Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

My sister, Karina, is vising me and we made these amazing cupcakes together. They are perfectly tender, chocolaty cupcakes with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, drizzled with caramel sauce and a sprinkling of coarse salt. I found the recipe in a Southern Living Big Book Of Cupcakes cookbook. I got it for my other sister, Elina, for Christmas, and couldn't resist trying a recipe myself:) I used my own recipe for the frosting and the caramel sauce from Cooks Illustrated.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup Dutch processed cocoa

2 cups boiling water

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

2 ¾ cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chocolate liquer, optional

Frosting:

1 ½ pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

½ cup conf. sugar

¼ cup nutella

2 oz melted chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon chocolate liquer, optional

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Caramel:

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water. Set aside to cool. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add one third of the flour mixture to the batter, mix until just incorporated. Add  half of the cocoa mixture and chocolate liqueur  mix. Add half of the flour, mix, followed by the rest of the cocoa mixture, mix and finish with the remaining flour mixture.Using an ice cream scoop (or a spoon) portion out the batter among 24 lined cupcakes. I love using an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter. It's clean, easy and the cupcakes are all the same size. Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, make the frosting by creaming the cream cheese, butter and sugar until creamy and well mixed. Add the melted chocolate, Nutella, vanilla and chocolate liqueur.  Place in the refrigerator while you whip up the heavy cream with powdered sugar in a chilled bowl. Fold the whipped cream into the frosting. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to apply the frosting to the cupcakes.Make the caramel sauce: I would recommend making the caramel sauce first, before you make the cupcakes and frosting, but it's ok if you forget, you'll just have to wait for it to cool before drizzling on the cupcakes. 

Pour the water into a small saucepan. Pour in the sugar right into the center of the saucepan, being careful that the sugar NOT touch the sides of the saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until it's amber brown in color. Add warmed cream and salt, whisking vigorously. 
Keep whisking vigorously. The caramel will bubble ferociously. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Cool. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Drizzle with cooled caramel sauce and sprinkle with coarse salt.

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

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• Author: Olga's Flavor Factory
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 cup Dutch processed cocoa
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 ¾ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chocolate liquer, optional

Frosting:

• 1 ½ pkgs cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• ½ cup conf. sugar
• ¼ cup nutella
• 2 oz melted chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon chocolate liquer, optional
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Caramel:

• ½ cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

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Instructions

1. Dissolve the cocoa in the boiling water. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time.
5. Add one third of the flour mixture to the batter, mix until just incorporated.
6. Add half of the cocoa mixture and chocolate liqueur mix.
7. Add half of the flour, mix, followed by the rest of the cocoa mixture, mix and finish with the remaining flour mixture.
8. Using an ice cream scoop (or a spoon) portion out the batter among 24 lined cupcakes.
9. Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes. Cool.
10. Meanwhile, make the frosting by creaming the cream cheese, butter and sugar until creamy and well mixed.
11. Add the melted chocolate, Nutella, vanilla and chocolate liqueur.
12. Place in the refrigerator while you whip up the heavy cream with powdered sugar in a chilled bowl.
13. Fold the whipped cream into the frosting. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to apply the frosting to the cupcakes.
14. Make the caramel sauce: I would recommend making the caramel sauce first, before you make the cupcakes and frosting, but it's ok if you forget, you'll just have to wait for it to cool before drizzling on the cupcakes.
15. Pour the water into a small saucepan. Pour in the sugar right into the center of the saucepan, being careful that the sugar NOT touch the sides of the saucepan.
16. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until it's amber brown in color.
17. Add warmed cream and salt, whisking vigorously.
18. Keep whisking vigorously. The caramel will bubble ferociously.
19. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Cool.
20. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Drizzle with cooled caramel sauce and sprinkle with coarse salt.