These 3-step moist chocolate cupcakes are filled with a delicious homemade salted caramel and topped with a fluffy caramel infused buttercream. Perfect to bring to a gathering, function or birthday, you will have people second guessing if these are gluten free!
These cupcakes are quite rich and makes the perfect indulgent treat for caramel lovers! Nothing beats chocolate and caramel combined, and these are by far my first cupcake preference! If you are going to an event and are planning on making a statement, then these are the perfect cupcakes for you!
To make the caramel, I recommend using a normal stainless still pot that is NOT labelled "non-stick". If the pot happens to be "non-stick" the sugar is never going to melt.
For these cupcakes, I chose Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. This particular flour already contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is required in gluten free baking because it provides the elasticity and acts as a binding agent for the flour, more importantly it is responsible for holding onto moisture, which is exactly what gluten free flour often lacks. Find yourself a gluten free flour blend that has xanthan gum already added, but if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world! Simply buy xanthan gum separately from your local supermarket and add about 1/4 tsp to your recipe.
Follow along with the video below:
*This video excludes the making of the caramel*
If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love to hear from you!
Chocolate & Caramel Filled Cupcakes
Serves: 12 Prep Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 60 mins
Ingredients
170g gluten free plain flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour)
55g gluten free cocoa powder
200g raw caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
120ml buttermilk (120ml milk of your choice mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice)
75g vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
90ml boiling water
Caramel Filling
200g white sugar
90g unsalted butter, room temperature
120ml thickened cream, room temperature
1 tsp salt
Caramel Buttercream
200g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tbsp caramel, prepared earlier
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
Directions
To make the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven at 180ºC fan force and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then add the boiling water. Carefully mix until combined and until you get a smooth batter. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake for 16-18 minutes.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tray before transferring them to a wire rack.
To make the caramel:
In a medium saucepan (ensure it is not a non-stick saucepan), heat the sugar over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the sugar becomes an amber coloured liquid form, making sure you do not burn it.
Once the sugar is completely melted, immediately stir in the butter until melted and combined. The caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added, hold the pan off the heat for a few seconds still stirring so that the caramel doesn't separate, then return to the heat.
Slowly pour in the cream, the mixture will rapidly bubble, this is normal. After all the cream has been added, stop stirring and allow to boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Allow the caramel to cool for 30-60 minutes before using, the longer it cools, the thicker it will become.
To make the Caramel Buttercream:
In a bowl of a standstill mixer with the paddle attachment, on a high speed mix together the butter, caramel and vanilla extract until smooth. This should only take a few seconds.
Scrape down the sides and then sift in the powdered sugar. Add additional powdered sugar if you prefer a sweeter buttercream. Mix on a low speed and slowly increase to a medium speed for a few seconds until fully combined. The buttercream should be smooth with no lumps.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a round nozzle attachment. Set aside.
Assembly: To assemble the cupcakes, with a cupcake corer, make a small hole in the center of each cupcake, then fill each cupcake with the caramel. Pipe the buttercream evenly onto each cupcake then drizzle some extra caramel on top. Serve and enjoy!
Store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information (per serve):
Calories: 499
Fat: 28g
Carbohydrates: 57g
Protein: 4g
Nicole Marie
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