sweet sunday: salted caramel + dark chocolate cupcakes.

i've been seeing all of these absolutely delicious recipes for salted caramel chocolate creations on pinterest lately. today, i decided i was going to try one. at first, i was going to make this crazy four layer cake with two different kinds of buttercream, and it was going to be awesome, but i didn't buy enough butter. needless to say, i resorted to trying these cupcakes. i did not regret it. neither did my sister who was knee-deep in spanish homework, my dad who helped with the caramel, my nephew who ate one with just frosting, and my sister who used hers as a reward post-cleaning. oh, my family.

salted caramel + dark chocolate cupcakes 

for the cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3/4 cup double dutch dark cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tsp pure/natural vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup warm water
• salted caramel filling, which we'll make later

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Line muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Recipe yields 20-24 cupcakes.

2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl.

3. Pour dry ingredient mixture into mixing bowl. Whisk together. I recommend using an electric mixer with whisk attachment. I used my Kitchenaid with the whisk attachment.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, and water until well-mixed.

5. On low speed using the paddle attachment, slowly add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth.

6. Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 of the way.

7. Bake approximately 15 minutes. I put the timer on 13, and I check them to make sure they are cooking okay!! 

8. Place cupcake pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. When 10 minutes is up, remove the cupcakes from the pan and set them on the wire rack until completely cooled off.

9. Once cooled, scoop 1/2 inch of the center of each cupcake out to make room for the caramel.

for the caramel filling:

via alton brown's banana splitsville recipe with our own little twist 

*props to my awesome dad for making the caramel*

• 2 cups of white sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp of light corn syrup
• * 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• *2 tsp sea salt

1. combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small, heavy saucepan and place over high heat.

2. when the sugar dissolves, heat your thermometer with warn tap water, and clip it to the side of your saucepan, completely submerging the bulb in the mixture. do not stir or agitate the mixture.

3. when the mixture reached 230 degrees F, reduce to medium heat, and allow sugar to color gradually.

4. as the temperature approaches 300 degrees F, your mixture will start to turn an amber color. when it reaches this point, you can swirl the pan to help evenly distribute the heat.

5. at 340 degrees F, the caramel will be a deep amber color. remove the pan from the heat. 

6. slowly stir the heavy cream into the mixture with a wooden spoon. 

7. allow the mixture to cool 15-25 minutes, until the caramel falls from the spoon in one solid, string-like stream.

8. spoon 1-2 tsp of the caramel sauce into the center of the cupcakes. it will sink a bit. i would recommend filling the cupcakes with about 1 tsp each first, and then refilling them after they have a chance to settle a bit.

9. add a tiny pinch of salt to the top of each cupcake center.

for the buttercream:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
• leftover caramel sauce 

1. cream the butter and salt in electric mixer, using paddle, until light and fluffy

2. add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed after sifting

3. mix until frosting starts to form little 'peaks.' it should be starting to get fluffy.

4. pour in leftover caramel sauce, and mix until caramel is completely incorporated into the buttercream

5. using a star tip or just a coupler, pipe frosting onto the top of each cupcake.

6. sprinkle a touch of sea salt on the top of each cupcake.

voila! now, you are supposed to pour yourself a large glass of nice, cold milk, and enjoy these sweet little treats!

what is your favorite kind of cupcake??