Salted Caramel Sauce

Yield: 2 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes

directions:

1. First, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready. Once you start the caramel sauce you have to pay close attention so you don't burn it. To begin, heat the sugar over medium high-heat in the bottom of a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan. When the sugar starts to melt, start whisking the sugar. The sugar will clump up, but keep whisking. It will continue to melt. When the sugar is melted, stop whisking. You can swirl the pan to move the sugar around.

2. Continue cooking the sugar until it reaches a deep amber color. Make sure you watch the pan very closely. This is where it is easy to burn the caramel. You want the caramel to reach 350 degrees F. If you are new to making caramel, I suggest using a thermometer.

3. As soon as the sugar reaches the dark amber color, or 350 degrees carefully add the butter. Whisk until butter is melted. If the sugar gets stuck to the whisk, you can switch to a wooden spoon.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth. Whisk in the fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt flakes.

5. Let the caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Pour the caramel into a large jar and cool to room temperature. Put the salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator. Store the salted caramel sauce in the refrigerator for about a month.

The BEST salted caramel sauce! It's easy to make and is great drizzled over ice cream, cake, cookies, 

cupcakes, apples, cheesecake...and anything else you can think of! It also makes a great and easy gift! 

I'm BACK! For my first wedding!

Here's whats on the Menu: 

1.Gluten Free Chocolate cupcakes with Dulce De Leche butter cream and Salted Caramel sauce 

2. Apple Bourbon cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese frosting 

3. Orange Ginger Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting. 

BOOM!

Ok I know its been a while. I moved into my car for the last two years for some climbing, road tripping, and adventure. Its hard to bake in a car. There is nowhere to plug in the mixer. I just moved back into a cozy place in Asheville, just in time to make 200 cupcakes for my best friends wedding. This being my first wedding I was excited and a little nervous. I wanted everything to come out perfectly. I did several test batches up at the Outward Bound base camp I was working at this fall. My co-workers seemed ok with that. We decided on these three recipes and thankfully they all came out great! Enjoy! 

Gluten Free Chocolate cupcakes:

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup warm water (warm from the tap is fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-well muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Add the egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract and water (or coffee). Mix until smooth. Divide evenly among the prepared muffin wells. Do Not over fill the liners, about 1/2 full is perfect.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and top with your favorite frosting.

Dulce De leche buttercream

Ingredients

• 2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup dulce de leche (about 1 can of la lechera dulce de leche)

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat butter on high speed for three minutes, until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in dulce de leche.
3. Mix in powdered sugar and salt until fully combined.
4. Spread or pipe on cooled cupcakes.

 Apple Bourbon Cupcakes, See previous post for these cupcakes when I made them with pumpkin cream cheese frosting. http://crushcakescupcakes.blogspot.com/2011/11/apple-bourbon-cupcakes-with-pumpkin.html

Only this time I did a maple cream cheese frosting.

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 stick of butter (room temp)

Maple extract (about 1 Tbs, add to taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs milk

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. 
Add the maple, vanilla, and milk. 
Add powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency. 
Add salt and maple extract to taste.

These cupcakes were the show stopper. They are not too dense, not to crumbly. They are light and fluffy with complex yet balanced flavors. 

Orange Ginger Carrot Cupcakes with Orange Ginger Cream cheese frosting:

Ingredients:

2.5 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tbs grated orange zest

1/2 cups fine chopped crystalized ginger (Make this from scratch! Its so much better!)

1lb carrots (about 6 carrots)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cups light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups of canola or veggie oil

Recipe: 
1. pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Insert liners for about 32 cupcakes into cupcake pans.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. 

3. In a food processor fitted with the large shredding disk, shred the carrots to make about 3 cups. Add the crystalized ginger to the carrots and add to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. 

4. Wipe out the food processor and fit with the metal blade. Process the sugars with the eggs and the orange zest until frothy and thoroughly combined. (about 20 seconds) With the machine running, add the oil through the feeder tube in a steady stream. Process until the mixture is well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. 

5. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. Stir the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 way full. (Do not overfill!) Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are a light golden brown. Allow cupcakes to cool fully on wire rack before icing. 

Orange Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 Tbs grated orange zest

2 Tbs orange juice

16 Oz cream cheese (softened)

10 Tbs butter (room temp)

1/2 lb powdered sugar
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs sugar crystals from home made crystalized ginger

1. In a mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add orange juice, zest, and spices until combined.
3. Add powdered sugar slowly until desired consistency is achieved.
4. I added sugar crystals that were extra from making the crystalized ginger and it added a delightful spicy sweet surprise to the frosting.

To make crystalized ginger: 

Ingredients
Nonstick spray
1 pound fresh ginger root
5 cups water
Approximately 1 pound granulated sugar
Directions
Spray a cooling rack with nonstick spray and set it in a half sheet pan lined with parchment.

Peel the ginger root and slice into 1/8-inch thick slices. Place into a 4-quart saucepan with the water and set over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for 40 minutes or until the ginger is tender.

Transfer the ginger to a colander to drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Weigh the ginger and measure out an equal amount of sugar. Return the ginger and 1/4 cup water to the pan and add the sugar. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar syrup looks dry, has almost evaporated and begins to recrystallize, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer the ginger immediately to the cooling rack and spread to separate the individual pieces. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

Sam Profetta made this beautiful gluten free chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream. Maybe one day we will go into business together. Fun business name ideas anyone?