Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

As addicting as the drink itself!

Wow I have definitely neglected this blog..for a good few months! I had actually made these yummy cupcakes back in spring when my manager had left the company I was working at...but now I don't even work there anymore! With the travelling, job change, and moving cities, my life was just a bit too hectic for me to sit down and relax. When everything finally settled down, wonderful summer came around and I just could not stay inside and miss the amazing weather! If you know Saskatchewan Canada at all, you would know that beautiful hot weather doesn't ever last long enough, and every day counts! So now that I've had a healthy dose of Vitamin D, I can appreciate the down time and relax with some writing.

I must say these were my absolute favorite cupcakes I have ever made, and I wouldn't change a single thing about them! It was my first time trying Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing, and I was pretty nervous. But no great things ever came about playing it safe so I took the risk. If you've never made this type of icing before, it could be very intimidating. Any directions that called for tools such as candy thermometers and double boilers scared me away for a good few years until now! But well worth it...once you try Swiss Meringue you will NEVER go back...so do it!

The cakes themselves were soft and fluffy to start with, after being glazed with coffee, they became super moist. The slight bitterness of the coffee made these cupcakes not overly sweet which balanced perfectly with the buttery sweetness of the icing! I could eat these all day everyday...serious! It tastes exactly like the Starbucks drink and could probably be equally as addicting. I'm not usually a coffee drinker and would only have the occasional mug, but whether you are a coffee lover or not, you will fall in love with these!

I am most definitely not the most creative girl in the kitchen and is in no way an expert at forming my own recipes, so of course, the below had been adapted from others' brilliant minds. Let's go!

For the Cupcakes :

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1/4 cup whole milk

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour water over espresso powder; let cool. Combine espresso with milk. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with espresso-milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on cooling racks before frosting.

For the coffee glaze:

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons instant coffee (not espresso)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients in a small bowl until sugar is completely dissolved. Poke several small holes in the top of each cupcake, and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of glaze on each. Do not be afraid to over-moisten the cupcakes, they will soak up the liquid perfectly.

For the Frosting:

1 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 large egg whites

Pinch of kosher

1 pound (4 sticks) butter

2/3 cup Caramel sauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

(I just used caramel sauce from the store, but you can also make your own if you'd like, just make sure it's cool before you use it.)

Place the sugar, the egg whites and the salt in the metal bowl of a standing mixer. Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water. Whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture reaches 160°. Be sure to stir from the moment that the bowl touches the heat, or else the egg whites will cook onto the bowl.

Fit the standing mixer with the whisk attachment and put the bowl in place. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed and beat until stiff peaks have formed

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and begin adding the butter, a tablespoon or two at a time (it really needs to be room temperature/soft before doing this). Beat until the butter is no longer visible, and add in more, until it is all added. At some point it will look curdled and broken, but just keep on beating and beating until it gets smooth again. This could take a few minutes, but have no fear. It will come together! Just keep beating. I thought it was a lost cause when it looked like scrabbled eggs, but patience is key!

Slowly add in the caramel and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-low until combined and smooth, usually a few minutes.

Frost the cupcakes and drizzle with remaining caramel sauce and you're done!

If you wanted to make them look even fancier, you can make them into little mugs like how I did. But it is definitely time consuming so I only did three mugs! I cheated just a little...

To make the mugs, use white fondant and roll it into long strips and wrap it around the cupcake, but make sure you take the cupcake liner off first, no one wants to bite into paper! Then with the white fondant, form little ears for the mugs and use a bit of water to make it stick. They honestly taste better without the mug though, I have never been a fan of the taste of fondant, but it does look pretty!

Enjoy! A nice SB alternative :)

-Ruby