Tuesday 16 June 2015

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

  






  



There comes a time with house renovations, when the builders and tradies have gone. When the gaping holes in your walls are healed up and no longer letting in the alpine weather. When you can go to the bathroom without fear of a tradesman wanting your opinion on deck oil or door handles. Where you can walk through your front door and not climb an Everest of builders rubble to do it. Where you have vacuumed and scrubbed every surface free of the dust and debris that sanding and sawing has kicked up and the builders (bless their cotton socks) have walked in. When you can finally sit back with a cup of coffee and a cupcake and admire your altered abode. That moment came at about 3 o'clock this afternoon.



Salted Caramel Cupcakes
Makes 12

For the Cupcakes:
190g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
140g (1 cup) dark muscovado sugar
115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
115 unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125ml(1/2 cup) buttermilk

For the Frosting:
225g (8oz) cream cheese, room temperature
75g (2 1/2 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
 125g (1 cup) icing sugar
2 tablespoons dulce de leche, plus extra for drizzling. *See note
Sea salt flakes for sprinkling

*NOTE: If the dulce de leche is a little thick for drizzling, just add a little warm water to get it to drizzly consistency)
I used some of my homemade cajeta. Recipe for cajeta here.


Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 180C (350C). Line a 12-hole cupcake pan with paper liners. Set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat both the muscovado and caster sugars with he butter n medium speed for about 5 minutes, until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Reduce the speed to low and add a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half the buttermilk. Mix until just incorporated, then add another third of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Finally, add the last of the dry ingredients and mix just enough to incorporate it.

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 22-24 minutes.

Make the Frosting:
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat all the ingredients until fluffy. Refrigerate it until it is a spreadable consistency.

Assembly:
Dollop about a tablespoon of the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes and spread it evenly to the edges to cover the tops completely.

Put the dulce de leche into a disposable piping bag, snip a small hole in the tip and drizzle it over the cupcakes. Sprinkle with a tiny amount of sea salt flakes.

5 comments:

  1. My dad is a renovation type of guy so since we had a house, it was a construction site all year. My boyfriend is a carpenter so it's kind of the same. There's always stuff going around and I know that when we're going to own a house, it's going to be the same as my childhood. So I feel your pain :) And these cupcakes are perfect after a day of crazy cleaning, again, I feel your pain :)

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  2. Those cupcakes sound awesome! Love the thick drizzle of caramel :)

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  3. Congrats on the completed home renovations - glad you have your privacy back! These look amazing and celebration worthy indeed :)

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  4. I lived through three major renovations at my parent's house, and we were the labour for hire. Only there was never any payment...
    I would have been complaint free if I'd been presented with a plate of these gorgeous creations though! Oh that drizzle of caramel, and the sprinkling of sea salt. I hope you got to sit a while in the new peace and quiet and just enjoy your 'new' house :)

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  5. Wow, I'm lost for words really... Another one to Thermomix convert :-) amazing!

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