Caramel Macchiato "Cuppas"

Entry #2 folks!!! This month's theme is coffee, and judging by the submissions to date, it is going to be one tough competition :)

Our February ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

DIANAEVANS - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5599270
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
As an added bonus for February, SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in a variety of cupcaking supplies, http://www.acupcakery.com/index.html.

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

I decided to put a cupcake spin on one of my favorite caffinated drinks - the Caramel Macchiato from Coffee Matters in St. John's NL. This comforting drink has the perfect blend of strong coffe and sweet caramel!

My cupcake starts with a coffee cupcake base, and when I say "coffee" I mean strong coffee - a good jolt to start off the day with. Inside there is a gooey centre drenched in homemade caramel sauce - a nice way to cut the good-but-bitter bite of the coffee. A nice swirl of sweet and smooth buttercream tops it all off - just for that sweet tooth.



Coffee Cupcake

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
3/4 cup water

Steps

- Preheat oven to 360°F and line 12 muffin cups with papers.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add vanilla. Mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add dry ingredients, including coffee, and mix well. Mixture will be slightly dry.
- Add water 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Divide between the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp butter (real butter, margarine will not taste right)
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Steps

- Put sugar and water in a deep sauce pan. Heat over med heat. Whisk until crystals are dissolved.
- Allow syrup to boil at the same temp for several minutes until an amber color begins to show. Add butter and whisk until melted. Remove from heat and count to five.
- Add milk slowly, whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble so be careful!
- Let cool slightly then transfer to a mason jar to cool overnight.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Buttercream

I used the leftover icing form my Valentine's cake, found here.

Assembly

- Let cupcakes cool til slightly above room temp.
- Transfer caramel to a squirt bottle. Poke tip of bottle into tops of cupcakes and squeeze. The caramel will soak into the cake, giving you the gooey centre, so let them sit and top the holes up several times before icing.
- Pipe buttercream onto filled cupcakes.
- Eat and lick your fingers :)

Iron CupcakeEarth Voting

The time has come everyone - the voting has opened for this month's ICE challenge. Here is a quick recap of my entry:

The theme ingredient was wine, so I decided a light champagne-infused cupcake would be a good place to start. I paired that with a bit of bakeapple syrup, but could not decide on a good frosting.... Then I got to thinking, what is delicate enough to pair with champagne, but rich enough to give the cupcake some weight - white chocolate!!! I added some booze to the frosting, just for good measure :)



Head on over to http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and cast your vote!

#33) IronCupcake:Earth Wine, to Toast the New Year - Bakeapple & Bubbly Cupcakes with White Chocolate Champagne Frosting

A long title, I know... but these cupcakes are multi-dimensional and therefore warrant a wordy introduction.

This is my first official entry to ICE so I am very excited to be a part of this great blogging activity for the first time :)

Our January ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

DOGBONE ART - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=22042
as well as a pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6057281.
PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!
As an added bonus for January, our friend at SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in another treat as well, http://www.acupcakery.com/index.html.

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; the CUPCAKE COURIER http://www.cupcakecourier.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com. NEW, BEGINNING IN JANUARY; our new friends at UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/ will be providing our winner with one of their cute cupcake attitue t's! Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

My cupcake creation is a light and delicate treat topped with a wonderful swirl of melt-in-your-mouth white chocolate frosting. The champagne undertones are complimented nicely by the bitter but subtle bite of the bakeapples. It is a sweet treat that elevates the everyday cupcake to a more elegant and refined class!

Bakeapple & Bubbly Cupcake

Ingredients

2 egg whites
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup champagne
1/4 cup bakeapple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tray with paper cups.
-Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
-Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined.
-Stir together champagne, bakeapple syrup, and vanilla. Add to butter mixture.
-Add flour, baking powder, and salt to mixture and beat until well combined.
-Gently fold in egg whites.
-Divide between 12 muffin cups.
-Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

White Chocolate Champagne Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp white chocolate
1 3/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup champagne
1/2 tsp bakeapple syrup
6 tbsp butter

Steps

-Melt chocolate in double boiler. Let cool to room temperature.
-Mix together icing sugar, champagne, and bakeapple syrup. Add butter and beat until smooth.
-Add cooled chocolate and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
-Pipe on cooled cupcakes.