Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Triple Caramel Cupcakes

I’ve become pretty addicted to other food bloggers. I just love when I find a recipe on another site that I can try with coconut oil! My latest must-try recipe comes from Sprinkle Bakes.

Usually I replace all of the butter in a recipe with coconut oil, but I still used some butter in this recipe, because I thought the buttery flavor combined with the lightness of the coconut oil would be divine. I was right!

It was my first time making caramel ever, so it was definitely an experiment. I think next time, I will cook it for a few seconds less so it comes out more creamy and less like candy. The caramel came together so quickly I didn’t even have time to snap some pictures! The cupcake was my favorite part, which had the dense consistency of pound cake or even corn bread. When Victor tried them, he said, “This tastes incredibly unhealthy” which I take to mean “Delicious!”

Here’s how my version went:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup Kelapo Coconut oil

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla (I love Penzey’s Double strength Vanilla because I am a vanilla FANATIC!)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat muffin tin with coconut oil or cooking spray. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; set aside.

Flour Power

Cream butter, coconut oil, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.

That's some tightly packed brown sugar!

Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.

Add vanilla.

Double strength goodness

Mix and scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each.

Fill each section of muffin tin about 2/3 full.  Bake for about 25 minutes. When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Salted Caramel Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons salted butter, cubed

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature

Melt the sugar over medium  high heat in a large pot.  Whisk the sugar as it melts and cook until it becomes a deep amber color. Add the butter and stir it in until melted. Pour in the heavy cream (mixture will foam and release HOT steam, ouch!) and whisk until you get a smooth sauce. You may have some lumps but keep stirring until they have melted.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake (I used a melon baller)

Dense cakes=easy scooping!

Pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel. (My caramel didn’t really “pour,” so I had to spoon out chunks and stick them in the holes. This is where the creamier caramel might have been helpful)  Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside.

 

For the frosting, I adapted a recipe from another blogger, Savory Bites. Her caramel frosting looked a little easier than Sprinkle Bakes version:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Kelapo Coconut oil

3/4 stick salted butter

2 ½  cups confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, cook the granulated sugar over medium high heat until it begins to melt.

Carefully pour the cream in, in a steady stream. The whole thing will bubble and sputter but no fear. Just keep stirring until completely smooth. Set aside to cool a bit.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and coconut oil until fluffy and smooth. Add the confectioner’s sugar half a cup at a time until the consistency is right for frosting. Top your cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top.

Pretty good for my first caramel-making experience! Have you ever made caramel? Any great tips you can share?

-AR

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