Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I've always liked sweet stuff with a tinge of saltiness, as the saltiness brings about a different savoury dimension to the palate, like the Salted Chocolated Chip Cookies that I made before. Then I recalled seeing Salted Caramel Cupcakes somewhere, either from some bakery or someone's blog.

 

A search on the internet brings up a number of posts on Salted Caramel Cupcakes but most of them point back to the recipe by Sprinkles Bake. So I guess this must be the recipe worth trying.

 

At first I was quite daunted by the multiple components involved - the cupcake, the filling and the frosting but pushed on since I'm really curious as to how the cupcakes would taste like.

 

Here, I adapted Sprinkles Bake recipe by converting all the measurements from cups to grams for my own convenience and also reduced the amount of sugar used for all the components. The baking process was relatively manageable, albeit a little tedious.

 

The result was not bad but definitely far from Sprinkles Bake!

The cake turned out a little flat to my annoyance as my muffin pan size was too big for the cupcake cases I used. As a result, the cupcake cases widened after filling with batter :(
I've since consulted friends/bloggers who bake often and they used either silicone cases or aluminium cases to hold the cupcake bases. I was so enlightened :) and realised what a dumb dumb I was.

Taste-wise, I love it! The cake was moist and tender, matchmade in heaven with the salted caramel filling and salted buttercream frosting :) The taste was what I had in mind, but probably the saltiness could be more pronounced. Next time, I shall increase the amount of salt and salted butter.

 



 

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

(Recipe adapted from Sprinkle Bakes http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2010/05/triple-salted-caramel-cupcakes.html)

Makes 15 regular cupcakes or 20 small cupcakes Cupcakes: 192g all-purpose (plain) flour 1 tsp baking powder  ¼  tsp sea salt 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature 150g light brown sugar (original 245g) 2 large eggs, at room temperature (60g eggs with shell) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 125g buttermilk (substitute: add ½ tbsp of lemon juice to 125g of milk, stir and sit for 2 mins before using) Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line muffin tins with paper casing. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; sieve and set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Add vanilla extract. 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. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway 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: 80g caster sugar (original 100g) 43g salted butter, cubed 60g heavy cream, at room temperature (substitute: whipping cream) 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 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. Cut a small round piece out of the tops of each cooled cupcake and pour in 1 teaspoon of caramel (or as desired). Replace the cake piece and set cupcakes aside. Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting: 40g caster sugar (original 50g) 2 tbsp water 50g heavy cream (substitute: whipping cream) 1 tsp vanilla extract 113g salted butter 113g unsalted butter ½  tsp sea salt 120g powdered sugar (original 190g) In a saucepan, stir together sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring until very smooth. Let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm and still pourable. In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butters and salt together until lightened and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.  Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the caramel. Beat on medium high speed until light and airy, and completely mixed (about 2 minutes). Mixture should be ready to use without refrigeration. If your caramel was too hot when added, it will cause your icing to be runny. If this happens refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. Top caramel-filled cupcakes with frosting.

I brought the cupcakes to my office and there were pretty well-received as well :) Definitely gonna attempt this recipe again. The next time, I must make the cupcakes taller instead of being so flat, and increase the salt level for a more distinct contrast between sweet and savoury. Till then!