Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Salted Caramel is all the rage these days.  I honestly had never really tried the combo but after hearing about it over and over again I decided to go for it.  I made a basic vanilla cake very similar to Katie’s Lemon Cupcake recipe except I added caramel creamer instead of lemon and played around with the icing until I got it just right.  One bite of these salted caramel cupcakes and I instantly figured out what all the fuss was about.

Seriously, the addition of salt is genius.  It makes all of the flavors pop.  I was somewhat hesitant to add sea salt on top of the cupcakes, but once I did and gave it a try I was hooked.

Salted Caramel cupcakes

Caramel Cupcakes
1 1/2 Cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup Butter
2 Cups sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 Cup Caramel Coffee Creamer (you could use half and half if you don’t have the creamer)
1/3 cup Half and Half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 standard sized muffin tins with 24 liners.  Combine flours together and whisk.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then the vanilla.  Add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the the half and half and creamer as you go.   Spoon the mixture evenly into the lined muffin tin.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Let cool.

Salted Caramel Frosting
1 cup softened butter
1 cup caramel topping
6-8 cups powdered sugar
3-6 Tbsp milk

cupcake topping
1/2 cup caramel topping for drizzle
Sea Salt

Blend the butter and caramel topping together until creamy.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, adding small amounts of milk as you go in order to reach the right consistency.  Beat until creamy.  Frost the cooled cupcakes.  Drizzle with caramel and top with a pinch of sea salt.