This weekend I’m off to State College to see one of my oldest (meaning I have known her for 21 years, not that she herself is old) and dearest friends, Carrie. We met back in 2003 at the National Building Museum in DC and bonded over being from Pennsylvania; she is an Erie native now living in Happy Valley, despite not being a football fan. These treats are for her and her family; she too is a baker, as are her boys.
Rain is expected in State College this weekend, so our plans are TBD. But one thing I’d like to do is visit the Penn State Creamery, as I’ve never had their ice cream before. I’ve never made my own ice cream either, but you never know when that might enter the repertoire. For now, I’ll stick to my oven.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
For the frosting and decoration
- 12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- About 1/3 cup caramel sauce*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 14 Dove Milk Chocolate Promises candies
*I used Smucker’s Salted Caramel Ice Cream topping to save time but you can also make your own caramel sauce. Homemade caramel sauce is absolutely delicious.Â
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; this recipe makes 14 cupcakes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well-blended, then make three wells for the wet ingredients.
Place vinegar, vanilla, and vegetable oil into the wells; add water and mix until the batter is smooth. The mixture will bubble up slightly when you add the water, so just keep mixing until you get a smooth consistency in the batter, which will be fairly thin.
Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill cupcake wells about half full. Bake for 15-19 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting, beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated into the butter. Add caramel sauce and vanilla and beat to combine completely. Fit a large piping bag with a large closed star tip (I use the Wilton 1M) and pipe swirls of frosting onto each cupcake. Top with a Dove chocolate; store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.