Salted Caramel Cupcakes

These are basically the best cupcakes in the whole wide world. I have waited all semester to make them - and finally had time to make them today!

I'm posting the recipe here so that I can "pin it" to pinterest. I'm a little obsessed with pinterest - it's like a gigantic bulletin board where you can pin stuff you like from all over the internet. And it's all in one place! Anyways, I want to post this to pinterest but it's got to be on a blog so that other people can access the recipe! So here it is...

Salted Caramel Cupcakes – Makes 36

Cupcakes

2 C. flour

1 C cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 C granulated sugar

1 cup milk

1 stick melted butter

2/3 c melted chocolate

2 tsp vanilla

1 C sour cream

Chardonnay Caramel Sauce (Store bought caramel works just as well)

1 C sugar

1 stick butter

½ C heavy whipping cream

1/4 C oak vatted Chardonnay

Butter Cream

2 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

6 C powdered sugar

3-5 tbsp milk

Make the caramel sauce first and stick it in the fridge; it will still pour just fine after being in there and won't be completely absorbed by the cake when you fill the cupcakes.

Caramel Sauce

Heat sugar and on medium high (any hotter and you'll have sugar flying all over your kitchen!) in heavy 2 quart saucepan and stir. When the sugar starts to boil (and all the sugar is melted) add butter to pan and whisk until melted. Remove pan from heat and let cool about 5 seconds. Whisk in cream. (It will foam and that’s good) Whisk until smooth. Add Chardonnay while hot and whisk together. Remove from pan into a glass jar to store. Can be premade. 

CupCakes

Preheat oven to 350. Line Muffin Tins with Cupcake Liners. Sift together Flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt. Beat eggs and sugar. Add Milk, Butter, Chocolate, Vanilla and Sour Cream. Add Dry ingredients. Beat at medium for 2-3 minutes. Pour Batter 2/3 full in muffin tins. Cook for 8-12 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. The cake is pretty fine (read: crumbles easily) and the less you handle the cake the better.

Butter Cream

Cream butter and vanilla. Add Confectioner’s Sugar in 1 cup increments. Add Milk to desired thickness. Beat on high about 4 minutes

Assembly

Once cupcakes are cooled, use a teaspoon to scoop out a hole in the top of the cupcake. Take that part out but keep it! No eating! Pour caramel sauce into the hole. Replace the top and then frost the cupcakes! Drizzle caramel sauce over the top if you'd like and sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy!