This was actually the first cupcake recipe that I haven't just tried from a Pinterest find, but put together myself. And it wasn't too bad! I found them a little too sweet for my taste, but everyone else liked them, so I guess they weren't too sweet after all.
I do recommend that if you are going to sprinkle them with sea salt on the top, like I did, do it right before you serve them. I did it the night before and by the next day it looked like little craters in the frosting where the salt had been. Kinda like your sidewalk in winter after you've salted it. There was salt in the caramel too, so if you're not into topping them with more salt, I get it. Mom requested one without salt because she's just not into these crazy fads we kids go through. :)
I also like to think of these cupcakes as a study in inverted frosting. After I scooped out the middles and put the caramel sauce in, it slowly started to soak into the cupcake. Not that that's a bad thing, it was DE-licious, but I probably should have scooped out less cupcake. So that left a little hole in the middle and to frost them I went around the disappearing caramel and then filled up the hole with frosting. I quickly realized that there wouldn't be enough frosting to do all the cupcakes if I made my usual tall topping of amazingness, so the frosting ended up kinda flat. But it was probably just as tall as usual, just in a downward sort of fashion.
Salted Caramel Cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
2 cups of sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee (just brewed and still warm)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the caramel sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
For the caramel frosting:
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with baking cup liners. In the bowl of the mixer, stir together all the dry ingredients for the cupcakes, the sugar through the salt. Whisk them together well, then using the paddle attachment, add in the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. The batter will be thin. You can use a measuring cup with a pour spout or a batter scoop to get the batter in the cupcake papers and fill them 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the caramel sauce, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and heat the mixture until boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cream and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool about 30 to 40 minutes in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
To make the caramel frosting, start the same as the sauce, melting the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and salt and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes then stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 to 40 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour the caramel into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Let it sit about 5 minutes without mixing to stiffen up. Transfer frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a 1M tip and pipe frosting in a spiral onto the cupcakes. Garnish with sea salt if desired.
Now go and eat delicious cupcakes!!
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