I really, really love caramel and I wanted to make this cake, but I wasn’t able to line up a dinner party play date for my family so I didn’t want to make a full cake and have it go to waste. Plus, I was able to get some cute, boy-friendly cupcake decorations that I wanted to try out for my guys, so I opted to make a batch of cupcakes instead.
The batter was quick and easy to make although I was wondering how caramel-y it would end up tasting.
It used a bit of vinegar at the end and it made me laugh to realize the brand was “Lady’s Choice”–should I be offended?
I had lots of help from my little cupcake-loving guys. G “helped” fill the cupcake liners and M helped me make the frosting. I forgot to whisk in the heavy cream at the right time, so I added it at the end. Luckily it didn’t mess anything up. Sometimes it’s hard to focus when baking with 3 little boys running around. I *did* add a tablespoon of vanilla extract to the frosting. I don’t think I’m capable of making a cake (or cupcakes) without vanilla in some form.
I ended up doing spooky red sparkes/knives for the big boys, rainbow sugar sprinkles for baby G, pink sprinkles for me and crystal salt flakes for my sweet man. I ended up “testing” two before I even frosted them, they made about 17 cupcakes, but I did overfill a few of them so they probably should have made closer to 20.
I was happy with the way they turned out–very rich and caramel-y without being too sweet. I didn’t add any more caramel on top, but I did sprinkle a bit of kosher salt on them to contrast with the sweet caramel. Everyone in my family also gave them two thumbs up.
I had to take a work call when I had five minutes left on the timer and forgot all about the cupcakes for about 8 minutes. I yanked them out in a panic, afraid I had ruined them. Even though they were a bit darker on the tops than I would normally allow, the finished cupcake was fine, not dry at all.
I will definitely make these again, both as cupcakes and as a layer cake. Go see how the recipe turned out for my fellow bakers!
Next up: Chocolate Velvet Walnut Fudge with Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel.
GlimmerMama 
Awesome idea! I can see how this recipe would make totally amazing cupcakes!
They look delicious!
Super cute! I had to restrain myself from adding vanilla to both the cake and the frosting.
Fantastic looking cupcakes. I love the decorations! I wanted to add vanilla too…it seemed wrong not to use it.
Nice job– you can’t really go wrong with all the caramel! I feel the same way about vanilla. I considered adding some to the cake, but I wanted to try it as-is first; next time (which will be Thanksgiving) I will add some to see how it tastes. Cute decorations and cuter helpers! 🙂
Your cupcake decorations are so cute!
Adorable! Both the cupcakes and the children!