Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

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Unleash your inner dessert artist with our captivating Chocolate Cupcakes topped with a sumptuous caramel frosting. These cupcakes are a symphony of flavors that will whisk you away on a journey of indulgence and delight.

 

Difficulty:  Easy

Prep time:  20 minutes

Bake time:  14-16 minutes

Inactive time:  30 minutes

Servings:  36 cupcakes

 

FAQs: 

  • We used a large star metal tip to decorate, but you could just cut a large whole in the end of the piping bag (or ziploc) as well. 
  • We used caramel sauce that was prepackaged in a squeeze bottle for less of a mess; however, you can use a spoon to drizzle caramel sauce out of a jar or transfer it to a piping bag to drizzle as well. 

 

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes: 

3 c sugar

3 c flour

1 ½ c cocoa powder

1 T. baking powder

1 t. Salt

4 eggs

½ c oil

2 t. Vanilla

1 ½ c milk

1 ½ c water

½ c caramel candy bits

 

For the frosting:

1 c unsalted butter, softened

1 t salt

3-4 T milk

4 c powdered sugar

½ c caramel sauce

Additional caramel sauce to decorate

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep your muffin pan(s) with liners.  Set aside. 
  2. For the cupcakes:  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients – sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk to combine. 
  3. To the mixing bowl add the liquid ingredients: eggs, oil, milk, water and vanilla. Mix on low speed for one minute and then bump up the speed to medium and mix for an additional two minutes.  Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and mix again.  
  4. Measure the cake batter to each cupcake liner until about ⅔ full.  Sprinkle several caramel candy bits on the top of the batter.  They will sink a bit during baking but this prevents them from sticking to the liner.  Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before decorating. 
  5. For the frosting:  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter, salt and about half of the powdered sugar.   Mix on low speed until combined.  Add in the remaining powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined.  
  6. Add in 2 tablespoons worth of the milk and mix to combine.  Bump up the speed to medium and mix for an additional two minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy looking.  Only use the remaining milk if the mixture still appears dry and crumbly – mix again until smooth. 
  7. Pour in ½ cup of caramel sauce and mix well. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.  
  8. Pipe a large mound of frosting on each cupcake.  Drizzle with the caramel sauce.

 

Storage: Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.