Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

I haven’t posted a cupcake recipe for an age. I don’t know why because I’m often making them, tinkering away with the flavours and designs, and they always go down a treat.

These were inspired by our current new obsession, caramel chocolate. We used to buy those delicious Choices caramel chocolates all the time as a special treat but I haven’t seen them for sale in ages. Have they been discontinued? Sad times if so as they were truly scrumptious.

Luckily the new Nomo brand from Kinnerton has come to our rescue with these utterly moreish caramel chocolate bars. I slightly miss the oozy caramel filling but the taste of these is spot on gorgeous and besides you can’t have everything!

So here we have chocolate caramel cupcakes – enjoy 😊

(I must apologise about the piping though, my last piping bag split so I had to improvise, hence all the varying and unusual looks! They still taste great though 😀 )

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegan and vegetarian)

makes 12

175g self-raising flour

100g caster sugar

25g cocoa powder

100ml sunflower oil

150ml dairy-free milk

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp caramel essence

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade/Gas Mark 5
2. Mix together the dairy-free milk, lemon juice, essence and oil. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Stir in the sugar.
4. Add the bicarb to the wet ingredients and stir.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix to thoroughly combine.
6. 2/3 rds fill the cupcake cases and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
7. Cool on a wire rack.

Caramel Chocolate Buttercream 

(dairy-free, egg-free, soya-free, sesame-free, nut-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Enough to spread on 12 cupcakes, double the mix to pipe luscious mounds of buttercream!

1/3 cup dairy-free margarine
2 tbsps vegetable fat such as Trex
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp caramel essence plus a splash of dairy-free milk

1.  Whisk together the fats.
2. Add the cocoa and whisk well.
3. Whisk in the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, adding the essence and a splash or so of milk.
4. Pipe or spread onto the cupcakes.
5. top with 1/2 a square of Nomo Caramel Chocolate