Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes
These cupcakes are rich and chocolatey, with a salted caramel filling that packs a punch of flavor, and a smooth, silky buttercream on top.
Ingredients
CAKE
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 135 grams granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 grams all purpose flour
- 80 grams cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 60 ml coffee or espresso (you can also dissolve 1 tsp instant coffee in 60 ml water)
- 60 ml milk
SALTED CARAMEL
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 85 grams unsalted butter
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
BUTTERCREAM
- 226 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 240 grams powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Leftover salted caramel filling
DECORATION
- Chocolate shavings, mini chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, flaky sea salt
- For a quick chocolate ganache (as pictured) you'll need chocolate and heavy cream
Instructions
SALTED CARAMEL
- First, make the salted caramel sauce by melting the granulated sugar in a saucepan until it turns amber and all the sugar crystals have dissolved.
- Add the butter and cream while whisking, and heat to 104C or 220F. Add salt and remove from the heat to let cool. Transfer to a bowl or container to let it fully cool in the fridge.
CUPCAKES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Prepare a cupcake/muffin tin by lining it with paper or silicone liners, or buttering/spraying it to make sure nothing sticks.
- Add eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or a mixing bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar together until light in color and doubled or tripled in size. Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or an electric hand mixer – it will be more difficult to whisk by hand, but it can be done!
- Add in vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine oil, coffee, and milk in a separate bowl or container.
- Alternate mixing in the dry and wet ingredients to the batter, adding in half the ingredients each time. Be sure to sift in the dry ingredients to avoid lumps. Mix on low speed between additions.
- Once the batter is combined, pour it into the cupcake tin. Fill each cupcake up about halfway, and if you have leftover batter at the end, distribute it evenly among them. This is the best way to avoid cupcakes that are too domed.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. It can be hard to tell when chocolate cake is done, but try not to overbake or the cake may be dry! Definitely check the cupcakes after 15 minutes since ovens can vary greatly.
BUTTERCREAM AND ASSEMBLY
- Make your buttercream by whipping your room temperature butter until light and fluffy. Once it has considerably lightened in color, add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Keep mixing until you have incorporated the sugar fully and the mixture looks light and fluffy. Keep the buttercream in the mixing bowl as you'll add salted caramel after filling the cupcakes!
- Remove the core of the cupcakes, either with a knife or another tool like an apple corer. We remove about a 1in (2.5cm) diameter hole from the cupcake Fill each hole with salted caramel filling - about 1.5-2 tsp worth.
- Once all 12 cupcakes are filled, add the remaining salted caramel to the buttercream, mixing until fully incorporated and a nice, silky smooth consistency.
- Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes. Decorate however you like, with sprinkles or candy. We make a small hole in the buttercream on top and then add a quick chocolate ganache, for a classy and simple look.
- For the super quick ganache: Melt chocolate in the microwave and then stir in heavy cream until you reach your desired consistency - we wanted something that you could easily spoon on top of the cupcake, but wouldn't run off the sides. Usually we would measure equal parts chocolate and cream, but sometimes just winging it is fun too 😂 We let the ganache cool off so it doesn't melt the buttercream, but still has some runniness to it. The ganache will set up as it cools down more!
- Enjoy the cupcakes the day you make them, but be sure to store any leftovers you have in the fridge if keeping for multiple days.