Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

These are super yummy and use the salted caramel sauce that I posted last week. They are super easy to make, just use your favourite chocolate cupcake recipe (I used my easy peasy chocolate cake recipe halved to make a dozen cupcakes).

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoons cocoa
½  teaspoon baking powder
½  teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup flour
1 egg
¼ cup milk
75g butter (melted)
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
¼ cup boiling water

Salted Caramel Buttercream
100 grams butter, softened
100 grams cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salted caramel sauce
½ teaspoon vanilla paste
2 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted

Method:
Pre- heat your oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake cases.
Place all ingredients in a bowl EXCEPT the water. Add water last - do not mix until it is added.
Beat well with a hand held mixer for about 2 minutes and once combined and smooth spoon evenly into your cupcake cases.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until you can remove a skewer cleanly from the centre of your cupcakes or they spring back when lightly touched.
To make the buttercream, beat butter and cream cheese in a mixer until pale and fluffy. On a low speed add 1½ cups icing sugar and mix to combine with butter and cream cheeses. Add the salted caramel and vanilla essence mixing again. Add the rest of your icing sugar and mix again. If you find your frosting is a little bit thick add some room temperature milk 1 tablespoon at a time. 
Use a large star shaped piping tip (like a Wilton 1M or 2D) to frost cupcakes. Drizzle cupcakes with a little salted caramel sauce to finish.

Cupcake toppers c/o – Wink.  Thank you to Pop Roc Parties for the picture at the top of the post, sharing their attempt at the cupcakes using this recipe.