Fleur de Sel Cupcakes

So, these were just the simplest cupcakes to make....not really, but they were DELICIOUS!

I love sea salt and caramel together...it's such a tasty combination and a real treat to be able to make yourself! I found this recipe in one of my baking books and have been wanting to try it for awhile. It's actually meant for a cake, but I thought cupcakes would be a fun--I infused the chocolate cupcake with the salted caramel filling which was a nice little surprise :) But...have you ever made caramel? It can be so tedious and frustrating because you need to get the temperature JUST right. I struggled with this a little and had to make a few batches of caramel...but it all turned out ok!

They were topped with a caramel chocolate frosting (or mainly just chocolate because, again, a little trouble with that darn caramel) that was so creamy and rich and then decorated with a touch of sea salt, or fleur de sel if you will, that brought a lot of flavor.

Try these sometime! (if you have the patience...hehe)

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
-3/4 c. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 1/4 c. hot water
-2/3 c. sour cream
-2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 c. vegetable shortening
-1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
-1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
-3 large eggs, at room temp.
-1 Tbsp. vanilla

For the salted caramel:
-1/2 c. heavy cream
-1 tsp. fleur de sel (sea salt)
-1 c. sugar
-2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
-1/4 c. sour cream

For the whipped caramel ganache frosting:
-1 pound dark chocolate (60%-70% cacao), chopped
-1 1/2 c. heavy cream
-1 c. sugar
-2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
-2 c. unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2-in. pieces

To make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line cupcake/muffin pans with liners. In medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water and sour cream and set aside to cool. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.


2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and shortening on medium speed until ribbonlike, about 5 mins. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix again for 30 seconds. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

3. Divide batter into cupcake liners. Bake 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove pans from oven to cool on wire racks.


To make salted caramel filling:
4. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to a simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream mixture so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 c. water, sugar and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F. or until the mixture is dark amber in color, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute.


5. Add the cream mixture to sugar mixture. Whisk in sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to infuse cupcakes.

To make frosting:
6. Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat. Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 c. water, sugar, and corn syrup, stirring them together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F., 6-8 mins. Remove from heat and let caramel cool for 1 minute.


7. Add the cream to the caramel and stir to combine. Stir slowly for 2 mins, then pour the caramel over the chocolate. Let the caramel and chocolate sit for 1 minute, then, starting in the center of the bowl, and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and caramel mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted.


Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to med-high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat on high speed until mixture is fluffy.

Assemble:
8. When cupcakes have cooled, remove from pans. To fill them with the caramel, use a pastry bag fitted with tip #19 (or a long thin tip). Insert the tip into the middle of the cupcake, squeeze to release the caramel and fill cupcake. Release pressure on pastry bag before pulling the tip out of the cupcake. Repeat for each cupcake.



After each cupcake has been filled, use another pastry bag to pipe the caramel chocolate frosting on top of the cupcakes. (If you would like, you can use a special tip of your choice to create a nice design out of the frosting, or you can simply cut a small hole in the bag to pipe the frosting on that way). Top each cupcake with a dash of fleur de sel.