Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the cupcake tins with your choice of cupcake wrappers.

Place the self-rising flour, cake flour, and sugar in the bowl of the electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix them together for a minute or two until they are well combined.

Cut your butter into tablespoon pieces. Slowly add your butter into the flour mixture one piece at a time continue mixing until you have reached the texture of sand.

Pour half of the milk into the dry ingredients mixture and mix just until the milk is incorporated. Use your rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of your bowl. Add the remaining milk and the vanilla to your batter and mix until combined.

Add in the eggs and mix well to combine.

Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling them 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the cake pans so the pan that was on the top rack is now on the bottom and the pan that was on the bottom is now on the top rack. Continue to bake for another 10-13 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcake.

Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack until they have reached room temperature.

In a very clean saucepan combine the sugar and water with a rubber spatula. Be sure to use a whisk while you are stirring the sauce when making it.

Have the heavy cream and butter next to the stove already.

Place a small cup of water with a pastry brush next to the stove so you will be able to wash down the inside of the pot.

Place the pan with the water and sugar over medium-high heat. Cook the sugar until it reaches a light brown (caramel) color. Make sure to wash the side of the pot if you see any crystals forming while it is cooking.

Remove the pot from the stove and add in the butter making sure you stir it well while you add it. The caramel will boil up while you stir the butter into the melted sugar mixture.

Add in the heavy cream being careful of it bubbling over and whisk it all together.

Next, add in the vanilla and salt until well combined and stir well with the whisk.

Let it cool while you are making the other ingredients for the cupcakes.

In a stand mixer bowl add the butter. Add the whisk attachment to the mixer.

Place the mixer bowl on the stand and turn it up to medium-low speed and beat the butter until it is smooth.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the confectioner's sugar and mix until it is all incorporated.

Add the caramel sauce and the vanilla extract and turn the mixer speed up to medium-high speed.

Turn the mixer speed down to medium speed and continue whipping the frosting for 5-10 minutes until the caramel frosting is light and fluffy.

Bake the cupcakes.

Once cupcakes are made allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. While the cupcakes are baking make your caramel sauce. While the cupcakes are cooling make the caramel buttercream frosting.

Fill the piping bag with caramel frosting and using the cupcake swirl method frost each cupcake with caramel buttercream frosting.

Once you are done frosting all cupcakes, drizzle homemade caramel sauce over top of each cupcake.

Lightly sprinkle salt on top of each cupcake.