{The Girl Kyle Bakes} Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I've come across several recipes for a salted caramel cupcake, but unfortunately I wasn't smarted enough to bookmark them.  On Sunday I decided it was time to bake again, but instead holiday orders or requests from my family, I'd bake what I wanted to bake!  After that decision was made it took me several hours and a power nap later to decide again on what I wanted to bake for myself.  Normally I'd make vanilla or even try a new vanilla recipe, but that was boring!  I needed to try something completely new. Now my hopes were up, trying something new and I completely love salted caramel.  Have you tried the fleur de sel caramel sauce at Trader Joe's?  Ah-mazing!  You'll thank me later.  So of course when one's hopes are ups it's quite likely that you'll be disappointed, right?  Don't get me wrong, these are tasty - they just don't really capture salted caramels the way I would have preferred.  The cake tasted like a vanilla cake and after 3 tablespoons of caramel in the frosting, it was simply sweet.  Maybe it's because I opted out of making the caramel from scratch and so maybe I need even more caramel in the frosting.  I don't know, but that's why I drizzled the additional caramel on top and sprinkled on the salt.  I figured it couldn't hurt.

The funny part, as hard as I am on my cupcakes I still brought them in to work.  The sales team loooved them.  They were so happy.  I received compliments all day!  That should tell you to go ahead and try this recipe.  Don't listen to my judge-y comments!

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Makes 20 cupakes

{adapted from Fresh New England}

• 1/4 cup caramel sauce
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pour 1/4 cup of the syrup into a measuring cup. Add enough warm water to make 1 cup of liquid. Stir and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy - about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then add the vanilla. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir in alternately with caramel mixture, beginning and ending with your flour mixture.

Pour batter into cupcake pans, about half full and bake for 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The time will vary depending upon your oven, my edges were already turning golden at 18.

Cool completely and frost with salted caramel frosting.

{I was able to make 20 cupcakes when I filled them 3/4 full.  I'd recommend filling the cups about half full so you don't get muffin tops like mine.}

Salted Caramel Frosting

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2.5 cups powdered sugar
• 2-6 tbs half & half
• 3 tbs caramel
• fleur de sel or other course salt for sprinkling

Beat butter until creamy, add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time with 1 tbs caramel.  The caramel immediately thickens the mixture up, this is probably the smallest amount of powdered sugar I've ever used in a frosting recipe.  Slowly add the half & half till you reach the desired consistency.  This made enough for me to frost 12 cupcakes.  If you desire, drizzle finished cupcakes with additional caramel and sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel.

My new Valentine's day flags are rolling in to my Etsy shop this week.  Keep an eye out!