

    Reply

  265. fl girllllllllllll

    ooooh yes back to the baked goods. So Joy I was wondering what your thoughts are on using milk that has lemon juice added to it versus using buttermilk that you’ve purchased. Is one more superior than the other? These are looking like something I might want to go whole hog about…

    Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll Up