Name: Millionaire's Shortbread Cupcakes
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 175 g Butter or baking spread (softened, unsalted); 175 g Caster sugar; 3 Eggs (large); 1 tsp Vanilla extract; 175 g Self raising flour; 185 g Caramel sauce (good quality shop bought, or homemade); 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; 25 g Caramel sauce (good quality shop bought, or homemade); 12 Shortbread biscuits; Gold sprinkles (optional); Gold edible glitter (optional)

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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.

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.

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!

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