Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Incredible chocolate salted caramel cupcakes with a caramel-filled centre. The cupcakes are topped with salted caramel buttercream and cream cheese frosting and finished with a drizzle of caramel sauce and piece of fudge.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 95 g plain flour
- 45 g cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 80 ml vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml buttermilk
Caramel-filled centre
- 100 g Carnation Caramel 12 teaspoons/quarter of a tin
- 1 pinch sea salt
Salted Caramel Frosting
- 197 g Carnation Caramel about half the tin
- 180 g full fat cream cheese
- 100 g salted butter
- 450 g icing sugar
Decoration
- 12 pieces fudge
- 100 g Carnation Caramel (to drizzle) about ¼ of a tin
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 160ºC Fan / 350 F / Gas 4.
- Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake cases.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour half the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk. Slowly pour in half of the buttermilk and whisk again. Repeat for remaining ingredients taking care not to overmix.
- Fill the cupcake cases halfway (do not overfill) and bake in the centre of the oven for 18-21 minutes. The cupcakes are baked when they spring back when touched in the middle with one finger.
Core and fill the cupcakes
- Allow the cupcakes to completely cool then scoop out the centre of each cupcake. You can do this using a small pairing knife, spoon or turn a piping nozzle upside down and use that.
- Add sea salt to the caramel a pinch at a time until the caramel reaches the desired flavour.
- Add a teaspoon of salted caramel into each hole and smooth over the top so it's level with the rest of the cupcake.
Salted Caramel Frosting
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese then add the caramel and beat until very smooth.
- Add the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat until it's fully incorporated.
- If the icing is too runny add more icing sugar a tablespoon at a time. If it's too thick add milk or cream a few drops at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle (I used Wilton 1M) and pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes.
- Decorate with a piece of fudge and a sprinkling of sea salt. Use the remaining caramel to drizzle over the top. You can warm the caramel in the microwave to loosen it.
Notes
- Only fill the cupcake cases ½ full or the cupcakes will spill over the top
- Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before you core, fill and frost them
- Store in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Unfrosted cupcakes will freeze well for up to one month
- Store any leftover frosting in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days