Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Who invented this new craze of "salted caramel" everything? Starbucks? Anyway, whoever you are, you are thanked. Yummy.

Yesterday was Kenna's piano recital (video coming soon!), and we were to bring something to snack on...well...it seems about the only thing I can whip out with minimal mental effort is cupcakes:-)

I made some chocolate cupcakes from a Duncan Hines Fudge Chocolate (my fave!) mix! Although this flavour combo is exquisite, another yummy to try would be Duncan Hines Caramel Cake mix too - obviously it would be heavier on the caramel flavor and no chocolate at all - but I bet it would be good. 

This was an EASY one to do - I made a batch of my standard vanilla buttercream 

1/2 C butter, softened

4 C icing sugar (powdered sugar or confectioners sugar is the same thing)

1 t vanilla extract

3 T milk

beat all together until smooth, creamy and fluffy!

Oh yah, it was just as mouth watering good as it looks:-)

 To accomplish that salty caramel flavour, I didn't head to pinterest...I headed to my cupboards. It's salt and caramel. How hard can it be?

I drizzled this over the cupcakes

Then I added a pinch or two of coarse sea salt - you know, those big chunks that you grind normally in a grinder?  Well, I didn't grind them

Can you see the salt on there? ooooo baby!

 Have you ever wondered how to neatly eat the cupcakes these days - with so much icing on them, they tend to be top heavy. I saw this tip a long time ago on Cake Boss - how to eat a modern day cupcake. You can thank me later. This is seriously the best ever!!

Take the paper off, and then tear the bottom off the cupcake, and place it on the top. Then eat your cupcake sandwich! It distributes the flavour and the icing *just perfectly*.