Gluten Free Salted Caramel Snickers Cupcakes
Description
“Best frosting I’ve ever had”- just one of the many compliments I received about these dreamy cupcakes! These are sure to be a show stopper at your next event. Classic chocolate cupcakes topped with the most luscious and velvety homemade salted caramel buttercream and perfectly crunchy chopped Snickers bars! Hope you all had a wonderful, long weekend. Enjoy!
- Gluten Free
- Vegetarian
- 30 minutes prep time
- 15 minutes cook time
- 45 minutes Total Time
Recipe
For the cupcakes:
3/4 cup (95g) gluten free flour
1/2 cup (45g) natural cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used almond milk with lemon juice)
For the salted caramel:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the buttercream:
1 1/4 cups (282g) room temperature butter
3 1/4 cups (373g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup room temperature salted caramel (from above)
Topping:
Snickers bar, chopped
Salted caramel
For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard cupcake tins with 16 liners, spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and break up any lumps and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together sugars, oil, vanilla and eggs.
4. Add half of wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stir with a hand whisk.
5. Add half of the buttermilk and stir.
6. Add remaining wet ingredients and remaining buttermilk and mix until JUST combined. Do not overmix, this will cause the cupcakes to sink in the middle.
7. Divide batter evenly between 16 standard cupcake liners, they should only be about half full. Over filling will result in sunken cupcakes.
8. Bake at 350° for 15-17 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the salted caramel:
1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar and stir combine.
3. Stirring constantly, cook mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened.
4. Add heavy cream, vanilla and salt and stir until combined completely. You may have to stir over low heat to get it to come all together.
5. Transfer to a glass bowl and allow caramel to cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream:
1. Add room temperature butter to bowl of stand mixer. Beat on medium/high speed for 3 minutes until butter is light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until incorporated. Turn speed up to medium/high and beat 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the cooled salted caramel to the bowl and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
Assembly:
1. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost each generously with salted caramel buttercream. I used a Wilton 1M tip for these cupcakes.
2. Drizzle leftover caramel sauce over the top of the buttercream. I microwaved the caramel for 10 seconds prior to drizzling.
3. Top with chopped snickers bars.
4. Enjoy!
Tips for success:
1. Do not over mix the cupcake batter. This will result in sad, sunken cupcakes. I always use a hand whisk for this recipe to make sure I have the most control possible over mixing!
2. Do not overfill the cupcake liners. I know it is hard not to add a generous amount of batter to each liner, but I promise these cupcakes raise beautifully to the top of the liners if you only fill halfway! Over filling is another common reason for sunken cupcakes.
3. Do not open your oven prematurely. This can cause the cupcakes to sink as well.
4. Be patient with the caramel sauce, it will come together! If it still seems a bit grainy or chunky, pour the caramel sauce through a fine-mesh sieve before allowing it to cool to get out any large sugar pieces that haven’t fully dissolved.
For the cupcakes:
3/4 cup (95g) gluten free flour
1/2 cup (45g) natural cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used almond milk with lemon juice)
For the salted caramel:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
For the buttercream:
1 1/4 cups (282g) room temperature butter
3 1/4 cups (373g) powdered sugar
1/2 cup room temperature salted caramel (from above)
Topping:
Snickers bar, chopped
Salted caramel
For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard cupcake tins with 16 liners, spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine gluten free flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and break up any lumps and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together sugars, oil, vanilla and eggs.
4. Add half of wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stir with a hand whisk.
5. Add half of the buttermilk and stir.
6. Add remaining wet ingredients and remaining buttermilk and mix until JUST combined. Do not overmix, this will cause the cupcakes to sink in the middle.
7. Divide batter evenly between 16 standard cupcake liners, they should only be about half full. Over filling will result in sunken cupcakes.
8. Bake at 350° for 15-17 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the salted caramel:
1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Add brown sugar and stir combine.
3. Stirring constantly, cook mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened.
4. Add heavy cream, vanilla and salt and stir until combined completely. You may have to stir over low heat to get it to come all together.
5. Transfer to a glass bowl and allow caramel to cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream:
1. Add room temperature butter to bowl of stand mixer. Beat on medium/high speed for 3 minutes until butter is light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until incorporated. Turn speed up to medium/high and beat 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the cooled salted caramel to the bowl and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
Assembly:
1. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, frost each generously with salted caramel buttercream. I used a Wilton 1M tip for these cupcakes.
2. Drizzle leftover caramel sauce over the top of the buttercream. I microwaved the caramel for 10 seconds prior to drizzling.
3. Top with chopped snickers bars.
4. Enjoy!
Tips for success:
1. Do not over mix the cupcake batter. This will result in sad, sunken cupcakes. I always use a hand whisk for this recipe to make sure I have the most control possible over mixing!
2. Do not overfill the cupcake liners. I know it is hard not to add a generous amount of batter to each liner, but I promise these cupcakes raise beautifully to the top of the liners if you only fill halfway! Over filling is another common reason for sunken cupcakes.
3. Do not open your oven prematurely. This can cause the cupcakes to sink as well.
4. Be patient with the caramel sauce, it will come together! If it still seems a bit grainy or chunky, pour the caramel sauce through a fine-mesh sieve before allowing it to cool to get out any large sugar pieces that haven’t fully dissolved.