Toffee Crunch Cupcakes: Chocolate, Caramel & Toffee Heaven

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes: Chocolate, Caramel & Toffee Heaven

Toffee crunch cupcakes deliver the ultimate triple threat—rich chocolate cake, silky caramel frosting, and crispy toffee bits that shatter with every bite.

I’m not going to lie to you. These aren’t your Tuesday afternoon baking project. But they’re absolutely worth clearing your Saturday for.

KEY INFO

• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Cook time: 18 minutes
• Total time: 2 hours (includes cooling)
• Servings: 12 cupcakes
• Difficulty level: Intermediate
• Dietary tags: Vegetarian

Why You’ll Obsess Over These

I made these for my sister’s birthday last year, and three people asked if I’d moonlight as a wedding cake baker. I don’t even like weddings.

The magic happens in layers. Moist chocolate cupcakes get crowned with a chocolate ganache ring that holds everything together like edible architecture. Then comes the caramel buttercream—not that gritty, too-sweet stuff from grocery store cupcakes, but proper Swiss meringue buttercream with real caramel folded through. Finally, toffee bits scattered on top add that satisfying crunch that makes these dangerously addictive.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Stand mixer or hand mixer (trust me, your arm will thank you)
• Standard muffin tin
• Cupcake liners
• Two mixing bowls (one heatproof)
• Small saucepan
• Piping bags and large round tip
• Candy thermometer (optional but helpful)
• Offset spatula

No piping bags? Use a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off. Works perfectly.

INGREDIENTS

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 150g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
• 40g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 120ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120ml (½ cup) buttermilk (or whole milk with 1 tsp vinegar)
• 120ml (½ cup) hot coffee (or hot water—coffee intensifies chocolate)

For the Chocolate Ganache Ring:

• 115g (4 oz) dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa), chopped
• 120ml (½ cup) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

• 4 large egg whites
• 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 285g (1¼ cups) unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 80ml (⅓ cup) caramel sauce (homemade or quality store-bought)

For Assembly:

• 100g (¾ cup) toffee bits (Heath bar pieces work brilliantly)
• Extra caramel sauce for drizzling (optional but not really optional)

METHOD

Making the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl—yes, actually sift it because cocoa powder clumps like nobody’s business.
3. Whisk together the sugar and oil in a separate bowl until combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar mixture, whisking after each addition until the mixture looks glossy.
5. Stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold gently with a spatula.
7. Pour in the buttermilk and fold until just combined.
8. Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until you see no more flour streaks.
9. Pour in the hot coffee and whisk until smooth—the batter will be quite thin, and that’s exactly what you want.
10. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ full.
11. Bake for 16-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
12. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely—and I mean completely or your frosting will slide right off.

Making the Ganache:

1. Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer—watch it like a hawk because it boils over in seconds.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
4. Stir from the center outward until smooth and glossy.
5. Add the butter and stir until fully incorporated.
6. Let the ganache cool at room temperature until it’s thick enough to pipe but still spreadable—about 30-45 minutes.

Making the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1. Place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water).
2. Whisk constantly until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture reaches 71°C (160°F)—or until it no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers.
3. Transfer the mixture to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
4. Beat on high speed for 8-10 minutes until the meringue forms stiff, glossy peaks and the bowl feels completely cool to the touch—this cooling step is non-negotiable.
5. Switch to the paddle attachment and reduce speed to medium.
6. Add the butter one cube at a time, waiting until each piece is incorporated before adding the next.
7. Don’t panic when the mixture looks curdled or soupy—keep mixing and it will come together into silky buttercream.
8. Add salt and vanilla, then beat for another 2 minutes.
9. Fold in the caramel sauce gently with a spatula until swirled throughout.

Assembly:

1. Pop your completely cooled cupcakes in the freezer for 10-15 minutes—this prevents the frosting from melting when you add the ganache.
2. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
3. Pipe a ring of ganache around the outer edge of each cupcake, creating a border.
4. Immediately press toffee bits into the ganache ring while it’s still tacky.
5. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a large star tip.
6. Pipe a generous swirl of caramel buttercream in the center of each