Salted caramels, including chocolate varieties, have become quite popular in recent years; a touch of salt draws out caramel’s buttery taste and highlights the sweetness. This cupcake, created with the candy’s popularity in mind, serves as an excellent incentive to try your hand at making caramel at home. The soft caramel centers hide under a piped peak of satiny chocolate frosting. Fleur de sel, a type of sea salt prized for its distinctive flavor, is available at specialty stores; if you can’t find it, you may substitute another sea salt, such as Maldon.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 56 mini
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and the water. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Step 2
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 1 month, in airtight containers.
Step 3
To finish, use a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece (about 1/2 inch deep) from the center of each cupcake (discard pieces). Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons warm filling into each hollowed-out cupcake. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over filling.
Step 4
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium open-star tip (Ateco #821 or Wilton #18) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are filled and frosted; store at room temperature in airtight containers (do not refrigerate) until ready to serve.
