Every celebration needs a big cake – or several small cakes. Something delicious and indulging. If you are a fan of chocolate and/or popcorn, I think I got something for you: my delicious Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes. Delicious mini chocolate cakes meet chocolate buttercream, caramel and sweet popcorn. They do not only sound good, in my opinion, they also look great (in my opinion)… ;)
Admittedly, you have to like popcorn in order to really like these cupcakes here. But who doesn’t?! A movie in the cinema would not be the same without a big bucket of popcorn, right?! As soon as I got one of those in front of me, I dive in. And normally half of the popcorn is eaten before the movie has even started. ;P
Well. I’ve always been a big fan of cupcakes. It’s a very versatile sweet treat. Endless combinations of flavors, textures, and decorations… and everyone gets their own little cake. No need to share. It’s so much better to say »I got my own cake« instead of »they gave me a small slice of cake«… ;P
Saying that – normally, I really love sharing everything I bake. But when it comes to cupcakes, I get territorial sometimes. It’s better nobody tries to »taste test« my cupcake with their fork. Not a good idea. I like giving out complete cupcakes to everyone sitting at my table, but mine is off limits. Maybe it’s because my brother used to steal my food when I wasn’t paying attention when we were kids… the trauma! ;)
Well. The little cakes are simply delicious, in my opinion. Fluffy texture, a whole lot of chocolate flavor, topped with chocolate buttercream (made with real chocolate and not only cocoa powder), caramel filling, and a good amount of popcorn on top. I love them! If you want to go even further, drizzle some warm caramel sauce over the popcorn right before serving. So good!
About that popcorn… you should not stick it into the buttercream, if you are not planning to serve the cupcakes anytime soon. The popcorn will stay nice and crunchy for some time, but leaving the cupcakes (completely decorated) out for too long, will lead to with soft and chewy popcorn. If you are planning on finishing the cupcakes and store them in the fridge for a day (like you might do with other cupcakes) – that does not work here. It’s better to prepare everything, store it separately, and then finish with the decorations shortly before serving.
Looking for more cupcake recipes? Well… I got plenty of those here on the blog. Two of my favorite cupcake recipes are my Chocoholic Chocolate Cupcakes and my Apple Crumble Cupcakes. The first ones are for all the chocoholics out there, obviously, and the ones with apples for everyone else. Ok, chocolate lovers can, of course, also have an Apple Crumble Cupcake. And vice versa. D’Oh! ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(12-14 cupcakes)
For the cupcakes:
11.3 oz. (320g) all-purpose flour
1.8 oz. (50g) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
7 oz. (200g) sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
13.6 fl. oz. (400ml) coconut milk
1/2 cup (120ml) rapeseed oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
8.8 oz. (250g) confectioners’ sugar
3 oz. (80g) cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3.5 oz. (100g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
For the filling & decorations:
1 glass jar of caramel (e.g. Bonne Maman Caramel* or similar)
several packs of salted caramel popcorn* or sweet popcorn*
(12-14 Cupcakes)
Für die Cupcakes:
320g Mehl (Type 405)
50g Kakaopulver
1 1/2 TL Backpulver
1 TL Natron
200g Zucker
50g brauner Zucker
1/4 TL Salz
400ml Kokosmilch
120ml Rapsöl
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
Für die Buttercreme:
230g weiche Butter
250g Puderzucker
80g Kakaopulver
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
100g Zartbitterschokolade, geschmolzen
Für die Füllung & Dekoration:
1 Glas Karamell (z.B. Bonne Maman Caramel* o.ä.)
mehrere Packungen Salted Caramel Popcorn* oder süßes Popcorn*
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, both sugars, and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add coconut milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Divide the batter between the paper liners – they should be only about 3/4 full (or they will probably overflow). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Take out of the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool down completely.
2. For the buttercream, melt the chocolate and let cool down a bit – it should have »body temperature« at the most. Add the butter to a large bowl and mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract and mix slowly first, then on high for several minutes until everything is well combined and fluffy. Finally, add the melted (and cooled) chocolate and continue mixing on high for another 3-4 minutes. Fill into a piping bag with a large star tip.
3. To assemble the cupcakes, cut a hole into each cupcake (use a knife or cupcake corer*). Fill the holes with some caramel. Pipe some buttercream on top and then press the popcorn into the buttercream. If you like, you can warm up some leftover caramel and drizzle it over the cupcakes just before serving.
1. Den Ofen auf 160°C (320°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Muffinblech mit Papierförmchen bestücken und zur Seite stellen. Mehl, Kakao, Backpulver, Natron, beide Zuckerarten und das Salz in einer großen Schüssel vermischen. Kokosmilch, Öl und Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Den Teig auf die Förmchen verteilen – jedes sollte max. 3/4 befüllt sein, sonst läuft der Teig beim Backen eventuell über. Die Cupcakes für 40-45 Minuten backen. Mit einem Zahnstocher testen, ob noch Teig kleben bleibt und die Cupcakes erst herausholen, wenn dieser sauber herauskommt. Die Cupcakes aus dem Ofen nehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter komplett abkühlen lassen.
2. Für die Buttercreme die Schokolade schmelzen und abkühlen lassen – sie sollte höchstens handwarm sein. Die weiche Butter in eine große Schüssel geben und einige Minuten lang aufschlagen. Puderzucker, Kakao und Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und erst langsam, dann mehrere Minuten lang auf höchster Stufe aufschlagen, bis alles gut vermischt und luftig ist. Als Letztes die geschmolzene (und abgekühlte) Schokolade dazugeben und weitere 3-4 Minuten auf höchster Stufe aufschlagen. Die Creme in einen Spritzbeutel mit großer Sterntülle füllen.
3. Für den Zusammenbau der Cupcakes in jeden Cupcake ein Loch schneiden (mit einem Messer oder Cupcake Corer*). In die entstandene Vertiefung dann etwas Karamell einfüllen. Auf jeden Cupcake dann eine Portion Buttercreme aufspritzen und dann das Popcorn in die Buttercreme drücken. Wer mag, kann kurz vor dem Servieren noch etwas vom übrig gebliebenen Karamell aufwärmen und über die Cupcakes tröpfeln.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 00:45
- Cook Time: 00:45
- Total Time: 03:00
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Cupcakes
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A delicious sweet treat for all popcorn fans out there – Chocolate Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes. They are a lot, but they are good ;)
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
11.3 oz. (320g) all-purpose flour
1.8 oz. (50g) cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
7 oz. (200g) sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
13.6 fl. oz. (400ml) coconut milk
1/2 cup (120ml) rapeseed oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
8.8 oz. (250g) confectioners’ sugar
3 oz. (80g) cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3.5 oz. (100g) semi-sweet chocolate, melted
For the filling & decorations:
1 glass jar of caramel (e.g. Bonne Maman Caramel* or similar)
several packs of salted caramel popcorn* or sweet popcorn*
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, both sugars, and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add coconut milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Divide the batter between the paper liners – they should be only about 3/4 full (or they will probably overflow). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Take out of the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool down completely.
2. For the buttercream, melt the chocolate and let cool down a bit – it should have »body temperature« at the most. Add the butter to a large bowl and mix for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract and mix slowly first, then on high for several minutes until everything is well combined and fluffy. Finally, add the melted (and cooled) chocolate and continue mixing on high for another 3-4 minutes. Fill into a piping bag with a large star tip.
3. To assemble the cupcakes, cut a hole into each cupcake (use a knife or cupcake corer*). Fill the holes with some caramel. Pipe some buttercream on top and then press the popcorn into the buttercream. If you like, you can warm up some leftover caramel and drizzle it over the cupcakes just before serving.
Notes
Let the baking begin!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
