By Tracey
Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes
cupcakes from Cook’s Illustrated
(Notes: You will probably have a little bit of leftover salted caramel sauce. Store in the fridge for up to a week, bringing to room temperature before using. Also, this makes a lot of frosting – you won’t need it all unless you really mound a lot of frosting on your cupcakes. You can either halve the recipe, or freeze the extra for up to 1 month.)
Ingredients:
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon fleur de sel
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Cupcakes
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa
- 3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (4 oz) or sour cream
Caramel Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6-8 tablespoon salted caramel sauce
Directions:
To make the caramel: Add the sugar, corn syrup and water to a medium saucepan and stir gently to combine. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture registers 350 F on a candy thermometer (if you don’t have a thermometer cook until the mixture is amber in color). Turn off the heat under the pan and slowly add the cream (the caramel will bubble up quite a bit so be mindful) then the fleur de sel. Stir in the sour cream until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool before using – you could even refrigerate for a bit so it’s not quite as thin when you go to fill the cupcakes.
To make the cupcakes: With a rack in the bottom third of the oven, preheat to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Microwave in 30 second spurts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, you could do this step in a double boiler.) Set the mixture aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl to combine, then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the bowl and whisk to combine. Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk gently to combine. Add the sour cream, whisk to combine and finally, sift the the rest of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk until everything is well combined – the batter will be thick.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting: Add the butter to a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter on medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and sugar. Whisk to combine. Place the mixer bowl over a pot of simmering water, and, whisking constantly, heat until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved. You can test by rubbing a bit between your fingers – it shouldn’t feel gritty at all.
Put the bowl on the mixer, and starting on low and gradually increasing the speed to medium-high, beat the egg white mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form – this will take about 8-10 minutes, and the bowl should feel cool to the touch when you’ve finished. Reduce the mixer to medium-low speed, and gradually add the butter, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
With the mixer still on medium-low, gradually add 6 tablespoons of the salted caramel sauce, and continue beating until it is completely incorporated. Taste the frosting, and if you want a stronger caramel flavor, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce.
To assemble the cupcakes: Use a small paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with salted caramel sauce, then replace the top portion of the cone (you’ll need to slice off the tip). Transfer the caramel buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Pipe frosting into a swirl on each cupcake. Drizzle additional salted caramel sauce over the top, if desired.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
