Brown Sugar Buttermilk Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

I made these cupcakes for my mom's first day at her new job! She wanted a vanilla based cupcake because she doesn't like chocolate... I know, crazy, right? 

Anyways, for the first time in a long time I felt like trying something new for cupcakes. Now I have made the salted caramel buttercream before, but they were atop my usual chocolate cupcake. 

I decided to go with a brown sugar buttermilk cupcake, and they turned out wonderful! You can really taste the brown sugar, and it gives it a sweetness that really went great with the caramel. The buttermilk makes them denser with a creamier texture. 

Below is the recipe which I got from 52 Kitchen Adventures. The batter turned out super thick, almost like cookie dough.

Brown Sugar Cupcakes
Makes ~18 cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• Preheat oven to 325 °F. Line muffin tin with paper or foil liners.

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with 1/2 of the buttermilk, stirring after each until everything is combined.
3. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin until each liner is 3/4 full. Bake for around 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cupcakes were in the oven, I made the caramel for the frosting....and I actually did it right the first time! Every other time I have tried to make my own caramel, it comes out burnt, so I was super excited. Here's a pic of me making the caramel:

Here is the recipe for the caramel buttercream:

Salted Caramel Buttercream (from Fearless Homemaker)

(makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar

1. in a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar + water. bring to a boil over medium high heat. cook without stirring until mixture turns a light amber color. remove from heat + slowly add in cream + vanilla, stirring until very smooth. let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm, but still pour-able.
2. in a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter + salt together until lightened + fluffy. reduce speed to low + add powdered sugar. mix until thoroughly combined.
3. scrape down the side of the bowl + add the caramel. beat on medium high speed until light + airy, + 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.

My go-to classic frosting tip is Wilton 1M or 2D, which is what I used here. These would also be cute with a french tip swirl too.

For the Caramel Flowers:

This is super simple! I just used worther's chewy caramel candies and rolled them out with a rolling pin. Then used a tiny flower cutout and piped a dot of frosting in the middle. They were super cute and super easy! (And I got to eat the leftover caramel pieces... Yum!)

I am still waiting to hear the verdict from mom's new co-workers, but I certainly scarfed down one of them! I love the frosting because its got a hidden saltiness. The salt is not overwhelming, but its there in the background!

My mom actually helped me make these, and every time we bake together I realize just how different our styles are! But its still fun and we do work well together! She is super clean, and I am just about the messiest baker there is, lol! And for buttercream frosting, I have make about a million bajillion of them and can pretty much make them with my eyes closed... so I have a tendency not to measure and just dump some powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in and taste test. Mom freaked a bit when I just threw some salt in without carefully measuring! But they turned out great anyways!

Wish I had more creative pictures, but I am limited on counter space in my tiny studio apartment!

Until next time, here's one last pic of these beauties!

Samoa's Cupcakes

Based on the Samoa's Girl Scout Cookie:
Chocolate Coconut Cupcake, with a Salted Caramel Buttercream, Topped with Chocolate Drizzle and Toasted Coconut. 

When I was little (and actually a Girl Scout) I hated coconut with a passion. Therefore, I never ever ate any of the Samoa's Girl Scout cookies. I was always a sucker for Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos...hmm, next cupcake? But as I grew up and my tastes expanded, I found coconut to be tolerable and OK in certain situations.

I had my first Samoa a couple of years ago....the first Girl Scout season that Sean and I were dating. He loves them, and I found myself actually liking them too.

I made these for him to take to work with him. I wasn't that impressed with these, but that may because I still am not too fond of the texture of coconut. But Sean like them, so that's all that mattered as these were for him.

I came across this recipe from Spice is Nice, but I don't like thin batters, so I searched for another Samoa's recipe and decided on the cupcake from Damn Delicious. But the frosting looked like it involved too much work....so I decided to combine the two recipes.

Chocolate-Coconut Cupcakes (from Damn Delicious)
(makes 24)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature (I never get eggs to room temp, not sure what that does for the recipe, as my cupcakes always come out great)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I had never bought coconut before, so it took me forever to find it in the grocery store!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
5. Beat in vanilla until well combined.
6. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.
7. Stir in the coconut flakes.
8. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray.
9. Place into oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lots of Coconut

Salted Caramel Buttercream (From Spice is Nice)

(made just enough to frost 24 cupcakes....it is rare that you have just enough icing. It seems I mostly either get way too much, or not enough)

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup caramel topping
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (the recipe originally called for a whole teaspoon, but I don't like my salted caramel to be so salty...so I halved it)

1. Cream butter until fluffy.
2. Add in vanilla extract and caramel topping. 
3. Add powdered sugar and salt and mix until smooth.

To toast coconut for garnishment: Place coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 stirring frequently until it looks brown, This took 6-8 minutes for me. 

Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish with toasted coconut. Drizzle melted milk chocolate chips on top. 

First try of Salted Caramel Frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with a Salted Caramel Buttercream, Garnished with a Caramel Piece


I have been seeing a lot of recipes lately using Salted Caramel Frosting. I have always thought to myself that it must taste disgusting! Why would you want a cupcake to have salt as a main flavor?

Well....I was wrong! By request, I made a salted caramel buttercream, and actually LOVED it! Up until the frosting was done, I was freaking out about them being inedible. Since they were not for me, I had no plan B if they turned out bad. Luckily, they didn't!

I used my go-to chocolate cupcake (recipe posted here). But, instead of my usual chocolate flavored coffee, I used a Caramel Drizzle flavored coffee:

This coffee is amazing on its own, and I thought it would make the chocolate cake go that much better with the caramel in the frosting!

Another issue I ran into: The dreaded moment when you are in the middle of a recipe and reach in the cabinet only to find what you need isn't there!! I was out of bittersweet chocolate. But, since I was not going back to the store (I had been earlier that day), I used Semi-Sweet chocolate and Dark Cocoa Powder instead. In the end, you couldn't tell a difference. 

For the frosting, I found this recipe from Fearless Homemaker:

The first step is to make caramel. When I read that I thought, no biggie, I've done this before! (see my previous post from Apple Pie Cupcakes). Well, like the first time I tried to make caramel, I burned it! But luckily I had enough ingredients to try it again with no problems! 

One thing I can't seem to get is the "deep Amber color" that most recipes claim you need to get. Maybe I don't know what "deep amber" looks like because every time I wait for it to turn that color, it tastes burnt and nasty. I would call the un-burnt end product a "light amber" color.

Salted Caramel Buttercream (from Fearless Homemaker)

(makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar

1. in a saucepan, stir together granulated sugar + water. bring to a boil over medium high heat. cook without stirring until mixture turns a deep amber color. remove from heat + slowly add in cream + vanilla, stirring until very smooth. let caramel cool for about 20 minutes, until it is just barely warm, but still pour-able.
2. in a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter + salt together until lightened + fluffy. reduce speed to low + add powdered sugar. mix until thoroughly combined.
3. scrape down the side of the bowl + add the caramel. beat on medium high speed until light + airy, + 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.

To make the Caramel Leaves:

This is really simple, get some of those square caramels from the candy aisle, roll em out with a rolling pin until they are big enough to fit a cookie cutter, and cut out the leaves. I used Wilton's Fall Mini-Cookie Cutter Set. I think they are sooo cute. To get the details, use a toothpick to make the markings, I also curved up the edges to get some dimension. 

The End Product!

Apple Pie in Disguise

One of my favorite things about this time of year is Apple Pie! But pie requires a lot more effort to eat and share, you have to have plates, forks, toppings, etc. That's why I love cupcakes, they are so easy to pass around! I stumbled across a recipe from the Craving Chronicles and thought it was a perfect addition to my cupcake recipe collection, with a few modifications. I have posted my edits below so you can enjoy too!

This is probably the MOST labor-intensive cupcake I have ever attempted, but it was soooo worth the effort! I even got compared to a professional baker!

Apple Pie Cupcakes 
makes 24 cupcakes

These consist of several parts:
1) cinnamon-nutmeg cupcakes
2) apple filling
3) vanilla caramel sauce
4) caramel butter-cream frosting

Part 1: The Apple Filling
I chose to make this part first because it needs to cool completely before filling the cupcakes. And frankly, I hate peeling apples, so I figured I would get the worst part out of the way.

Ingredients

2 T unsalted butter, softened

4 apples, I used Johnathan apples (my mom picked them at Eckert's for me)

1T sugar

2 1/2 T dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 T cornstarch

1T water

Directions

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat, I used a small pot and had some overflowing apples. 

Add Apples, sugars, lemon juice, and spices. 

Cook until apples are tender, it will look watery. It took about 8-10 mins for me.

Combine Cornstarch and water, then add to apple mixture.

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 

Part 2: The Dreaded Caramel Sauce

This was my first (and second) attempt at making homemade caramel. I went in thinking "I can do this!", but it did not go well the first time! I figured it though, and ended up with some pretty delicious vanilla caramel sauce.

The recipe originally called for a split vanilla bean, but it was difficult to scrape the seeds out, the seeds went straight to the bottom, and it did not taste very much like vanilla. So, the second time around I just used vanilla extract. 

Ingredients

3/4 C sugar

1 1/4 C heavy whipping cream (room temperature)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Mix vanilla with cream. 

Use a very large pot, and spread sugar onto bottom of pot. If the sugar is too deep, it will burn before it melts. 

Stir with a whisk constantly until it starts bubbling. Stop stirring and when it looks the color of one of those square caramel chews and smells of caramel, remove from heat. 

Immediately whisk in vanilla cream mixture until smooth, return to heat if clumps form. Be careful not to overcook the caramel though. This will bubble and be very very hot!

Freeze until you are ready to make the frosting. 

Part 3: The Cupcakes 

(the easiest part)

Ingredients

1 C whole milk

1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
2 C flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 3/4 C sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes. 

Add flour mixture and beat on low just until incorporated. Add milk mixture and vanilla, and beat until blended. 

This will look very liquidy, but they puff up nicely in the oven.
Divide evenly among baking tins. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans until almost cool, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cool, use a paring knife to make a cone shape hole in the center of the cupcakes. 

Fill with a spoonful of apple filling. 

Remove the excess cupcake from the 'lids' and replace the top. 

Part 4: Caramel Swiss Meringue Butter-Cream Frosting

Anytime I see the words 'Swiss meringue butter-cream', I cringe a little bit. It's the most time-consuming icing I think there is, but its always delicious! Light, and airy perfection. 

Unfortunately, this will make about 30% more icing than you need. 

Ingredients
6 large egg whites OR 2/3 C plus 1/4 C egg white mixture (I'm too lazy to do it myself!)
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
Pinch of kosher salt (I always wondered why people use kosher salt, now I know: its coarser than normal salt)
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 C Vanilla Caramel sauce (make sure its completely cooled first)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Place a small saucepan with about an inch or two of water over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place bowl over pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until mixture an instant-read thermometer reads 160°F. (It will start to look frothy.) 

Remove bowl from heat and attach to stand mixer. Beat with the whisk attachment until stiff meringue peaks form, about 10 minutes. 

Switch to paddle attachment. On low speed, add one cube of butter at a time, waiting until incorporated before adding the next. 

Once all butter is added, on low speed slowly pour in caramel. Add vanilla and continue beating until smooth. 

Freeze bowl of icing for 15 minutes. Then return to stand for another quick beat. 

Pipe onto cupcakes, I used my Wilton 1M tip.

Drizzle caramel sauce on top and you're ready to enjoy!

For best results, refrigerate overnight and enjoy for breakfast the next morning! :)