Recently, my boyfriend and I went to visit some friends in Ohio and while I had already planned on baking them some special cakes, they were definitely hinting that they wanted some as well. After thinking long and hard about what I should make them, I decided to stick with a coffee flavored cupcake, which turned out wonderful. Oh, and I also got to try out my new cupcake corer! Hopefully these cupcakes keep you buzzin with caffeine throughout the day!
Caramel espresso cupcakes (makes about 1 and a half dozen)
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup
- 2 each eggs, at room temperature
- splash vanilla extract
- 2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coffee
- 1 tablespoon espresso grounds
Caramel Espresso buttercream
- 2 sticks butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon caramel
- 1/3 cup coffee
- 1/2 tablespoon espresso
Caramel whipped cream filling
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons caramel
For the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line cupcake tins with liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.
- Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs, espresso grounds, and vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
- Sift flour and baking powder.
- Add 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup milk together.
- Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk/coffee mixture, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients.
- Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.
- bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly brown and a toothpick has been inserted in the middle and comes out clean.
To make the whipped cream
- Pour the heavy whipping cream and sugar, and caramel (feel free to add more if needed) in a mixer with a whisk attachment and beat on high until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes or so).
- Use a cupcake corer or a knife and gently cut a hole on the top of the cupcake and fill in with the whipped cream.
For the buttercream
- Beat the two sticks of butter on high for 1-2 minutes and then on a low speed add the confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time.
- Add the caramel, coffee, and espresso to the buttercream and beat on high until combined
3. Decorate the cupcake with frosting and top with caramel drizzle.