Chocolate cupcakes with caramel frosting and chocolate drizzle

It has become an annual tradition for Sam's parents to host an AFL football grand final party. 

Sam's parents organise the meat and each guest is assigned food to bring for lunch. I am pretty predictable and volunteered to bring dessert.


I am a little late posting this - grand final day was the last Saturday in September. It was Annabelle's first grand final party and she lapped up the attention everyone gave her.  For father's day last year when I was pregnant I bought Sam a Carlton onsie for Annabelle to wear for the occasion. However, despite it being a 6-12 month outfit, she has already outgrown it!! It was pretty small fitting :-)

Annabelle and Sam at the start of
football season earlier in the year.

Annabelle now.

Makes approx 95 mini cupcakes (Or 2 22cm/9" round cakes or 30 cupcakes)

Chocolate cupcakes
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup rice bran oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Caramel frosting
1/2 cup cup unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1/3 cup caramel sauce, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted, plus more

Chocolate drizzle
1/2 cup chocolate, chopped
1⁄8 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1⁄8 cup plus 1 tbs rice bran oil

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Spray and line cupcake pans.

Sift dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add eggs, milk, vanilla and oil.  Mix ingredients for approx two minutes. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.  Add the boiling water, and beat until just blended. Don't over-mix.  

Fill prepared pans with batter. Because the batter is so thin, the easiest way to fill the cupcake pans is by pouring the batter (e.g using a jug).

Bake mini cupcakes for 9-11 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (Bake cakes for 30-35 minutes and cupcakes approximately 20 mins).

For the frosting, place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until light and fluffy (approx 2 minutes). Add caramel sauce and mix until thoroughly combined. Add 2 1/2 cups of icing sugar and mix until completely incorporated. Add more icing sugar if necessary until you reach your desired consistency. I wanted to pipe mine onto the cupcakes and have the frosting hold its shape well underneath the chocolate drizzle. If you accidentally add too much, this can be remedied by adding a small amount of milk - start with 1/2-1 teaspoon at a time. 

For the chocolate drizzle, place all ingredients in a microwave safe jug and microwave on medium in increments of one minute until everything is melted and smooth.

To assemble, pipe frosting onto the cupcakes using your favourite tip. Then drizzle with 1/2 a teaspoon of the melted chocolate. Top with chopped candy bars (I used mini milky ways and mini chocolate buttons).

Cupcake recipe from Food.com for Hershey's chocolate cake.

Notes
If you are using silicon cupcake pans, place them on oven trays before filling with batter. Because the batter is so runny, if you filled silicon pans and then tried to move them without being on a stable surface, the pans won't be able to support the contents and the batter will just spill everywhere.

Cupcakes are suitable to freeze.

Frosting will store in the fridge for a week or so.