Right about now, you are probably thinking something like “Brooke, what are you doing to me?!”. I know, I know you JUST got your Thanksgiving meal plans done and then I do THIS to you. This, luscious silky caramely chocolatey amazingness, yea, I’m doin’ it and you can thank me later.

So, let’s start with the cake. It’s my favorite. It’s the chocolate cake recipe that I have been waiting for, the one that’s not just almost perfect, but is in fact, perfect. It is now my go to chocolate cake and that pretty much says it all.

And the icing, do I really need to say it? It’s caramel.. that’s salted.. and put in icing. Okay so now that we are good there you can get to making these. I’ll just go ahead and warn you, the instructions look daunting with the cake and the caramel and the icing but I promise it won’t be too bad. I know, caramel sounds like it’s going to be hard to make, in fact this is the first time I had ever done it and I am here to tell you it was so easy and rewarding! Okay I’m done with the pep talk, Happy Thanksgiving!

Salted Caramel Buttercream & Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes   (Print Me)

Yield: ~24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cupcakes:
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 Tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Salted Caramel Sauce:
1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

Frosting:
2 sticks butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 cup salted caramel (recipe above)

Directions:
Cupcakes:
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Line or grease your cupcake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended.

Divide your batter between prepared cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Caramel sauce:
Combine the sugar, water, and the corn syrup in a large saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Do not stir from this point on, but instead swirl the liquid around the pan so that the caramel doesn’t burn.Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.*** Be careful here *** Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up significantly and is very hot. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch (about 20 minutes). Save any extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Frosting:
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is the sweetness and consistency you desire.

Source: Life on a Blackberry Farm