Me: Saurus, what should I say about these cupcakes?
Saurus: What your say? [my favorite Saurus phrase – he says it more like whachyoursay?]
Me: These cupcakes. Thoughts?
Saurus: That they belong to me.
Me: That’s all?
Saurus: Yes. Let’s talk about mummies now.
Me: Let’s keep talking about cupcakes.
Saurus: But I don’t want to talk about cupcakes. I want to talk about mummies. Mummies are dead people right?
Me: But these cupcakes are awesome.
Saurus: How did your not answer me?
Me: Because these cupcakes are distracting. Little Fox, thoughts on cupcakes?
Little Fox: Gah! Pbbbtttttt! Yeeek! [eats a cheerio he found on the floor]
Me: Well said, sir. And don’t eat that. Eat cupcakes.
Saurus: When I was a baby, I was scared of mummies because I thought they were going to eat me.
Me: That only happens in the movies, sweetheart. Or sometimes if you throw too many tantrums.
Saurus: I know that now. Mummies only like to eat cupcakes.
Me: Absolutely.
- 1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 C pure cane white sugar
- 3/4 C pure cane brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp bourbon vanilla (regular vanilla is fine too)
- 3 C flour
- 1 scant tsp salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 C sour milk*
- 1 1/2 C pecans, finely chopped
- 1/3 C toffee bits
- 6 T light corn syrup
- 3 T pure cane white sugar
- 4 T heavy cream
- 2/3 C semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 T dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 T brewed coffee
- 1 T butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 C pure cane white sugar
- 1 scant tsp salt
- 1/3 C heavy cream
- 1/4 C light corn syrup
- 4 T bourbon
- 4 T butter, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 C butter, room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 4 C powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 C salted bourbon caramel sauce
- 2 T heavy cream (as needed)
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Beat butter and sugars together until fluffy.
- Add in eggs and vanilla, beating well after each.
- Alternate sifting in dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) with sour milk. Stir just until combined.
- Fold in pecan pieces and toffee bits.
- Bake at 350F for approx 15 mins or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Set on wire rack to cool.
- In medium saucepan, heat corn syrup, sugar, and heavy cream over medium heat (simmering), stirring constantly, until thickened. It takes 4-5 minutes on my stove.
- Reduce heat to the lowest setting on your range, and whisk in chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and coffee, stirring constantly until smooth.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla until smooth again.
- Set aside to cool.
- In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, salt, corn syrup, and cream over medium heat (strong simmer), stirring constantly, until very thick. I sometimes let mine get all the way to hard ball stage and it's fine.
- Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon, butter, and vanilla.
- Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool.
- Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
- Beat in powdered sugar a little at a time.
- Add caramel sauce and beat until well-incorporated.
- With mixer on high, beat in cream until frosting is light and fluffy.
- This is the part where the art of frosting comes in. I take some liberties with mine and add a bit more caramel sauce or bourbon or whatever I think it needs and then just work with the consistency, adding extra powdered sugar or cream, until it's the fluffy cloud I like best. You do you.
- When everything has been made and cooled, spoon out some of the middle of the cupcakes and fill with hot fudge sauce. Replace a little of the cake to cover the hole, if you can. If you've already eaten it, then no worries. I've done it both ways.
- Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
- Drizzle with leftover chocolate and caramel (if you haven't already eaten that too. I've done it both ways) and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, pecan pieces, toffee bits....pretty much whatever you have leftover - dump it on there.
- Now devour those suckers before the mummies get them.
- *To make sour milk, whisk 1Tbsp white vinegar into 1C whole milk and set aside until gross-looking.
- These cupcakes look overwhelming (lots of sauce-making!) but if you make big batches of caramel sauce and hot fudge and just keep them on hand (i use them for ice cream, coffee, whatever), then it's not so bad. And you always have hot fudge and bourbon caramel. It's a win-win.
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