Chocolate Turtle Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Moist and decadent chocolate cupcakes with a caramel buttercream frosting that are topped with chopped pecans, then drizzled with caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup boiling water
Frosting:
¾ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
3½ cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup homemade caramel sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1+ Tbsp heavy cream
Toppings:
Homemade caramel sauce
chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, then spray the liners with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, milk, and vegetable oil to the flour mixture and whisk until combined (it will be thick). Pour in the boiling water and quickly whisk, just until smooth.
Divide the batter among 9 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Once it's all added, beat on high speed for about a minute.
Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides, then pour in the caramel sauce and the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until combined, then on high to air out the frosting. Add enough milk to reach your desired consistency. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag and pipe a generous amount onto each cooled cupcake, then top with chopped pecans and drizzle with caramel sauce.
