Chocolate and salted caramel cupcakes recipe

These delicious little salted caramel cupcakes are homemade from start to finish: chocolate sponge with a saucy centre, buttercream icing and little flower toppers. 

It's a four step process as you have to make each part separately and then assemble, but it's simple and quite speedy to do in an hour and half. The most complex part is the flower toppers but you can skip this part if you prefer and just use some fudge or caramel sprinkles instead. The best part about these cakes is the gooey caramel filling as you bite into them, which always makes them a big hit at parties. This recipe makes 12 but it's easy to just double everything if you need to make two batches. If you only require half a dozen we'd recommend keeping the sponge amounts the same and freezing half the cupcakes for a later occasion.

Ingredients

• 50g self-raising flour
• 50g plain flour
• 175g caster sugar
• 90g good quality cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 125ml buttermilk
• 125ml warm water
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ tsp vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the salted caramel sauce:

• 200g light brown sugar
• 50ml water
• 40g butter
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 100ml double cream

For the salted caramel cream:

• 300ml double cream
• 8 tbsp of the caramel sauce

For the sugar flowers (optional decoration):

• 60g granulated sugar
• A pinch of salt
• Metal flower cutter

Method

1. For the cupcakes: Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl, then add all other ingredients and beat until smooth.
2. Divide the mixture between 12 cupcakes cases and bake in the oven at 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3 for 25 mins.
3. Remove and cool. Leave the cakes in the tins for 10 mins before popping them on a wire rack.
4. For the salted caramel: Add the sugar and water to a large pan heat until you have a nice amber colour with the sugar bubbling and it reaches 180°C. Add the butter and stir until melted.
5. Remove from the heat and add the cream and salt, it will bubble and spit but keep stirring and then leave to cool. You will end up with a thick but pourable caramel.
6. When the cakes are cool, remove the centre with a melon ball tool or a small knife and add a teaspoon of the cooled caramel to each cupcake and replace the centres.
7. For the salted caramel cream: Add the cream and the caramel into a large bowl and whip until the cream is stiff enough to pipe.
8. When the cakes are cool, add the cream to a piping bag and pipe a swirl or spread a generous helping onto the cakes. Drizzle the tops with a little caramel sauce. More sea salt can be added to your taste if you wish.
9. For the sugar flowers: Add the sugar to a pan and heat until melting. Don’t stir or the sugar will seize, just swirl the pan until all the sugar is dissolved.
10. Working quickly and with extreme caution, pour the sugar onto a baking sheet and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the top. Wait for it to cool slightly, this won’t take long, after a couple of minutes and you’ll be able to see it setting. While it’s still flexible, cut 12 flowers with a metal flower cutter and add to the top of the cupcakes.
11. You can make pretty patterns with the sugar, it doesn’t have to be a flower. You can just drizzle onto the baking mat and break into shapes when it’s set.

Top tips for making salted caramel cupcakes

If you don’t have time to make the salted caramel from scratch you could opt for a shop-bought caramel sauce instead as it would work just as well.

Can I make these chocolate and salted caramel cupcakes in advance?

As the frosting on these cupcakes is made from double cream, it’s best to keep the cupcakes in the fridge. Remember not to leave them for too long, however, otherwise the sponge will start to dry out in the fridge. We’d recommend two days maximum.

Can I freeze the chocolate and salted caramel cupcakes?

You can freeze the cupcakes even once they are filled with caramel (up to the end of step 6) but we recommend leaving them un-iced before you freeze them. Store for up to 6 months.

You might also like…

• Classic chocolate cupcake recipe
• Basic cupcake recipe
• The Hummingbird Bakery's vanilla cupcakes recipe