Chocolate Cupcakes With Salted Caramel

I love the sweet distinct taste of caramel but it can turn out to be overpoweringly sweet for certain people. This is why today I have decided to introduce caramel in a way in which I will appeal to a wider mass of cupcaksters.

What is the solution I have come up with you ask? Well, why not add salt to the caramel? Trust me, it creates that perfect balance. And what better way to pair caramel than with chocolate! Yes that's right, chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel. Yum!

The cake recipe itself has a little bit of brown sugar in it to give it an extra kick complimenting it better with the caramel and giving it that almost caramelized taste.

The cupcake has three components: chocolate cake, salted caramel sauce and the caramel buttercream. All three components have a way of coming together and forming one distinct caramel flavor.

Ingredients:

Chocolate cake

· 220 g butter (room temperature)

· 220 g dark chocolate

· 200 g brown sugar

· 125 g self-raising flour

· 125 g all-purpose flour

· 50 g cocoa

· 1 tsp baking powder

· 200 g caster sugar

· 4 eggs

· 30 mL vegetable oil

· 1 tsp vanilla

Salted Caramel

· 200 g caster sugar

· 100 mL water

· 100 g butter salted

· 2 tsp sea salt

· 50 mL cream

Salted Caramel Buttercream

· 250 g butter salted

· 250 g icing sugar

· ½ tsp vanilla

· ¾ c salted caramel

Directions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.

2. In a saucepan melt the butter, chocolate, brown sugar and 160 mL of water over low heat until all the ingredients combine.

3. Sift the flours, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl and then add the caster sugar.

4. Whisk eggs, oil and vanilla and add to the flour mix followed by the chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth.

5. Pour into a cupcake try lined with cupcake liners. Fill ¾ way to the top.

6. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Salted Caramel

1. In a saucepan combine the sugar, and water. Stir it over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and then cook the sugar undisturbed. You can use a wet pastry brush to push down any sugar crystals on the sides on the saucepan.

2. When the caramel turns a dark amber color add the butter and then stir gently to combine.

3. Remove from the heat and add the cream. Stir until combined.

4. Add the salt.

Buttercream

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla and about ¾ cup of the cooled caramel. Beat until fully incorporated.

Assembly of the cupcake

While the cupcakes are still warm dip them into the warm salted caramel. Wait for them to cool and then frost with the buttercream.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Md_Imti_Hossain/1685260