Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

I have been waiting and waiting for someone to choose this cupcake flavor. In fact, I was thisclose to choosing it myself, but as luck would have it, the birthday girl just a few days before me chose it for herself. (Nice work, Sarah!) It hardly seems possible that I have never made a chocolate-caramel cupcake before, but it’s true. I ended up using my usual favorite chocolate cupcake as the base and added a salted caramel filling. This was the part I was most nervous about because caramel can be so touchy. Cook it too long and you may not even be able to chew it, but cook it too little and you might have a gooey mess, at least when it’s filling a cupcake. I used a Martha Stewart recipe as a starting point but followed my instincts to be sure that the caramel wasn’t going to be rock hard or totally burned. Thankfully all my caramel making experience has paid off because the filling was just right: deeply caramelized and chewy, neither too hard nor too soft. I topped it off with a salted caramel buttercream and garnished with my beloved homemade caramels.

Oh man, this is one rich cupcake. The caramel buttercream in particular is very rich and you don’t want to overdo it. As written, this is primarily a caramel cupcake but if you want to tip the flavor balance more in favor of the chocolate, you could use a bit less buttercream, chill the frosted cupcakes, and then drizzle with a bit of ganache. Only do this if you’re as crazy as I am, because I think that sounds awesome :) Either way, if you are a chocolate-caramel lover, this is the cupcake for you.

Yield about 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup sour cream

For the filling:
2½ cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
¾ cup heavy cream, warmed
2¼ tsp. sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

For the frosting:
1¼ cup sugar, divided
5 tbsp. water
5 tbsp. heavy cream
Generous pinch of sea salt, such as fleur de sel
5 large egg whites
3¾ sticks (30 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

To finish:
Vanilla bean caramels

Directions

01
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and hot water and whisk until smooth. In another medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to blend.
02
Combine the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and the butter is completely melted. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-low speed until the mixture is cool, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing each addition just until incorporated.
03
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan about 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
04
To make the filling, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has melted into a syrup. Stop stirring and gently swirl the pan, using a pastry brush dipped in water to wipe down any bits of sugar stuck to the sides of the pan. Continue to boil, swirling occasionally, until the mixture is a deep amber color (but not burned!) and it registers 340˚ F on the thermometer. Very slowly pour in the cream in a slow, steady stream down the inside edge of the pan, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt.
05
Let the caramel filling mixture cool just until very slightly thickened and cool enough to handle. Carefully transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip and inject a small amount of filling (about 1 heaping tablespoon) directly into the center of each cupcake. (I find it easiest to use the injection method when the cupcakes are still slightly warm.)
06
To make the caramel buttercream, place ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Mix in the water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stop stirring and let the caramel cook, gently swirling from time to time, until it is a deep amber color (test a drop on a white plate or bowl if necessary), watching it carefully to avoid burning. Remove the mixture from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream and then the salt. Set aside and let cool.
07
Combine the egg whites and the remaining ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)
08
Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the cooled caramel until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
09
Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large decorative tip (I used an Ateco #829). Pipe a swirl of frosting on each cupcake. When you are ready to serve, top each cupcake with a salted caramel if desired. (Depending on the specific caramels you use, they may slowly dissolve after being in contact with the frosting for a prolonged period of time, so adding them just before serving may be best.)

Source

cake, filling, and frosting all adapted from various Martha Stewart recipes