~Level: medium ~Time: 2 hours ~Budget: medium.
The combination of creamy, buttery caramel with a touch of salt has become a beloved and versatile flavour in the culinary world. The balance of sweetness and saltiness in salted caramel creates a delightful contrast that many people find irresistible. It's often paired with chocolate, in many types of desserts. The rich and sweet notes of caramel complement the deep, decadent flavour of chocolate, while the addition of salt in the caramel enhances the overall taste by providing a contrasting savoury element. Indulge yourself in this rich, gooey dessert and share it with the people around you!
Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cake
200g white sugar
100g light brown sugar
165g all purpose flour
75g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
2 eggs (small-medium sized)
1 egg yolk
180g sour cream
40 ml whole milk
90 ml coconut oil
a few drops of vanilla essence
190 ml hot water
For the frosting
120g butter (room temperature)
135g powdered sugar
20g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
a few drops of vanilla essence
½ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp salted caramel sauce
Salted caramel sauce
200g white sugar
125ml water
113g butter
125ml heavy cream
a few drops of vanilla essence
flakey sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C and grease a muffin tray with butter and flour.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sugars, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Put aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, the yolk, sour cream, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until homogenous. Pour this mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated. DON'T OVERMIX. Then pour in the hot water and mix for one more minute.
Fill up the muffin tray with the batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Depending on the size of your muffin tray, you will likely need to do 2 or 3 baking sessions.
Meanwhile, start on the frosting. Start by sifting the powdered sugar and cocoa. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa on low speed for about 2 minutes. Then add the vanilla, salt, have cream and salted caramel. Mix for another 3 minutes. Set aside.
To prepare the salted caramel sauce, combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Place on a medium heated stove and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Then add the butter and bring the mixture to a boil. Keep cooking and stirring for about 8-10 minutes, until the colour turns golden brown/copper. Remove from the heat and immediately add the heavy cream while stirring. Be careful because the mixture is very hot and it will bubble up when adding the cream. Lastly, stir in the vanilla and salt. Set aside.
Once the cupcakes are done baking, let them cool off, then take them out of the muffin tray.
Put the frosting into a piping bag with a star-shaped tip. Cover each cupcake with a nice swirl of frosting. Then with a small spoon, drizzle some salted caramel sauce over top and sprinkle with some flakey sea salt. ENJOY!
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