So can we talk Salted Caramel Frosting? It has to be one of the best things ever created. Made from actual salted caramel sauce, it is creamy, full of rich caramel flavour and unbelievably addictive.
These fluffy chocolate cupcakes are injected with pure caramel sauce, topped with THE creamiest caramel frosting EVER and finally drizzled with a little extra caramel sauce. Hello sweet and salty goodness!
This week you are in for a mighty treat. I FINALLY made salted caramel sauce on the stove that actually worked. I have a love/hate relationship with caramel. It is one of my all-time favourite sweets, whether its silky sauce or chewy candies. Caramel is the best, only beaten by its prettier sister Salted Caramel.
But I have tried to make it numerous times and its either burnt, seized up or I’ve burnt myself. But not this time. This time I got it just right. And then I used it to make these gorgeous Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes.
Do you get intimidated by cooking on the stove top? That is one reason why I love my Salted Caramel Candy recipe that uses only the microwave – it is so easy and they are so good! But I thought I really need to get over this stove top fear, so I gave Lindsey’s recipe for the Best Ever Salted Caramel Sauce a go.
She was right, it really is the best ever caramel sauce. I have to admit I am still learning so my caramel sauce had a few lumps but I just strained it and was left with the smoothest creamiest sauce ever. If you are a devoted caramel lover, you MUST give these cupcakes a go. My husband even said these were the best cupcakes I have ever made.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
3/4 cup (105 grams) plain flour
1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (100 grams) caster sugar
1/4 cup (45 grams) brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk
12 teaspoons of salted caramel sauce*
Salted Caramel Frosting
1/4 cup (55 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (375 grams) icing or powdered sugar
1/4 cup salted caramel sauce (homemade or store bought), room temperature
1 – 2 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (360 F). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with patty cases. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and then add the sugars. Pop the butter into the microwave for a short burst, 10 seconds or so at a time, until it becomes very soft but just before it is completely melted. Give it a stir with a fork to eliminate any lumps. In a separate mixing bowl, add the eggs, vanilla and butter and whisk together until smooth. Then add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, along with the buttermilk and gently fold until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared patty cases and pop into the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until just cooked through. Set cakes out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Then carefully poke a hole in the middle of each cupcake using a chop stick or similar. Inject a teaspoon of salted caramel into each cupcake using a piping bag with a small nozzle or a syringe.
To make the salted caramel frosting, beat the butter for a minute or two with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Sift in the icing sugar, add the salted caramel sauce and start to beat. Add a tablespoon of milk and continue to beat. The mixture should come together and be really lovely and creamy. If it’s a little dry, add another tablespoon of milk but be careful as you don’t want it too runny. Once the frosting is ready, pipe onto cupcakes using a piping bag and a large star tip or spread onto the cupcakes with a small spatula.
For tips on piping check out my cupcake frosting post HERE.
