Golden Caramel Cupcakes Food

CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 345 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
• Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. In a small pot over low heat warm up 1 cup water, the butter and espresso. Do not boil! Just melt the butter. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the buttermilk, eggs and coffee mixture in a second bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until smooth.
• Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cupcakes. If it comes out clean, they are done. Allow to cool.
• For the ganache: In a small pot over low heat, mix the chocolate and cream until combined and smooth. Take off the heat. Add the coffee liqueur if using and mix.
• To assemble: Using a apple corer or a small spoon, scoop a small well halfway through in the center of the cupcakes. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the ganache into the well, as well as brush some over the top of the cupcakes. Fill a pastry bag with piping tip of your choice with Salted Caramel Buttercream. Pipe the buttercream directly on top of the cupcakes. Garnish as you please.
• Slowly heat the cream in a small pot over low heat.
• While heating up the cream, in another pot over medium heat, add one third of the sugar and the salt and mix with a wooden spoon until liquid. Continue to add the remainder of the sugar in one-third increments. Once all the sugar is dissolved, continue to mix the caramel until it reaches a slightly darker brown color.
• Turn off the heat and add the hot cream very slowly in increments while stirring. Be very careful to not burn yourself! Caramel is ready once the cream and caramel are smooth. Transfer to a bowl for cooling. Allow 1 hour to cool at room temperature.
• Add the cooled caramel mixture to a mixing bowl and with a paddle attachment on medium speed, add the butter in increments. Once the buttercream is smooth it is ready to be used.

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.

SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F in a convection oven). Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners (24 regular size or 48 mini size).
• Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the sour cream, baking soda, salt and eggs until combined. Scrape out the insides of the vanilla bean. Add the vanilla and granulated sugar to the egg mixture. Mix until combined.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with 1 cup water. With mixer set to a low speed, alternate adding the water and butter, with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing until well combined.
• Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full with the batter. Bake until golden brown and baked through, 22 minutes for regular size and 16 minutes for mini size. Cool the cupcakes completely. Frost with the Caramel Buttercream Frosting. Garnish if desired.
• Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese and beat until fully incorporated and smooth. Reduce the speed and add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Mix until fully incorporated. Add the caramel sauce to the buttercream mixture.

GOLDEN CARAMELS

Steps:

• Spray an 11 3/4-by-16 1/2-inch baking pan (this is a half-sheet pan) with vegetable-oil spray. Set aside in a spot where it will not be moved. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine cream and sweetened condensed milk; set aside.
• In a heavy 6- to 8-quart saucepan, combine corn syrup, 1 cup water, sugar, and salt. Clip on candy thermometer. Over high heat, cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring with a wooden spoon, 8 to 12 minutes. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.
• Stop stirring, reduce heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until temperature reaches 250 degrees (hard-ball stage), 45 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, cook cream mixture over low heat until it is just warm. Do not boil. When sugar reaches 250 degrees. slowly stir in butter and warmed cream mixture, keeping mixture boiling at all times. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thermometer reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage), 55 to 75 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Immediately pour into prepared pan without scraping pot. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours without moving.
• To cut, spray a large cutting board generously with vegetable-oil spray. Unmold caramel from pan onto sprayed surface. Cut into 1-by-1 1/4-inch pieces, or other shapes. Wrap each in cellophane or waxed paper.

GOLDEN CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper; set aside.
• Split the vanilla bean in half with a small paring knife, and scrape out the seeds; discard the pod. Add the seeds to the cream in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan; scald the cream and keep the saucepan near the stove so that if the cream cools too much when needed, you can reheat it briefly. In a deep, heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over low heat, blend the corn syrup and the sugar, stirring occasionally until the mixture becomes more fluid and most of the sugar appears dissolved.
• Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and gently boil until a candy thermometer registers 305 degrees F (hard crack stage), about 9 to 12 minutes.
• Add the butter and salt to the sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Pour in the warm vanilla-flavored cream in a slow but steady stream without letting the boiling stop (be careful-mixture foams up and is steamy). Lower heat to medium and continue to boil gently until the thermometer registers about 248 degrees F, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, about 14 to 15 minutes.
• Let the candy stand about 3 minutes to allow bubbling to subside, then pour into the prepared pan without scraping the saucepan; allow to cool at least 5 hours.
• Invert onto a clean cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips; then cut across the strips to form 1/2-inch squares. To apply a patch of gold leaf to each square, use a small artist's brush. With the brush, lift a tiny patch about the size of an oatmeal flake of gold leaf and deposit it on top of the caramels for decoration.
• Cut caramels tend to stick together and not hold their shape unless individually wrapped, so for easiest storage wrap the block of caramels in aluminum foil and cut off portions as needed. Store cut caramels in layers, separated by aluminum foil in an airtight metal or plastic container in a cool place for up to 3 weeks.