Gooey Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes!!

YUMMY!! Filling turned out awesome, you can even add pecans to the filling and make them turtle cupcakes!

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake
makes 24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.
2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Caramel Filling

1 or more cans of Sweetened condensed milk

In large stock pot, submerse your can or cans of milk in water by at least 2 inches. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 3-5 hours. (Please, please, please ensure that the cans stay covered in water, if they aren't there is a chance they could explode from what I hear)

3 hours will give you a beautiful and thick caramel sauce. 5 hours will give you a very firm, sliceable filling for pies or tarts.

Vanilla Buttercream

1/2 lb. unsalted butter (softened)

1 stick salted butter (softened)

1/2 pkg. french vanilla instant pudding mix

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup (or more to suit your tastes) powdered sugar

In mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until smooth and silky. Turn the speed to low and add the pudding mix, when it is all incorporated, slowly add the cream, a little at a time. When fully incorporated bring speed up to high and beat for 5-7 minutes. Turn speed back down to low and add powdered sugar by Tbsp., tasting along the way. When it is sweet to your taste, beat again at high speed for a good 5 minutes to really break down any graininess that you might get from the powdered sugar. Bring back down to low speed and beat for a while that way to get rid of air bubbles.

Caramel Ganache:

1 pkg. chewy Werthers caramels unwrapped and chopped into thirds

1 Cup cream

8 ounces dark chocolate chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

4 Tbsp. butter

Heat cream in medium heavy bottomed saucepan until boiling, turn heat to medium, add caramels and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat, add chocolate and carefully stir until smooth, add butter in 4 additions stirring until smooth.

To Assemble:
Cut the tops off the cupcakes and scoop small pocket out of the middle, fill this with the sweetened condensed caramel and then put the top back on, then pour some of the caramel ganache on the top of that, then frost, then you can pour more ganache on top of that. Let me know if you have any questions