Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

My friend told me about a cupcake she had and how fabulous it was...I was interested in seeing how it would taste so I found a recipe and made this cupcake last night. It was amazing! A chocolate cupcake filled with caramel and sea salt topped with dark chocolate frosting and sprinkled with more sea salt....Oh my gosh how could you not love it!! The frosting isn't very pretty, I'm still practicing the frosting thing!

I got the recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. Here are the recipes for the cupcakes, filling, and frosting. This recipe makes 56 mini cupcakes, but I made 24 regular sized cupcakes instead.

What you need for the cupcakes:

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Warm Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and the water. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Divide the batter evenly among the lined muffin tins, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature or frozen up to one month in an airtight container.

To finish use a paring knife and cut a cone shaped piece about 1/2 in deep from the center of each cupcake and discard. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the warm caramel filling into each hollowed out cupcake. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the filling.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium open star tip with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are filled and frosted. Store at room temperature in airtight containers. Do not refrigerate.

Salted Caramel Filling

2 1/2 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
2 1/2 Cups Sea Salt

Heat sugar with the water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over high, stirring occasionally, until syrup is clear, clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Stop stirring, and cook until syrup comes to a boil, washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush as needed. Boil, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until mixture is caramelized and just reaches 360 degrees. Remove from heat; slowly pour in cream ( mixture will splatter) and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in sea salt. Use immediately; if at any time caramel begins to harden, reheat gently until pourable.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/2 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Boiling Water
2 1/4 Cups (4 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
3/4 Cup Confectioners' Sugar Sifted
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Pounds Best- Quality Semi-Sweet Chocolate Melted and Cooled

Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl sides as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.