Ok. I’m starting to think that I have a little obsession with caramel. Every dessert I’ve been making lately has caramel on it, in it, around it…. you name it, it’s there!
I’ve always like caramel, but lately I want Dulce de Leche ice cream, I’m adding it to a slice of apple pie, brownie sundaes, everything!
These Dulce de Leche Cupcakes with cream cheese caramel frosting drizzled with caramel and chopped walnuts fits in perfectly with my caramel obsession.
I made a homemade caramel to go into the frosting and to drizzle on top of the piped frosting. It’s really not as hard as people think. It’s a really simple recipe.
Inside the center of the cupcake, I placed a dollop of Dulce de Leche. This comes in a can and you can find it in the Spanish foods section of the grocery store.
This recipe makes a dozen cupcakes. Here the recipe:
Caramel:
1 cup sugar
1/2 heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
Cupcakes:
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 & 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Filling:
Dulce de Leche (can)
Frosting:
4 oz ( 1/2 bar) cream cheese
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp of the caramel
Caramel:
In a saucepan, place the sugar over medium heat. Let the sugar melt completely. Stir slowly as it melts and turns Amber. When all of the sugar is dissolved, add the heavy cream. Stir. Then add the butter and salt. When the butter is melted, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Cupcakes:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer, place oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Mix. Add the dry ingredients. Then add buttermilk. Mix until fully incorporated.
Use an ice cream scoop and divide into 12 equal portions in the cupcake pan.
Bake for 18-25 minutes or until slightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Frosting:
Mix cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream until it’s at the right consistency. Mix in caramel.
Use a knife to cut a hole into the center of each cupcake. Pull out the extra cake. With a teaspoon or a filled pastry bag, place about a teaspoon of Dulce de Leche. Pipe frosting on top of the Dulce de Leche. Top with additional caramel and chopped walnuts.
