Texas Chocolate Cupcakes
Taste of Home
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My husband remembers his mother making "little black cupcakes with caramel icing." I never thought about putting caramel icing on chocolate cupcakes, but boy, was I wrong. His mother passed down this recipe to me. It's to die for! —Cathy Bodkins, Dayton, Virginia
SERVINGS: 24
CATEGORY: Dessert
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep: 30 min. Bake: 15 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- CARAMEL ICING:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 to 2-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring cocoa, water, oil and butter to a boil. Gradually add to dry ingredients; mix well. Combine eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; gradually add to batter and mix well (batter will be very thin).
Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For icing, in a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium. Do not stir. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until bubbles form in center of mixture and syrup turns amber. Remove from the heat; transfer to a small mixing bowl. Cool to room temperature. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread over cupcakes. Yield: 2 dozen.