Because who doesn't love a perfectly delicious, moist, chocolate pillow
of cake with homemade salted caramel frosting on top? I can't think of a
better use of time than to whip up a batch of these for my sister's best
friend. Laurie has
battled cancer for a few years and has had multiple surgeries...and
multiple hospital bills. The cancer keeps coming back and she keeps fighting.
Jesterz Improv is hosting a
fundraiser for her and 100% of the ticket sales will help her pay
hospital bills. Laurie is a regular at Jesterz and they have no problem
jumping on board to help her. Along with a night of side splitting
comedy, she is also having a bake sale, which is where these cupcakes
come into play. Whether you're bake salein' it, birthday bashin' or celebratin' the fact that it's Thursday, these cupcakes are a must bake. (Go ahead and pin it).
But these cupcakes, are for cancer.
The cupcakes have to be individually wrapped for the bake sale so I bought small plastic cups and put the cupcake inside then taped another one upside on top. I made these labels to secure one side of the cup and used a small piece of clear tape to secure the other side. Warning: frost the cupcake after placing the cupcake in the cup, otherwise you'll make a mess of the frosting. Serve with a spoon or fork.
I found this incredible chocolate cake recipe. I've always wanted a perfect chocolate cake recipe that makes everyone go, "THAT'S HOMEMADE?" and now I have one! To share or not to share...SHARE! Hershey's literally has the best chocolate cake recipe. It's called "perfect chocolate cake" because it is. Of course, I made a little tweak. Right, I know the recipe says it's perfect but I just can't leave things alone.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee <----- tweak
Directions:
1. Stir dry ingredients together.2. Add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and mix until combine.
3. Pour in coffee and mix together, scraping down the side of the bowl. (batter is thin)
4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter in cupcake pans.
5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Yes! It's that easy! And the frosting is just as easy though it can be time consuming.
Salted Caramel Frosting
Ingredients:
1 lb. of butter
1 1/2 cup caramel*
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
*To make the caramel, peel off the wrapper of 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk. DO NOT OPEN. Put in a large pot and cover with water. Boil for 3 hours, adding water as it evaporates. After 3 hours, remove the cans and let cool completely.
OR
You can make homemade caramel which is less time consuming but a little tricky. (I've made this before. It's knock your socks off amazing)
OR
I'm sure you can use store bought caramel or melt down caramels, but why?
Directions:
1. Whip butter for 30 seconds on high.
2. Add caramel and vanilla and whip for another 30 seconds.
3. Slowly add powdered sugar and salt. Continue whipping for another minute or so.
Frosting should be light and fluffy and should hold it's shape when you lift the beater out of the bowl. If it needs to be stiffened, add more powdered sugar.
Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes.
