This is the best tasting cake I've ever made. The gooey, the sweet then the salty. Perfection. Salted Caramel Cake!
Gaze at it's sweet drips of goodness.
Ok here's the recipe. I got this from How To Eat A Cupcake blog.
I only used 1/2 the caramel for the frosting and glaze on top.
SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
CARAMEL SWIRL BUTTERCREAM
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
Caramel Drizzle
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Pinch salt
Buttercream
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature (I only used 1 1/2 sticks butter)
For the cupcakes:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugars and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20-22 minutes (Mine were done at 18 minutes). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the frosting:
In a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan, cook the sugar over medium-high heat until it begins to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stirring with a clean wooden spoon, continue to cook until the sugar is melted and has turned golden amber, about 3 minutes longer.
Carefully pour the cream down the side of the pan in a slow, steady stream (it will bubble and spatter), stirring constantly until completely smooth. Stir in the salt. Pour the caramel into a small heatproof bowl and let cool completely before using. (The caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before using.)
In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160°F on an instant-read thermometer), about 2 minutes (It always takes about 5 minutes for me). Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 minutes.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add the caramel drizzle (I only added about 1/2 cup) and beat until combined (or almost combined for a swirling effect), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream. (The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before finishing.) Top each cupcake with a caramel candy, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and serve.
This cake was super fun to do. Let me list why...
My friend Facebooked me to do a Narnia themed cake and asked if I've ever seen the Narnia movies or read the books to which my reply was "Does Mr. Tumnis have hooves for feet?" I love the Lion the With And The Wardrobe. If you've never read the books you won't truly appreciate this cake. But nevertheless check out it's detail.
C.S. Lewis is the author and a genius at that. Pick up ANY of his literature, google his quotes. Believe me it will not disappoint.
The little birthday boy's name is Nathan so I tried to mimic the Narnia font. I used gold dust to get that shimmer. Traditionally you should use vodka with the highest amount of alcohol to paint on shimmers and dust. I didn't have vodka on hand (since of I don't drink) so I went to my local cake store and asked if they had any. She gave me that "what a lush" look. I explained that I wanted to paint on the gold dust and use vodka so it would evaporate quickly, not for jello shots. She said I could use lemon extract. So I did and it worked!
This is a Tres Leche cake I made for a friend. She just wanted something fun for her kids for Halloween. What a great mom right? I don't do scary very well. I guess because scary things... scare me. So I decided to do a cute little string monster.
Bake some regular size cupcakes and mini size. Remove the paper from the mini size and put on top of the regular size one. Grab an icing bag or sandwich bag and cut a small hole out. Take your bag about 6 inches above your cupcake and drop the icing down so it looks like string.
To make the eyes get dum-dum suckers and apple ring candies. Stretch the apple ring over the sucker. Dab a little white icing in the middle and a little chocolate. Push the suckers into the cupcake and ta-duh! STRING MONSTER! AAAAAHHHHHHH! 
Gaze at it's sweet drips of goodness.
Ok here's the recipe. I got this from How To Eat A Cupcake blog.
This was for my god daughter's birthdays. They wanted Princess Sweet Pea and Nina will get them whatever they want! This was my first molding of a character. Not too shabby. This was a Fresh Strawberry Cake with Marshmallow Fluff and Cream Cheese filling.
