To make your caramel-infused buttercream, you'll want to start by placing your softened (not melted) butter into a stand mixer and mixing it until it's light and fluffy. If you were working with a standard buttercream recipe, you'd typically add the powdered sugar in once it's well-whipped. The caramel will act as a replacement for the sugar; it will make the mixture both thick and sweet, and save you the agony of painstakingly adding small increments of the sugar in.
You can either make your own caramel sauce or use a store-bought one for this hack. If you're going the DIY route, you'll want to concoct a "wet caramel," which basically involves cooking water and sugar together until it turns brown and starts emitting a toasty aroma. Then, add in the cream. From there, the mixture should be cooked until about 230 F and cooled completely.
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