Nutella Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Icing

Nutella Cupcakes

: makes 10 cupcakes

10 tbsp butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325F. Line 10 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until combined.

Fill each muffin liner with batter. Fill about 3/4 full.

Top each cake with 1 tsp Nutella.

Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Salted Caramel Icing:

1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in saucepan and continue over heat until the butter is brown, but not black. There’s good step-by-step instructions at All Recipes on how to brown butter.

Remove pan from heat and add lemon juice and brown sugar–stir until smooth.

Return pan to a med-low heat and bring to boil while constantly stirring. Boil mixture for one minute and remove from heat. Then add cream, stir until cream is incorporated.

Return pan to heat and stir until just boiling. Then remove from heat, add salt and let mixture cool to room temperature. When you taste the mixture at this point is may taste very strong and a bit too salty–that’s what you want.

Transfer caramel mixture to mixing bowl and slowly beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Ice the cupcakes and then place a caramel candy on top :) Enjoy..they are DELICIOUS!! the salty sweetness is divine!

i know i suck for not having a final outcome picture. it kills me, too.