Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

Happy Halloween Everyone!! What are you doing for this fun filled holiday? Our neighborhood usually gets tons of trick or treaters, so we have to be well prepared with wayyyy too much candy 🙂  Sometimes, I will have no candy left over, and sometimes, I have a ton!!  Today, I decided to create a FABULOUS new recipe highlighting Halloween and the most delicious toffee from one of my favorite confection companies, btoffee.com !! If you haven’t tasted this buttery, chocolatey toffee..you are seriously missing out!!

Chocolate and caramel are two of my favorite flavor combinations.  I wanted to create a super rich cupcake, so I took it to the next level by dunking it in ganache when it was cooled, then covering it with the most delicious caramel buttercream!! Drizzle them with extra caramel and add some of the toffee pieces, and you will be the most popular house in the neighborhood at Halloween..or any time of the year 🙂

The adorable props are from my favorite party ware shop too, shopsweetlulu.com !! Check out all of the adorable pieces by clicking the link on my blog on the bottom right!! I love absolutely everything they make!!  Have a blast making these incredible cupcakes for everyone you love!!

Some of the amazing ingredients that go into this delicious recipe!

I tasted way too much batter while I was creating this recipe 🙂

Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full.

They bake up perfectly and make a sweet, even dozen!

I could have eaten all of the ganache by myself !

The caramel buttercream is the perfect compliment to this cupcake!

Dunking the cupcakes into the ganache will leave some looking funny, but the buttercream covers it completely 🙂

A perfect cupcake under a single cupcake dome!! How cute is that?

They are so incredibly delicious !

They were so adorable, I had to shoot a lot of photos!!

I just can’t help myself 🙂

Adorable little witch cupcake topper!

Last one 🙂

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

Makes: One dozen cupcakes Prep Time: 45 minutes Bake time: 19-20 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup best cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1 teaspoon chocolate or vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Chocolate ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces best quality semi sweet chocolate chips

Caramel buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

8 ounces full fat cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping, ( I used Hershey’s)

4 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 bag of the best toffee cut into small pieces, ( I used B Toffee)  *this will be for placing on top of the frosting

Directions

For the cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake wrappers.

In a large mixing bowl by hand, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.  In another small bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients.  Add the wet into the dry and mix until just incorporated.

With a small ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into each cupcake liner.  You will have exactly enough to fill all 12 about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pan.  Bake for another 9 to 11 minutes.  Take out to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Place the cupcakes on a wire rack and place them in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the buttercream and the ganache.

Make the ganache

In a microwave safe bowl, place the cream and microwave for one minute.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and stir until completely melted.

Make the buttercream

In the bowl of your stand mixer with a wire whisk, place the butter and cream cheese.  Whisk until smooth and creamy.  Add the caramel, salt and confectioners sugar.  Beat until smooth and creamy.

When the cupcakes are completely chilled, dunk the tops into the ganache.  Place back in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Pipe the caramel buttercream with your favorite tip, ( I used a large star tip for this effect.)  Drizzle a bit of the extra caramel and place a few toffee bits on top!! Use your favorite cupcake topper, or just serve them as is!! They are so special!!

Store them in the fridge until ready to eat.

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