Caramel Cupcakes
Rich caramel-flavored cupcakes topped with caramel buttercream frosting. Decorate with chocolate chips or toffee chunks. Perfect for Easter or winter gatherings.
Ingredients
Unsalted butter (room temperature)
110 g
Light soft brown sugar
120 g
Dark soft brown sugar
120 g
Eggs (free-range or organic)
2 large
Good-quality vanilla extract
1/2 tsp
Self-raising flour (sifted)
125 g
Plain flour (sifted)
120 g
Caramel sauce (store-bought (recommended Vatroun brand, dark), or see recipe on page 64)
75 ml
Heavy cream
50 ml
Instructions
1
Preparation and preheating
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) / 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin or three 12-hole mini muffin tins with appropriately sized cupcake paper liners. If making caramel sauce from scratch, prepare it in advance so it has cooled before use.
2
Creaming butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and smooth, about 3–5 minutes using an electric hand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well for a few minutes after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
3
Alternating additions
Mix both flours together in a separate bowl. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and stir until the batter just comes together. Add the caramel sauce and mix until smooth. Add another third of the flours and stir until just combined. Add the heavy cream and mix again until smooth. Add the remaining flours and stir until the mixture is fully combined.
4
Filling and baking
Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until slightly risen and golden. Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake to check — it should come out completely clean.
5
Cooling
Remove from the oven, leave in the tin for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6
Decoration
Once completely cool, decorate with caramel buttercream (see page 65). Crush a few Dime chocolate bars and sprinkle over the cupcakes.
