Caramel Cake--- Cupcake Style =)

• I have been reading The Help and the book talks about Minny's caramel cake, and how delicious it was. Well I started craving this and lucked up and found a recipe inspired by the book.

 I love caramel, I mean really love, I had to stop myself from eating all the icing and the dozen cakes that will be making an appearance at a pool party tomorrow.

the start of the icing

After about 15 minutes of stirring!

This recipe was hard work, the icing took a good 30 minutes of constant stirring, but the outcome was so great that I will be making these again, and again, and again.

my tasting spoon and plate... =)

Normally I make my cupcakes with a hand mixer, but my stand mixer (which was a wedding present from my aunt and uncle) has been dying to make an appearance in my life, and man I am glad i finally decided to use it.


I adore these cupcakes!!! but my favorite part has to be the gooey caramel that sits in the center of the hollowed out cake!
I hope the everyone will enjoy them tomorrow ... and now I need to go work out after eating half a pot of caramel icing =/









Here is the recipe!!!!
Yield: 12 cupcakes 

• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 C flour
• 1 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• caramel icing

1. In a medium-sized bowl, cream butter and sugar.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time. 
3. Add flour and sweetened condensed milk alternately into the mixture.
4. Add vanilla.
5. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched lightly are are slightly browned on top.
7. To make filled cupcakes: When cupcakes are cool, use a paring knife to cut a chunk out of the center of the cupcake.  Fill the entire hole with caramel. 
8.  Immediately eat the part of the cupcake that you removed--- i did and I promise it is worth it =)
9. Frost the tops of the cupcakes (right over the filled hole) with the remaining caramel. 
10. Serve while the caramel is still hot and gooey or wait until it hardens some.  

and now..... for the best part the icing =)

• 2 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C unsalted butter (the original recipe called for margarine, but I only use butter)
• 3/4 C evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, mix butter, evaporated milk and two cups of sugar.
2. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.  Do not allow to come to a boil.
3. Once sugar dissolves, reduce heat to low.
4. In a small cast iron skillet on medium-low heat, melt half cup of sugar - stirring constantly until liquid and brown 
5. Pour the browned sugar into the saucepan and quickly stir to incorporate.  
6. Stir regularly until the liquid reaches the soft ball stage. You can test by dropping a small amount of caramel into water to see if it forms a soft ball (hence the name). It may take up to thirty minutes to reach the soft ball stage.  Here's where the patience kicks in.  Resist the temptation to turn up the heat because the caramel can easily burn.
7. Let cool slightly.  If you wait too long, the caramel will become difficult to spread.
8. Mix in vanilla.