Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

It's Alexander's first sports day at preschool today and there was a request for volunteers to make cakes. Never one to refuse an opportunity to make cake I put my hand up! So I decided cupcakes would be the best option with children around and knew chocolate need to be involved and came across another Holly Bell recipe that I fancied trying. She calls them love cupcakes but I decided Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes was more my kind of heading. Anyway her recipe can be found here: http://www.recipesfromanormalmum.com/2013/01/21/love-cupcakes/ and is reproduced below.

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

Makes 12 (I doubled this recipe and got 42 but I think some of my cases must have been smaller!!)

Ingredients:
140g self raising flour
35g ground almonds
175g castor sugar
175g baking margarine/butter
3 large eggs (I used medium)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Approx 60g caramel
100g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
Decorations

I started by making the decorations the day before although you could just use smarties, chocolate buttons etc. However, I have a fab buttons mould I got from http://www.bakedbyme.net/ who have some brilliant moulds and really fast and friendly service - highly recommended.

 

Next make the cakes, preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3 and check there’s a rack in the middle of the oven. Then beat the flour, almonds, sugar, marg/butter, eggs and vanilla together until light and creamy. Takes about 4 minutes in a stand mixer, and I love an excuse to use my KMix! Divide between cupcake cases and then bake in the centre of the oven until just starting to brown and when a toothpick comes out of the middle cupcake clean. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

When cool take an apple corer and remove the centres of the cakes, being careful not to go all the way down to the bottom. If you accidentally do remove the whole plug of cake then cut a bit off and poke it back into the cake hole. 

Carefully pour a teaspoon of tinned caramel (or make your own) into each hole and then use a toothpick or skewer to poke the caramel down. It’s so gloopy it may well get stuck on the top so help it along with a poke and a jiggle. (Personally I used a spoon to pur it into the holes, and a clean finger to push the caramel down).

You'll be left with some cake to sample - which is no problem with a hungry 2 year old in the house!! This was supposed to be a bowl of leftover cake!!

 Then melt your chocolate in the microwave or over boiling water depending on your preference. i melted 50g of plain chocolate and 50g of milk chocolate at a time. I usually put it on for 30 seconds full power in the microwave and then at 30 second intervals on 50% power to ensure it doesn't burn.

Carefully spoon a teaspoon or two onto each cake, then pop whatever decoration you have on the top and leave to set (keeping the chocolate out of reach of the 2 year old was rather challenging here!!)

So here they are ready to go off to Sports Day and the verdict - delicious! Would definitely make them again. Here's hoping it doesn't rain this afternoon!