Ingredients
- For Cupcakes:
- 1 ½-cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup warm water
- Salted Caramel Filling:
- 2 -½ cups sugar
- 2/3-cup water
- 1-tablespoon light corn syrup
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 ½ teaspoons sea salt, fleur de sel preferably
- Dark Chocolate Frosting:
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 2 ¼ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ pounds best-quality semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Preparation
Step 1
Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350, line mini muffin tins with paper liners. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, sugar baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and the water. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
2. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 mins; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
3. Use a paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece (about ½ inch deep) from the center of each cupcake discard pieces.. Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons warm filling into each hollowed-out cupcake. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over filling.
4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium open star tip (wilton # 18) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt. Store at room temperature.
Caramel Filling:
Heat sugar with the water and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over high, stirring occasionally, until syrup is clear; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Stop stirring, and cook until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush as needed. Boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is caramelized and just reaches 360… remover from heat; slowly pour in cream (mixture will spatter) and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in sea salt. Use immediately; if at any time caramel begins to harden, reheat gently until pourable.
Chocolate Frosting:
Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an air tight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again. Makes about 5 cups.