Bigger Isn't Always Better!

    I was sitting in bed a few days ago trying to figure out what kind of cupcakes I wanted to make for my next posting. I wanted to come up with something that was different from the other cupcakes that I have made for you so far. While my T.V was playing in the background, I was thinking about what flavour combinations that I like in sweets and baked treats. Next thing you know there was a Christmas add on the T.V, and while I was thinking up ideas, I drifted into thinking about all the delicious chocolates that I get around the holidays; like salted caramel chocolates ...............  Salted caramel chocolates??! Hey! What an idea!  And so as of that moment, thanks to a Christmas add, I decided what cupcakes I would make today, and they are mini salted chocolate caramel cupcakes! Who would have thought?!

   So after this terrific idea, I ended up actually finding a recipe for said cupcakes from the Martha Stewart  Cupcakes book. But, I decided to only use her recipe for the chocolate cupcakes. The icing I made is actually a recipe from TLC's Cake Boss: Buddy Valstro, and personally, I think it is THE BEST chocolate icing recipe ever! It tastes soooo good!

Mini Salted Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup warm water          

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 24-cup mini muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
3. Now add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and water to the dry ingredients.
4. Beat the mixture together with an electric stand mixer or hand mixer until all the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the batter into your lined mini cupcake pan, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.

       *Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book [8.]


Buddy's Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Makes enough icing for 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4  cups butter, softened
• 5 cups icing sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder (Dutch cocoa powder is best)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. Place butter into a mixing bowl and beat for three minutes until creamy and light yellow.
2. Add the icing sugar one cup at a time, making sure that it is well combined after each addition.
3. Next, add the cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract and beat on a low speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add the milk to the icing mixture and beat for another 3 minutes.
   
   * Recipe adapted from Buddy's chocolate fudge frosting recipe [2.]

Now to put it all together......
You will need:

• 24 mini chocolate cupcakes
• 1 batch of Buddy's chocolate frosting
• Some sea salt and kosher salt
• Dulche de leche caramel spread, (it comes in jars and is thicker than caramel topping. It is quite common in stores).
• A small melon baller or a round 1/2 tsp measuring spoon.

Assembly:

1. Start by taking your cooled cupcakes and scoop out the centre of each cupcake. Don't dig really deep into the cupcake when you do this; you only need to scoop out as much as the melon baller/ teaspoon measure will hold.
2. Next, take a small teaspoon and fill each cupcake hole with caramel spread so that the caramel is level with the top of the cup cake.
3. Take a small pinch of sea salt and lightly sprinkle the top of each cupcake with a tiny bit of salt. Sprinkle the salt over the caramel part of the cupcake; this will make it stick.
   
   
   
4. Ice the tops of the cupcakes. You can pipe the icing on like I did with a piping bag and a large star shaped piping tip if you want, or just simply ice the cupcakes by hand.
5. Lastly, when you are ready to serve the cupcakes, finish them off with a light sprinkling of some kosher salt, or any other salt that it a bit on the coarse side (pink Himalayan salt is great on chocolate, and makes for an extra special treat if you have some!) Do not salt the icing of the cupcakes until you are ready to serve them because the salt will melt if you do.

      And violà! You now have a batch of the yummiest and cutest cupcakes on the block!  These little sweets are perfect to serve if you are having a girls night in watching movies. I served them to my friends and they just loved them! You could make these as regular sized cupcakes if you want to (remember to adjust the baking time), but personally I think these cupcakes are perfect in miniature form. They are really rich, and so a little cupcake goes a long way!

Happy baking!