Chocolate and coffee flavored cupcakes topped with the most luxurious silken Swiss meringue buttercream, caramel drizzle and espresso beans! Caramel Macchiato in cupcake form!

Cupcake Pedestals

This week I was thinking about ways to use up the leftover caramel sauce I had from my Taffy Apple Sundaes, besides eating it straight from the jar (as I had been doing). I knew I wanted to make cupcakes since I recently snagged these adorable cupcake pedestals (on closeout from Macy’s!).

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

I thought: chocolate goes with caramel –> chocolate loves coffee in baked goods –> I love turning my favorite Starbucks drinks into cupcakes so Caramel (Mocha) Macchiato Cupcakes it is! Go for the gold and make your own caramel sauce. It certainly won’t go to waste and homemade has a whole other dimension of flavor that you just can’t find in store-bought sauces.

Ahh these are so yummy! Pour me another round, barista. The base has a light cocoa taste similar to red velvet cake, but punched up with espresso. They’re flavorful, but not very sweet. Most of the time I eat my cupcakes without frosting, but these ones are just begging to be topped with luscious cream. I went with a Swiss Meringue Buttercream and it’s my new favorite! So silky and dreamy, yet sturdy enough for piping, as you can see from the pretty swirls.

Did I mention how tasty homemade caramel sauce is?

Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

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Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes

Yield: 2 dozen

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Coffee flavored cupcakes topped with the most luxurious, silken Swiss meringue buttercream, caramel drizzle and espresso beans!

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Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 3/4 cup freshly brewed espresso
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• Caramel Sauce, for garnishing
• Chocolate covered espresso beans, for garnishing

For the frosting:

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup caramel sauce

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line cupcake tins with liners. Stir the espresso powder into the brewed espresso and let cool. Meanwhile whisk together flour and cocoa. In a separate bowl cream butter, then add brown sugar and eggs, beating until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, baking soda and salt, mixing thoroughly.
2. On low speed, stir in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of sour cream, stirring until just combined. Add espresso mixture and beat until smooth.
3. Fill cupcake pans 3/4 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out nearly clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely in pans before frosting.

For the frosting:

1. In a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisk the egg whites, sugar and salt constantly until sugar is dissolved and temperature reads 140°F. Remove from heat. Beat with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the butter, one pat at a time, beating on medium speed until all the butter is incorporated. Slowly add the vanilla and caramel sauce, beat until smooth and creamy.
3. Transfer to a pastry bag and pipe cupcakes with desired design. Garnish with caramel sauce and espresso beans.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below! Or tag @kitchengidget on Instagram with the hashtag #kitchengidget

Cupcake base adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes