Veg SF

My friend’s favorite cupcakes are chocolate with cream cheese. For her birthday, she requested this flavor. Knowing she loves caramel and how much she enjoyed Starbuck’s holiday salted caramel hot chocolate, I decided to add some caramel in the mix.

I made mini chocolate cupcakes with caramel sauce spread over the top, then frosted it with a caramel flavored cream cheese frosting, more drizzled caramel and a dash of kosher salt over the whole thing. It was a delicious!

As a side note: The caramel sauce is amazing and I’m planning to make more of it to go over homemade ice cream.

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake

From Hershey’s

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups OR about 24 mini muffin cups sitting on a jelly pan or cookie sheet.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.
3. Bake 20 to 23 minutes for regular muffin cups OR 17-20 for mini cups or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (Do not overbake!). Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans and place on wire rack. Cool completely.

Salted Caramel

• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat—stir with a wooden spoon to combine
2. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium/medium-low heat for 3 minutes.
3. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. (Do not stir from this point on, but once it starts to turn brown at the edge you should carefully shake/swirl the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.)
4. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
5. Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Be careful. The mixture will bubble up!
6. Stir the mixture. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
7. Pour into a Pyrex measuring cup or other heat resistant glass container.
8. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool in the refrigerator until thick and warm, about 20-30 minutes.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

• 6 Tbsp butter, soft
• 8 oz cream cheese, soft
• 5-6 cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/3 cup cooled caramel (recipe above)

1. Mix butter and cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and 4 cups powdered sugar. Mix, scraping sides of the bowl.
2. Add caramel and remaining powdered sugar, combining until a good consistency, scraping sides of the bowl. Add more powdered sugar, if necessary.

Assembly

1. Using a small knife, spread about 1/2 teaspoon of caramel on each cupcake. Let the caramel set and cool.
2. Frost each cupcake with cream cheese frosting.
3. Drizzle remaining caramel over each cupcake and top with a dash of kosher or sea salt.

The first batch of caramel I made didn’t come out (boo!). The recipe calls for 2 Tbsp for a number of ingredients and I was just going down the “2 Tbsp” train and put 2 Tbsps of lemon juice in instead of 1/2 teaspoon! That’s a big difference. I knew it was wrong as soon as I put it in. So, I started over. But now I have this highly acidic and lemony tasting caramel that has actually separated. Any ideas of what to do with it? ha!

Also, a word to the wise… I started frosting the cupcakes before the caramel was entirely cooled/set and the frosting started sliding off – like this. Oops! I highly recommend letting the caramel fully cool after putting a bit on each cupcake before putting on the frosting. ha!