I believe I owe my followers an apology. It has been 2 weeks since my last post and I know that is ages in the blogging world. With no better excuse than I have been super busy, I'm sorry! I have been getting my food blog fix by reading on the go, (what did we ever do without smart phones!) but I feel awful for not getting this post out sooner.
These cupcakes were for a friend's birthday, she asked for the best frosting I could think of. All I could think of was this jar of Dulce de Leche in my pantry. I dragged my husband to the fancy grocery store, oooh about 2 months ago, because I HAD to have Dulce de Leche. It has been sitting in the pantry since. I kept waiting for the right time, the right recipe, the right occasion. Well now is as good a time as any and what better way to use it than for a birthday!
Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 and 2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
Frosting:
1 and 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup dulce de leche
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners, set aside. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder, set aside. In a large bowl beat butter on medium till creamy. Add in sugar and blend till fluffy or about two minutes. Add in vanilla and blend, scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add in eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Alternate adding water and flour mixture to butter mixture. Beat mixture till completely blended. Pour 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let sit in pan for 5 minutes, then let cool completely on metal rack.
To prepare the frosting, in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed till creamy. Slowly sift in confectioners' sugar and mix on low till completely incorporated. Add in heavy cream and vanilla, mix till incorporated. Add in dulce de leche and beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until frosting is smooth and fluffy, scraping sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Fill a pastry bag fitted with your favorite decorating tip and frost cooled cupcakes.
Dulce de Leche recipe was adapted from JoytheBaker.com
This pic was just for me to compare my old way (left) of frosting a cupcake versus the new way (right). Which is your favorite? Or does it not matter since the moment you get the cupcake you want to eat it anyways?
A tip I read about recently for cupcakes, if you only have one cupcake pan, cover the batter and place in fridge till the first batch has completed baking. Add 2-3 minutes of baking time for the second batch. I own two cupcake pans so I don't need to do this, but it is good to know! If you do own two cupcake pans, something that I do is rotate the pans halfway through the baking time. This ensures an even bake on all the cupcakes as the middle of the oven is always warmer than the sides.
Happy Baking!
I've never had dulce de leche, but these cupcakes look amazing! Did you use the same decorating tip for the frosting? I like both, but the second one is pretty. It looks like a fancy rose.
ReplyDeleteI like both ways, but I REALLY like the second way! Welcome back!
ReplyDeleteOOooo, dulce de leche frosting? Amazing. I like the new way of frosting, looks so pretty and professional.
ReplyDeletedulce de leche is great; we put it on brownies too
ReplyDeletecupcakes look really nice
Gorgeous! I love them both, don't make me choose! This recipe is killer, I love dulce de leche
ReplyDeleteYour cupcakes look just lovely!
ReplyDeleteI know what it's like to be so busy you don't even have time to think, better yet cook and blog!! I'm with you there. Great to have you back and this is a great recipe to be back with!
ReplyDeleteThe look and sounds gorgeous! You're an amazing at decorating!
ReplyDeleteWow what a gorgeous cupcake! I just love how you do your frosting!
ReplyDeleteI have had brownies with dulce de leche and needless to say, they were the most mind-blowing things i ever ate! I bet these cupcakes taste just as good, if not better. Btw, that dish is so pretty :)
ReplyDeleteWow! These are just so scrumptious looking, Debbie, and your frosting is pure perfection - like silk drapes! I know you mention how to do it once in a while, but you should do some kind of photography tutorial for frosting cupcakes. I could use a little help myself (your "before" is my current way of doing it!). Thanks for sharing, and welcome back!
ReplyDeleteStunningly beautiful frosting on your cupcakes!
ReplyDeleteAnna's Table
It's almost my birthday...can I get some of these??
ReplyDeleteYour piping skills are just great! I like the new way the best, but they're both beautiful! I wish I had good piping skills.... Tutorial time? :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious! The frosting is drool worthy.
ReplyDeleteThese sound absolutely delicious!! What a great combination! Lucky friend you have :)
ReplyDeleteYou pipe frosting beautifully! How did you learn?
ReplyDeleteI took a cupcake decorating class and my piping skills are very beginner. LOL. I hope to pipe just as well as you one day. Love the new design!
Cupcakes with that frosting look just amazing :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow, you are so talented - I love it! This is a beautiful, delicious, yummy cupcake. And that piping - wooohooo impressive. :)
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful! I LOVE dulce de leche too..it is so addicting. I totally know what you mean about being busy, the past month has flown by. As for the decorating, both are beautiful. I think the rose design is very classy and elegant, maybe better for dinner parties and other occasions of that sort. The other design (from this angle) has the feeling of being more relaxed. But that's just me! Great tip on the cupcake pans too, I only have one and have always struggled with the second batch!
ReplyDeleteWell, I feel the wait was more than justified and compensated for. These cupcakes looks amazing, without counting that I love dulce de leche so much that every time I see a dessert that features it I have to try it. And well...we all get busy...sometimes keeping up a blog takes a lot of time, far more than what we have. Don't feel bad. We are all still here....drooling!
ReplyDeletelooks wonderful beautifully decorated cupcakes
ReplyDeleteThese cupcakes look fabulous! I bet your friend was ecstatic. :)
ReplyDeleteCharming cupcakes...and that frosting is perfection.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the second way of of icing the cupcake, it's like an elegant rose of delicious icing. Seriously, dulce de leche? Yum. My kids are dairy intolerant so I actually went to the effort once to make cajeta which is just dulce de leche made with goat's milk (they can have that) and it was incredible.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for the tip about the two baking pans. I only the one and I always worry about the second batch.
What gorgeous cupcakes! Both frosting techniques are outstanding, but I really love your new method!!!
ReplyDeleteBoth are beautiful! The new one is perhaps more elegant? Gorgeous either way though.
ReplyDeleteall I can say is "yum" and "beautiful"!
ReplyDeleteWhat tip do you use? The icing is beautiful!! I want to be able to make that look.
ReplyDelete@Kita: I use a WIlton 1M tip, basically a large star, for both cupcake styles...I'll get working on a tutorial!
ReplyDeleteCan you show us a step-by-step how to frost cupcakes sometime? What tips did you use for the second one? What's the technique? Would love to know.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lucky friend! Dulce de leche is irresistible and I'm sure these cupcakes are out of this world.
ReplyDeleteFor being out for two weeks you sure come back with a bang. Gorgeous cupcakes!
ReplyDeleteLovely looking cupcakes- looks absolutely divine!
ReplyDeleteHow can you lose with dulce de leche?! I love the stuff. If you have a latin american market around you, you can find it much cheaper and more authentically produced there. I keep it stocked in my pantry. :-p
ReplyDeleteI love both types of frosting! However, I find the first one (on the left) to be more appropriate for "playful" occasions, while the one on the left -- for events requiring elegance. In any case, your cupcakes look great!
ReplyDeleteThese cupcakes sound and look delicious! I love the looks of the frosted cupcake on the left.
ReplyDeleteBoth cupcakes look delicious! I love the one on the right, though. So fancy :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tip on the sequence of baking cupcakes! That dulce de leche frosting sounds outstanding!
ReplyDeleteA tutorial would be awesome!! Thank you :D
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous! Delicious sounding too. I'm terrible at baking, hoping to get some tips from you and will try some of your recipes. Although, I know I won't get my frosting to look like this!
ReplyDeletePretty cupcakes, awesome pipping! *^_^*
ReplyDelete