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    Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes

    08/05/2020 by thebakingexplorer 7 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Who doesn't love a millionaire's shortbread - the combination of chocolate, caramel and shortbread is such a winner! I'm a huge fan of them and I can never resist a slice, or two! I've created these Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes with all the same tasty flavours and textures, plus there's cake too! I've filled a fluffy vanilla sponge with caramel sauce, swirled some milk chocolate buttercream on top, drizzled on more carmel and added a buttery shortbread biscuit. I love doing filled cupcakes, and I probably most often fill them with caramel because it's so good! I also really went for it with the millionaire theme by using gold cupcakes and gold coin style sprinkles, of course this isn't necessary but it really adds to the effect and makes them more recognisable.

    Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes

    Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

    • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
    • I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
    • For the filling, my favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce. But you can also use a shop bought sauce.
    • A cupcake corer makes the process of filling the cupcakes with the caramel sauce much easier. They're very cheap and easy to get hold of online too. If you can get hold of a cupcake corer, you can use a small knife, an apple corer or the larger round end of a piping nozzle to make the hole.
    • I used milk chocolate for the buttercream, you can also use dark chocolate it you prefer.
    • If you prefer, you could decorate the cupcakes with a small piece of millionaire's shortbread
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    How to make Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes

    To make the sponge, mix together the butter and sugar, then whisked in the eggs and vanilla extract.

    Next, add the self raising flour and whisk until smooth. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases, and bake them for 25 minutes until golden. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, use a cupcake corer to make a hole in the centre. Fill each hole with caramel sauce.

    To make the buttercream, mix together butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder. Then mix in melted chocolate, then add milk to loosen the buttercream until it reaches a pipeable consistency.

    What caramel sauce is best to use?

    My favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce, it's rich, smooth and absolutely divine! You can also easily add salt to it to make it into a salted caramel sauce. If you don't want to make your own, it's quite easy nowadays to find a good quality ready made caramel (or salted caramel) sauce in the shops or online. I have used Tesco's Finest, Bonn Maman and Carnation Caramel in the past with great results.

    How long do the cupcakes last for and can they be frozen?

    The cupcakes will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the cupcakes well in cling film or put them in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. To freeze them decorated, freeze the cupcakes on a plate until frozen solid, then carefully wrap in cling film. Remove the clingfilm when you take the cupcakes out of the freezer to defrost, as if they defrost with it still on it could damage the buttercream.

    Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?

    Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ½ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

    Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes

    Can the cupcakes be made gluten or dairy free?

    Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xanthan Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread and dairy free milk for the cupcakes and the buttercream. You will also need to decorate the cupcakes with a dairy free mint chocolate alternative to Aero.

    Do you need an electric mixer to make this recipe?

    While you can absolutely make this recipe with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease, I do recommend using an electric mixer for the best results. The cupcakes will be lighter and fluffier when made with an electric mixer. The buttercream will also be smoother. You don't have to use an expensive stand mixer either, you can get electric hand whisks for as little as £10!

    Tips for making the Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes:

    • Don't add the shortbread biscuits until close to serving, as the moisture can make them go soft over time.
    • I used a Wilton 2D piping nozzle for these cupcakes.
    • You can spread the buttercream onto the cupcakes with a spoon if you don’t want to pipe it.

    Troubleshooting

    If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    • Cupcake tin
    • Mixing bowls
    • Cooling rack
    • Kitchen scales
    • Electric hand mixer
    • Piping bags
    • Cupcake corer
    • Salted Caramel Sauce
    • Gold foil cupcake cases
    • Wilton 2D Piping nozzle

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes

    Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes

    Vanilla sponge, caramel filling, milk chocolate buttercream, more caramel and a shortbread biscuit
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Cupcake
    Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 12
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the sponge

    • 175 g Butter or baking spread softened, unsalted
    • 175 g Caster sugar
    • 3 Eggs large
    • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
    • 175 g Self raising flour

    For the filling

    • 185 g Caramel sauce good quality shop bought, or homemade

    For the buttercream

    • 200 g Butter softened, unsalted
    • 400 g Icing sugar
    • 100 g Milk chocolate, melted or dark chocolate if you prefer
    • 2 tbsp Cocoa powder omit it using dark chocolate
    • 2-3 tbsp Milk

    For decoration

    • 25 g Caramel sauce good quality shop bought, or homemade
    • 12 Shortbread biscuits
    • Gold sprinkles optional
    • Gold edible glitter optional
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases
    • To make the sponge, mix together the butter and sugar, ideally using an electric mixer
    • Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk well
    • Then gently whisk in the self raising flour
    • Divide the mixture between the 12 cupcake cases
    • Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely
    • Use a cupcake corer or a knife to make a hole in the middle of each cupcake
    • Fill the holes with the caramel sauce. You can do this using a spoon or put the sauce into a small piping bag, snip the end off and pipe it in
    • Make the buttercream by mixing together the butter, cocoa powder, milk and icing sugar, then add the melted chocolate, and mix until smooth. You can add more milk if required. For best results, use an electric mixer
    • Pipe the buttercream onto each cupcake using a piping bag fitted with your chosen nozzle. Or spread on with a spoon
    • Drizzle over the caramel, you can do this using a spoon or put the sauce into a small piping bag, snip the end off and pipe a drizzle over
    • Press a shortbread biscuit on top of each cupcake and add some sprinkles. Please note, the biscuits will go soft the longer they are in the buttercream because of the moisture, so add them as close to serving as possible
    • Store in an airtight container in a cool place, eat leftovers within 3 days
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Notes

    • Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
    • I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
    • For the filling, my favourite caramel sauce to use is my Homemade Caramel Sauce. But you can also use a shop bought sauce.
    • A cupcake corer makes the process of filling the cupcakes with the caramel sauce much easier. They're very cheap and easy to get hold of online too. If you can get hold of a cupcake corer, you can use a small knife, an apple corer or the larger round end of a piping nozzle to make the hole.
    • I used milk chocolate for the buttercream, you can also use dark chocolate it you prefer.
    • If you prefer, you could decorate the cupcakes with a small piece of millionaire's shortbread
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 869IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Cupcake recipes!

    « Chocolate Orange Drip Cake
    Nutella Baked Donuts »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessica Cantoni

      May 10, 2020 at 11:29 am

      LOVE Millionaire Shortbread! That buttercream looks amazing by the way xx

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        May 10, 2020 at 2:04 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    2. Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie

      May 11, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      5 stars
      What a fab idea! I do so love a dessert mashup 😀 Eb x

      Reply
    3. Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery

      May 11, 2020 at 3:48 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my!!! They look amazing!!! Thanks for sharing #CookBlogShare

      Reply
    4. Sheena

      July 22, 2020 at 6:50 am

      5 stars
      I made these and they went down a treat with everyone! Loved the caramel filling too. Your recipes are so simple to follow, thanks again!

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        July 22, 2020 at 8:37 am

        Thank you Sheena, so happy you enjoyed them 😀

        Reply
    5. Laura

      April 07, 2022 at 3:05 pm

      5 stars
      I adapted this into a loaf cake and went down a treat, brilliant recipe and tastes awesome!

      Reply

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