Butterscotch Cupcakes With Salty Caramel Frosting Food

BUTTERSCOTCH CUPCAKES WITH SALTY CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups, grease bottom and sides of muffin cups with shortening and lightly flour, or spray with baking spray with flour. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add granulated sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 of mixture at a time, and milk, about 1/2 at a time, beating just until blended. Stir in butterscotch chips. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each with about 3 tablespoons batter or until 2/3 to 3/4 full.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; place on cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar with whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 cup milk. Return to boiling. Remove from heat; cool until lukewarm, about 30 minutes. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Frost cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle each with kosher salt.

BUTTERSCOTCH CAKE WITH CARAMEL ICING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans, or line with parchment paper.
• Combine brown sugar and butter for cake in a bowl; cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add vanilla extract, then add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed just until they are mixed in.
• Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beating batter on low speed until well mixed, scraping down the bowl by hand as needed. Pour batter evenly into the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool, about 30 minutes.
• While cake cools, combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, milk, and flour for icing in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and vanilla extract. Cool the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is still warm (but not hot) and has thickened enough to spread.
• Spread icing over the cake, moving fairly quickly because it will set as it cools. It will be a thin coating, not a thick layer. Let set completely before cutting into the cake.

CARAMEL CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERSCOTCH FROSTING

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners.
• Make the caramel: Bring 1/3 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan; keep it very hot. Put the 1/3 cup sugar in a heavy-based 8-inch skillet or shallow saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat. Shake the pan to level the sugar and leave it alone until it's about half melted. Shake and swirl the pan to help the sugar melt completely. Cook the melted sugar, constantly swirling or stirring with a wooden spoon, until it bubbles and turns a deep reddish caramel color.
• Immediately take the pan off the heat and carefully drizzle the boiling water over the caramel. The mixture will sputter. Return the pan to medium heat; stir constantly with the wooden spoon just until the caramel is completely dissolved. Pour the caramel into a heatproof liquid measuring cup. Pour about 1/3 cup water into the empty caramel pan and return to medium heat until very hot, stirring to dissolve any remaining caramel. Spoon enough of this liquid into the measuring cup with the caramel to bring the level up to 1/2 cup. Let cool until warm. (You can make the caramel hours or even a day ahead. When it is cool, cover it and leave it at room temperature.).
• Make the cupcakes: Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer) on medium speed until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and beaters. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, on medium speed until the batter is smooth, 30 to 60 seconds after each addition; scrape the bowl each time. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three installments, alternating with the caramel. Mix only until the batter is smooth.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. (Use two rounded soup spoons: one to pick up the batter, one to push it off.) Don't smooth the batter. Bake until the cupcakes are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the tin, set them on the rack and let cool completely.
• Spoon a slightly heaping tablespoon of the frosting on top of each cupcake and use the back of the spoon to spread and swirl the frosting. If the frosting starts to stiffen, rewarm it briefly over medium-low heat until it's spreadable.
• Holding a cupcake by its liner, dip it into the chopped pecans, if using, turning to coat the frosting thoroughly. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Let the frosting set for about 30 minutes before serving.
• To make frosting: Melt the butter in a heavy 2-or 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir almost constantly with a wooden spoon. After 2 to 3 minutes, the sugar will melt and smooth out, and the mixture will begin to bubble (it's all right if it still looks separated at this point). Once this happens, stir constantly for 2 minutes (less if the sugar smells as if it's burning). Carefully add the 1/4 cup cream and stir constantly for another 2 minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly and look smooth and glossy.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla with the wooden spoon. If the frosting seems a little dry, beat in more cream, a half tablespoon at a time, until frosting is thick, smooth, and spreadable.

SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 12-hole cake tin with paper cases.
• Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. Briefly mix in the flour until just combined, and stir in the milk until the batter just falls off the beaters.
• Divide the mixture between the cases, leaving about 2 tbsp batter in the bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the caramel sauce if it's not salted caramel, then add ½ tsp to the tops of each cupcake. Use a teaspoon to cover the caramel sauce with the remaining batter. Bake for 15-20 mins until springy and golden. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the butter and half of the icing sugar together, then tip in the remaining icing sugar and whisk vigorously until pale and fluffy. Stir in half of the caramel sauce, then spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a round or star nozzle.
• Pipe swirls of icing on top of the cooled cupcakes. Stir the remaining caramel sauce with a pinch of salt, if unsalted, then use to drizzle over the icing. Sprinkle over a small pinch of sea salt over each, if you like.

BUTTERSCOTCH FROSTING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over med-low heat.
• Add brown sugar and stir constantly with wooden spoon.
• After 2-3mins, sugar will melt and mixture will become smooth, then begin to bubble (it's ok if it looks separated at this point).
• Once this happens, stir constantly for 2mins (less if sugar smells like it's burning).
• Carefully add cream and stir for another 2mins.
• Mixture will thicken slightly and look smooth and glossy.
• Remove pan from heat and let cool for 5mins, stirring frequently.
• Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla with wooden spoon.
• If frosting seems a bit dry, add more cream, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until thick, smooth and spreadable.