Salted Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes

Warning! Your house will smell amazing and you will spend a lot of time not baking but licking your fingers because it’s so darn delicious!

Last time I smelt popcorn mixed with caramel was in Epcot last year in the German Pavilion at the Wherther’s Original shop. Someone please make me a perfume that smells like salted caramel popcorn. hmmmmmmmmm. Assembling these babies is also so much fun!. The lighting in my apartment continues to be terrible and it has gotten so very cold this weekend. These are perfect with a nice hot cup of tea (try peppermint, the flavours work really well together)

Don’t worry about icing them nice and neatly, you’re going to top em’ with a tower of popcorn anyway. (this is also great for people who generally like me are terrible at icing, truly)

It is really nice to walk in to my living room and just see them sitting there 😀

That jar of left over caramel sauce is a blessing and a diabetic curse.

Salted Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes

Salted Caramel Sauce:

Ingredients:

1   Cup Caster Sugar

80g   Salted Butter

½ Cup   Heavy Cream

1 tsp.   Flaked sea salt

Method:

1. Taking great care melt the sugar over medium to low heat using a spatula, it will clump at first but stay patient and you will see it turn into a beautiful dark golden brown/amber coloured sauce. Keep stirring so not to burn it.
2. Add the butter, it’s going to melt and be bubbly and really really hot so be careful and don’t burn yourself.
3. Once the butter has all melted and nicely incorporated into the caramel add the heavy cream slowly (it will bubble up again). Stir on low head for 2-3 minutes.
4. Take off the heat and mix in the salt.
5. Wait for it to cool down before transferring it to a container. (or dipping a spoon in to taste it).

 

Vanilla Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

1 Cup   Self Raising Flour

½ Cup   Plain Flour

½ tsp.   Baking Powder

¾ Cup   Caster Sugar

120g   Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

½ tsp. Vanilla Extract

2   Eggs

¾   Milk

Methods:

1. Sift together the flours and baking powder and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 180°C and line cupcake moulds with baking paper/cups.
2. Cream butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until a pale yellow (or just use your arm strength and a whisk). Gradually add sugar, scrap down the sides of the bowl to incorporate everything together. Add one egg at a time, beating the mixture in between. Add the vanilla extract. Mix.
3. Add the wet mixture to the dry one and have a mixing party, adding milk as you need it.
4. Pour batter into moulds and bake for 25 mins or until upon touch the cake springs back.
5. Cool and Ice.

Salted Caramel Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 Cup   Icing Sugar

130g   Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

3 Tbsp.   Salted Caramel Sauce (warm)

2 Tbsp.   Milk

Method:

1. Cream butter on high speed with an electric mixer.
2. Add caramel sauce and mix
3. Slowly incorporate icing sugar until all mixed together, adding milk as need.
4. Dip a spoon in and taste.
5. Don’t finish the bowl.

Caramel Popcorn:

Pop some corn kernels (I popped about ½ Cup) and cover with salted caramel sauce to your heart’s content (so like A LOT). Sprinkle with tinsy bit of salt and voila! You’re done. These would make an amazing dessert just on their own. Add some melted chocolate to up the game if your like. Just save them to top the cupcake off.