I can tell you one thing about these Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes.

You will want to wolf them down.

My favorite cupcakes on the planet are these Toffee Triple Chocolate Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Icing, but these beauties are a very close second.

There is a bit of effort to make the components, but it is so worthwhile. Using a boxed cake mix helps out on that front.

The prize for your time in the kitchen is caramel filled chocolate cupcakes with dreamy, creamy salted caramel icing all drizzled with a rich chocolate ganache. Every bite is a wonder to the taste buds with the contrast of the sweet and salty, sticky caramel, smooth icing and that crisp chocolate drizzle.

I had a bit of salted caramel filling leftover. It’s wonderful reheated to dip apple slices in.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Ingredients:

24 dark chocolate cupcakes, baked from a mix or your favorite recipe (I used King Arthur Flour’s Deliciously Simple Chocolate Cake mix)
Caramel Filling (recipe follows)
Caramel Buttercream Icing (recipe follows)
Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
Sea salt to garnish

Directions:

1. Use a knife to cut a cone-shaped piece (about 1/2 inch deep) from the center of each cupcake and discard (into your mouth) the cut out piece.

2. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of warm Salted Caramel Filling into each hollowed-out cupcake. The caramel will sink into the cupcake, go back and fill with a bit more. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over filling.

3. Use a 1M tip to pipe icing on the cupcakes.

4. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before drizzling over icing. Alternately, you can dip the cupcakes into the ganache, but if you piped the icing on, it will flatten the swirls.

5. Top with a smattering of sea salt. (Note: If you are going to photograph your cupcakes, do so right away or the pop of color of the sea salt fades into the chocolate.)

:)

Caramel Filling

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat sugar, water and corn syrup in heavy saucepan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is melted.

2. Cook without stirring until mixture comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush as needed. Boil, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is caramelized and reaches 360℉ on a candy thermometer. (I found that the mixture quickly turned color at just under 340℉, so I removed it from the heat then. I prefer to go by the look of the caramel instead of the temperature, to avoid burning a batch.)

3. Remove from heat, slowly pour in cream and stir until smooth. Stir in sea salt.

Caramel Buttercream Icing

Note: If you plan to pipe the icing on in tall swirls, you should double the recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1. Stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook without stirring until mixture turns dark amber, about six minutes.

2. Remove mixture from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until completely smooth and let cool.

3. Beat the butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Reduce speed and add confectioners’ sugar. Mix until well combined. Turn off the mixer, and slowly add caramel. Beat icing on low to combine, and then increase to medium-high and beat until thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes longer.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dark rum

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.

2. Heat the cream in a small pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching carefully so it does not boil over. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, let sit for 1 minute and then whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum.

Recipe from Jan CAN Cook

Here is a cupcake that I dipped into the ganache instead of drizzled over.

I just adore the song Little Red Riding Hood.

Here it gets a mash up with House Of The Rising Sun, which I am not as keen on, but it works a charm.

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Cheers!